Heartfulness
HeartfulnessAn Introduction
Experience HeartfulnessLearn to Meditatewith the help of yogic transmission.Experience the beauty of the heart.Published by Heartfulness Institute Inc., USAFirst Edition May 2016 - 5000 2016 Heartfulness Institute Inc.,All rights reserved. ‘Heartfulness’, ‘Heartfulness Relaxation’,‘Heartfulness Meditation’, ‘www. heartfulness.org’, and the ‘Heartfulness’ logoare registered Service Marks and/or Trademarks of Sahaj Marg SpiritualityFoundation. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form or byany means without prior written permission from the Publisher.
WelcomeWe must make the choices thatenable us to fulfill the deepestcapacities of our real selves.THOMAS MERTON
ContentsIntroduction to Heartfulness . 5Why Meditate . 6Heartfulness Origins and Philosophy . 9Spirituality . 10Balanced Living . 11Absence of Dogma . 12Impressions . 13Heartfulness Relaxation . 14Heartfulness Meditation . 17Heartfulness Cleaning . 19Heartfulness Prayer . 21Heartfulness Transmission . 22Heartfulness Guidance . 22Heartfulness Institute . 24How Do I Start? . 254Experience Heartfulness
Introduction toHeartfulnessHeartfulness is a simple and natural path of heart-centeredwellness that fosters balance, peace and wellbeing. Theintroductory practices include a relaxation exercise and aHeartfulness meditation. This approach to wellness centerson using the heart to guide us on our journey to personaldevelopment and inner enrichment. By focusing our attentionon the heart, we gradually learn to regulate the mind whileexploring the secrets of the heart. With continued practice,Heartfulness can enable us to reach profound depths ofmeditation and achieve inner transformation.While much has been said about the power of the mind,purifying the heart empowers us with the guiding principlesessential in our worldly lives. The training in Heartfulnessmeditation specifically takes the focus and attention fromour minds to our hearts. We feel a relief from stress andanxiety as we begin to experience life through the serenity ofour hearts. As we delve deeper, we develop an extraordinaryintuition that gives us the clarity to make more efficientdecisions in life.www.heartfulness.org5
Heartfulness meditation fosters healthier and more positiverelationships by increasing our capacity for empathy, joyand love. With deeper practice we begin to experience themystical splendor latent in the stillness of our hearts. Takingtime each day to tune into our hearts gives us an opportunityto discover our true inner self as well as our connection withthe whole of life.Heartfulness meditation is offered free of charge throughthe Heartfulness Institute, a non-profit organization.Heartfulness welcomes seekers from all secular and faithbackgrounds to experience and incorporate this practiceinto their wellness and personal enrichment program.Why MeditateKeep your thoughts positive because your thoughtsbecome your words. Keep your words positivebecause your words become your behaviors. Keepyour behaviors positive because your behaviorsbecome your habits. Keep your habits positivebecause your habits become your values. Keep yourvalues positive because your valuesbecome your destiny.MAHATMA GANDHI6Experience Heartfulness
Our thoughts have the potential of a profound powerbehind them. Unfortunately, most of us generateover 50,000 random and unproductive thoughts per day.Most of these thoughts are repetitive and purposeless;they do not add any positive value to our life. Meditationis a means of regulating our minds and giving powerto our thoughts. When we learn to regulate the mind,we gain a mastery over the types of thoughts that wegenerate.Our thoughts influence the character of our lives. Apattern of negative thoughts tends to paint our lives ina negative light. A pattern of positive thoughts tends toattract positivity into our lives. By learning to regulate ourminds and our thoughts, we are better able to influencethe quality of our lives.The spirit of the individual is determined by hisdominating thought habits As you think,so shall you become.BRUCE LEEA regulated mind has a capacity for better contemplation andself-reflection. Contemplation gives us insight into our emotions,thus giving us clarity while making decisions in our day-to-daylives. Issues we find confusing or troublesome can sometimesfind natural resolution during meditation. Self-reflection allowsus to lose the tendency to judge ourselves, and in doing so, wedevelop greater empathy and compassion for others. As thebackground noise in our heads quiets down, we developan increased intuitive capacity and the ability to perceiveand respond to the world through our hearts. Withcontinued practice, we nurture the inner qualities of theheart – courage, faith, wonder, compassion, tolerance,and most of all, love.www.heartfulness.org7
In recent years, numerous scientific studies have shownthe health benefits of meditation, such as reducing bloodpressure, reversing heart disease, and lowering anxietylevels. Although research has been able to validate manymental and physical benefits of meditation, there also existsan unquantifiable inner dimension to meditation, involvingan awakening of our inner capacity. As our meditationbecomes deeper, we experience a blossoming awarenessof our inner being, and our life takes on a magical quality.By choosing your thoughts, by directing whichemotional currents you will release and which you willreinforce, you determine the quality of your Light. Youdetermine the effects that you will have upon others,and the nature of the experience of your life.GARY ZUKOV8Experience Heartfulness
Heartfulness Originsand PhilosophyAll knowledge, all powers, everything is within. Yourdestiny is within, your future is within, the Ultimateis within.P. RAJAGOPALACHARIHeartfulness meditation is a wellness pathway thatis part of a larger spiritual practice known as SahajMarg. Sahaj Marg translates to ‘Natural Path,’ as it wasdesigned to allow the practitioner to live a natural lifebalancing material life with spiritual pursuits. The practiceevolved in the early 20th century in North India, and itsphilosophy is influenced by the rich and deep Easternspiritual traditions of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga, the Vedas, andSufi mysticism. The ultimate goal of the practice is themerging of our individual consciousness with the divineconsciousness. While the method is simple, it allows theseeker to attain this pinnacle of spiritual achievementwhile maintaining a balanced material life.www.heartfulness.org9
SpiritualityThe deeper you get into yoga, you realize it is aspiritual practice. It’s a journey I’m making. I’mheading that way.STINGSahaj Marg is a form of Raja Yoga. It is a spiritualpractice. Spirituality is essentially the original scienceof wellness and integration. The integration occurson many levels, including that of our body, mind andspirit. Yoga translates to union, so at the highest levelof integration it is about the union of our consciousnesswith the divine consciousness.Spirituality says that we are not just composed of ourphysical body, but that we also contain a subtle bodyand a causal body (the immutable soul). The subtle bodycontains many layers, one of which contains the flowof prana (life force) through various spiritual energycenters. Initially, our Heartfulness meditation practice isabout inner wellness, but as we delve deeper and deeperinto meditation, we begin to experience an expansion ofour consciousness and an awakening of our inner spirit.As our inner spirit awakens, we note an opening of ourspiritual energy centers, which often leads to deep andprofound mystical experiences.10Experience Heartfulness
Although the words soul, divine, and spirit may havereligious connotations, they are used to describe thedeeper essence in all of us. Therefore you will comeacross these words in this booklet and elsewhere in ourliterature and philosophy. Divinity can be defined asa state of being where one is free of dualities. Dualitycauses desires, and unfulfilled desires are the root causeof suffering. Since elimination of duality will eliminatethe root cause of suffering, meditating on divinity bringsabout this equanimity. This promotes discernment.You do not have to believe in the inner spirit to experimentwith the practice. As Heartfulness is a true science,you can use it to experiment on yourself, by yourself,for yourself. The experiential practice of Heartfulnessmeditation affords us an abiding connection with ourdeeper essence, which brings lasting and meaningfulchange to our lives.Balanced LifeWe are not human beings having a spiritualexperience. We are spiritual beings having a humanexperience.PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDINHeartfulness allows this personal growth and innerenrichment to occur while living a balanced materiallife. It does not ask for any austerities or renunciation.Practitioners come from all strata of society; they workand maintain a family life while still actively pursuing aspiritual goal. The spiritual journey complements theirmaterial life rather than becoming a hindrance to materialprogress. Practitioners often claim that they notice thatboth their material and spiritual lives are blossoming.www.heartfulness.org11
Absence of DogmaYour time is limited, so don’t waste it living someoneelse’s dogma – which is living with the results ofother people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’sopinions drown out your own inner voice. And mostimportant, have the courage to follow your heartand intuition.STEVE JOBSnother appealing aspect of the practice is theabsence of dogma; there are no obstinate rules onthe type of diet or lifestyle one should adopt. Instead ofhaving a laundry list of do not’s (do not do this, do notdo that), Heartfulness gently encourages several do’s(do meditation, do think of divinity, do journal aboutyour spiritual progress). With this fundamental shift inapproach, Heartfulness creates a culture of love andtolerance rather than that of guilt and fear. This culturefosters an atmosphere of acceptance, where practitionerscan cultivate change at their own pace.As seekers deepen their practice, they note that negativehabits and tendencies that are unsupportive of spiritualgrowth naturally fall away. Also, a recurring theme amongseasoned practitioners is the profound positive changesin character, temperament, and confidence that theyexperience: changes that occur in a natural and organicmanner, without any external pressures. These changesresonate with the deeper changes that take place in theseeker’s inner canvas as various spiritual energy centersare awakened.12Experience Heartfulness
ImpressionsI think a spiritual journey is not so much a journey ofdiscovery. It’s a journey of recovery. It’s a journey ofuncovering your own inner nature. It’s already there.BILLY CORGANnother important concept is that of deep impressionscalled samskaras in Sanksrit. We accumulate theseimpressions from our life experiences, which form thebasis of our beliefs, attitudes and personalities. They arelike layers of veils that influence our perceptions andresponses to everyday situations, as well as our reactionsto people and places. Most importantly, impressionsimpede our natural ability to experience the pure essenceof self that is within. The Heartfulness practice offers amethod whereby the layers of impressions are dissolved,opening the way for inner expansion and freedom fromtheir weight and influence.The more aware of your intentions and yourexperiences you become, the more you will be ableto connect the two, and the more you will be able tocreate the experiences of your life consciously. Thisis the development of mastery. It is the creation ofauthentic power.GARY ZUKAVThis is a brief introduction to the basic tenets of the SahajMarg tradition. There are more mystical philosophiesrelating to journey of the soul, subtle bodies, nonattachment, etc. which are beyond the scope of thisbooklet.www.heartfulness.org13
HeartfulnessRelaxationWithin you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to whichyou can retreat at any time and be yourself.HERMAN HESSE14Experience Heartfulness
Enjoy RelaxationHeartfulness relaxation is a brief, five-minute guidedrelaxation technique that can be performed bypeople of all ages. It is ideal to relax prior to meditation,but it can be done at any other time of day as well.There are several relaxation videos on the Heartfulnesswebsite to choose from. You can also do a guidedrelaxation prior to going to bed, as it aids in getting arestful night’s sleep.You may follow the script provided, and relax. Youmay also download it as an audio recording on theHeartfulness Mobile app, which is available from the AppStore and from Google Play.www.heartfulness.org15
Sit comfortably and close your eyes, very softly and verygently. Let’s begin with the toes. Gently wiggle your toes.Now feel them relax.Relax your ankles and feet. Feel energy move up fromthe earth. up your feet to your knees, relaxing the legs.Relax your thighs. The energy moves up your legs.relaxing them.Now, deeply relax your hips. stomach. and waist.Relax your back. From the top to the bottom, the entireback is relaxed.Relax your chest and shoulders. Feel your shoulderssimply melting away . Relax your upper arms. Relaxeach muscle in yourforearms. your hands. right up toyour fingertips.Relax the neck muscles. Move your awareness upto your face. Relax the jaws. facial muscles. eyes.forehead. all the way to the top of your head.Feel that your whole body is completely relaxed.Move your attention to your heart. As you rest there,gently have the idea that the inner calmness isprevailing.Feel immersed in the love and calmness in your heart.Remain still and quiet, and slowly become absorbed inyourself. Remain in this deep silence for as long as youwant, until you feel ready to come out again.16Experience Heartfulness
HeartfulnessMeditationHeartfulness meditation can be practiced by anyone 15years of age or above.Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable posture withyour back erect.Your position should be one that you can generallymaintain for the duration of the meditation.Distance yourself from any distractions, such as mobiledevices. If you are using our mobile meditation app, thenturn off other services from the device.Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to yourheart. Begin with a supposition that the source of divinelight is in your heart, thinking that it is attracting yourattention towards itself.It is natural for your attention to drift as various thoughtsarise. When you notice this, gently redirect your attentionto the source of divine light in your heart. Thoughdifficulties may arise in maintaining this attention, withtime, fewer and fewer thoughts will intrude, and you willbe able to stay focused on your heart with less effort. Withpractice, this process leads to a state of deep meditativeabsorption.www.heartfulness.org17
The supposition of divine light illuminating your heartfrom within should be as subtle as possible. This mayrequire a few sessions before it can be established.Attempt to stay in this meditative supposition. Initially,you can plan to meditate for 15 to 30 minutes, thengradually advance up to one hour.Be open to any experience that may occur. As themeditation deepens and you become more absorbed,the light in the heart takes on a more abstract quality.After meditation, take a few minutes to remain absorbedin the experience. Take a few more minutes to writeabout your experience in a journal.Though Heartfulness meditation can be done anywhereand at any time, it is recommended to be practiced in themorning, preferably before dawn. It is also recommendedto develop a daily habit of sitting in the same place at thesame time whenever possible.You may download the mobile app and follow the guidedpractice for meditation.Buddha was asked, “What have you gained frommeditation?” Buddha replied, “Nothing! But let me tellyou what I lost: Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Insecurity,Fear of Old Age and Death”18Experience Heartfulness
Heartfulness CleaningThere is nothing noble in being superior to your fellowmen. The nobility lies in being superior to yourformer self.ERNEST HEMINGWAYMost seekers start the practice with the relaxationand meditation. There is also an evening cleaning/purification technique that may also be incorporated intoyour daily schedule. You may incorporate it into yourpractice at your own pace. It is intended to remove thecomplexities and impurities that we accumulate in ourdaily activities.Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and feelrelaxed.You are mentally cleaning complexities and impuritiesfrom your system. Think that they are leaving you. Settlewith the thought that all complexities and impurities aregoing away. Apply your will as needed.Think that they are going out of your whole system,through your back, from the top of your head to yourtailbone.www.heartfulness.org19
Mentally suggest that the impurities and complexitiesare going out of your system from your back in the formof smoke or vapor. It is an active yet gentle process.Do not dwell on specific events or things you want to getrid of. Simply brush them off.Gently accelerate the cleaning with confidence and faith.If your attention drifts, and you find yourself involved inother thoughts, gently bring your attention back to thecleaning process. Apply your will as needed.As the impressions are leaving from the back, you willstart to feel lightness in your heart.This lightness reflects the vacuum that is created withthe cleaning process. Imagine that this vacuum in yourheart is being filled with the Sacred Current. Imagine theSacred Current entering your heart and percolating toevery cell in your body.At the end, you should feel lighter and purified fromwithin.Initially, you can start this practice for 10 minutes thengradually increase to 15-20 minutes daily.20Experience Heartfulness
Heartfulness PrayerGod speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening isthe beginning of Prayer.MOTHER TERESAhe morning meditation creates a wonderful connectionto our Higher Self, but as we get involved in ourday’s work, this link can somewhat diminish. We canreestablish this connection by doing the evening cleaning,and strengthen it with a brief bedtime contemplativeprayer. This Heartfulness Prayer helps us to reconnect tothat inner state of serenity that we felt during morningmeditation.The Prayer reminds us of our inner goal in life andbestows a condition of gratitude and humility. As we fallasleep with this prayerful attitude, we remain connectedwith this Divine presence throughout our sleep. Thisoften leads to a restful and refreshing sleep, which tendsto improve our morning meditation.As we get into a habit of doing our practice of meditation,cleaning, and prayer, we begin to establish a positivereinforcing cycle. For more information on the prayer,please visit our website.www.heartfulness.org21
HeartfulnessTransmissionThe most beautiful thing we can experience is themysterious; it is the source of all true art and science.ALBERT EINSTEINOver the past few decades, meditation has acquireduniversal recognition for its numerous positi
www.heartfulness.org 5 Heartfulness is a simple and natural path of heart-centered wellness that fosters balance, peace and wellbeing. The introductory practices inc
Heartfulness trainer and your healthcare professional before starting, or write to care@heartfulness.org, so that the practices can be tailored to your needs. For further information and to deepen your understanding of Heartfulness and its practices, please read The Heartfulness Way:
/ Heartfulness Download Free Digital Version for 12 months value 29.90 To experience Heartfulness, please contact one of our trainers at heartspots.heartfulness.org or via the website at www.heartfulness.org Toll free numbers: North America 1 844 879 4327 India 1 800 103 77
Heartfulness trainers are always available to help explain the finer points of the techniques and clarify any questions that are not covered here. We also recommend that you to check out the book “The Heartfulness way” written by Kamlesh D. Patel - the global guide for Heartfulness, and
Heartfulness Master Level Symbols 1. Introducing The Heartfulness Master Symbol: The beautiful master healing symbol Heartfulness is perhaps best described as a radiant, shining & infinite source of love that has been brought through to this earth to help us all feel, or
5 of 6 www.heartfulness.org Heartfulness Prayer at Bedtime To experience a state of absorbency, and take it even further to the level that Lalaji prefers us to have, is to have control over our unconscious mind, where sushupti takes over, where thoughtlessness because of sleep
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