he wordjapa can be defined as the continuous repetition of a mantra. When the suffix ‘a’ is added, it implies that the process of mantra repetition becomes spontaneous. So, ajapa is continuous mantra repetition and dharana is one- p ointe d concentration. Ajapa dh arana is, th ere fo re, one-pointed concentration on the spontaneous repetition of mantra. Japa is transformed into ajapa in the stages of dharana where the mantra repeats itself spontaneously, without any effort. As the concentration becomes more and more focused on the japa, one’s whole being starts pulsating with the mantra. Japa requires continuous, conscious effort to repeat the mantra verbally or mentally and to turn the beads, but ajapa requires no effort. It is said that japa comes from the mouth whereas ajapa comes from the breath and from the heart. Japa is the preliminary practice of mantra repetition and ajapa is the perfection of this practice.
Vedic sadhana
The sadhana of ajapa is as old as the Upanishads. In some of the Yoga Upanishads, like the Yogashiksha, you will find certain passages and stanzas which declare that the breath comes in with the sound ofSo and goes out with the sound of Ham. This is the Gayatri ajapa which the jiva repeats continuously. Valmiki was initiated by Narada in ‘Ulta Nama’ which is this very ajapa. Even now those who follow the
Nirguna Panth (sampradaya) like Radhaswami Panth, Kabir Panth, etc. practise ajapa, just like the ancient sages did.
Gandhi too has written that the name should be repeated from within the heart, not from the mouth. A Muslim saint, while referring to this ajapa said, “I am experiencing the fourth dimension o f consciousness.” Again he said, “This awareness of Ham starts from the nabhi chakra. When it comes up, it is reversed.” So, you produce Ham from the nabhi chakra. When it has been completed then you reverse it to So. Now it becomes Hamso.
In theBhagavad Gita there is also a clear reference about ajapa japa. It says, “Some merge prana in apana, others apana in prana, and yet others merge prana in prana.” Prana is the ingoing breath, apana is the outgoing breath.So
represents prana and Ham represents apana. So, some aspirants merge prana and apana, i.e. they join So withHam
which becomesSoham. Other aspirants join apana with prana, i.e. they join Ham with So, which becomesHamso. Th ere are other sadhakas who join prana with prana, which will be dealt with later.
The importance of ajapa dharana
In the Gita there is one more reference to ajapa. It says, “Having equalized the prana and apana moving in the nasal region, let the flow of the ingoing and outgoing breath in the nostrils be equal in length and duration.” This practice of ajapa has been referred to in the shastras as viloma ajapa. It is a complete practice in itself and through it one can enter the spiritual realms even without the help of a guru. In the successful practice of trataka one attains inner visualization of the object one meditates upon. But after that the way is closed. Thus, you cannot reach the stage of samadhi by yourself without the help of other yogic practices. You need a guru to tell you what the next practice is. In the case of ajapa, however, you do not need a guru.
There are certain practices in yoga which introvert the mind and bring about an automatic suspension of breath.
The difficulty here is that the aspirant becomes extroverted after a short time because the capacity of his lungs is not adequate. This difficulty is experienced by many aspirants. In' the practice of ajapa japa, however, this difficulty is eliminated because of the continuous rotation of the breath. Secondly, the ajapa dharana series is complete in itself and through it one can have direct experience of samadhi. In order to attain samadhi, in all other yogic practices one has to control the breath. Whenever the breath is suspended, kumbhaka takes place. However, the breathing remains continuous throughout the practice of ajapa japa, and even in samadhi there is no change.
In the Upanishads it is said that one should practise anahad japa, a japa which never ends. The japa must be coextensive with infinity. We do not know any such mantra, therefore, a method of repeating the mantra so that it does not end is needed. This is achieved through the practice of ajapa jap a when the mantra is adjusted with the breathing process and thus its awareness continues throughout.
Swara and sushumna
In the Upanishads there is a parable about two birds, one black and one white, which were tied to a peg with two ropes. They tried to fly many times but each time they had to come back because they were tied up. Ultimately they became tired and slept peacefully near the peg. This illustration refers to ida and pingala. The right nostril flow corresponds to pingala, or surya nadi, and the left nostril flow corresponds to ida, or chandra nadi. T he alternate functioning of ida and pingala keeps one away from one’s inn er consciousness. So long as they work alternately, samadhi cannot be attained. It is only when the two birds (ida and pingala) are tired and retire to the centre, i.e. the heart or die Self, that sushumna awakens and the process of meditation becomes automatic.
According to swara yoga, when both nostrils flow equally it indicates that sushumna is flowing. At this time one
should give up all worldly work and meditate. It is a common experience that sometimes meditation is wonderful because there is harmony in the entire system. When sushumna is not functioning, however, you cannot concentrate, even with effort. So, it is important that the functioning of ida and pingala is harmonized by meditating on them, thus making it possible for sushumna to open.
In order to stop the chain of thoughts you have to observe the breath. You have to see the movement of the breath consciously. During ajapa you must have a complete and unceasing awareness of what you are doing. Let your consciousness be continuous like a stream of oil which does not break in the middle. This is called swadhyaya. Here swadhyaya does not mean scriptural studies. It means continuous awareness of what you are doing.
Breath awareness
The first point in ajapa japa is awareness of your own natural breath. You breathe 15 times per minute, 900 times per hour and 21,600 times in 24 hours, but you are never aware of it. You are aware of everything else except this most vital process. Breathing is the key of life and it is also the basis of dharana and meditation.
The second point is awareness of the four different dimensions of the breath which are: (i) natural, (ii) deeper than natural, (iii) relaxed, and (iv) suspended. You can observe these four dimensions yourself when you go to bed. When you lie down your breathing becomes natural. With drowsiness the natural breathing becomes deeper. As you are falling asleep the breathing becomes very relaxed and light snoring can be heard. Sometimes during deep sleep th e b reathing is suspended, causing you to wake up suddenly.
These same four dimensions of breathing also occur during meditation. If you concentrate on your natural breathing for half an hour or more without making any effort whatsoever, you will find it becoming deeper and
deeper. Eventually it will become very relaxed and a faint snoring sound will be heard in the throat. In very deep meditation, suspension of the breath also occurs. During inhalation or exhalation, the breathing stops for half a minute or one minute.
Movement of breath
The third point in ajapa japa is awareness of the movement of breath as it flows through the body. For example, become aware of the natural movement of the breath from the navel to the throat on inhalation and from the throat to the navel on exhalation. After one or two minutes you will find that the dimension of the breath has changed. You will feel it becoming deeper than it is normally as it ascends and descends.
Then you can practise circulating the breath through every part of the body: stomach, chest, top of the head etc. You can also combine the movement of breath with different forms such as a triangle, square, hexagon, circle. Imagine two interlacing triangles at anahata, one inverted and one upright, and try to make them one with the movement of your breath.
Psychic passage
The fourth point in ajapa japa is the psychic passage. Movement of the breath can.be practised in as many ways as possible, but the most important is awareness of the breath in the psychic passages. There are an infinite number of psychic passages in the body, but the most important is sushumna nadi in the spinal cord. The other major psychic passages are the frontal passage and the ida and pingala passages.
According to yogic physiology, prana flows through the 72,000 nadis or pranic channels. Nadi means ‘flow’ or ‘current’. Out of the 72,000 nadis through which the prana flows, ten are major and three are most important. O f these three, one is the key. That one is known assushumna, which
flows through the central canal of the spinal cord. The other two are situated to the left and right of sushumna. They are called ida, the mental, and pingala, the vital. Sushumna is responsible for spiritual awareness. Ida directs all the mental functions and pingala directs all the vital functions. These three nadis thus control all the functions of the body.
Ida, pingala and sushumna begin at mooladhara chakra in the perineum, which is located midway between the anus and the sexual organ in males and at the cervix in females. From m ooladhara these three proceed to the tailbone and go right up the spinal cord to ajna chakra, situated behind the eyebrow centre. Ida and pingala end here but sushumna proceeds on to sahasrara, the highest chakra at the crown of the head, where liberation or moksha takes place. Sushumna is thus the channel through which spiritual awakening takes place. T hat is why it is the main psychic passage.
Psychic sound
The fifth point in ajapa japa is the psychic sound or mantra which is integrated with the breath. When you inhale the breath spontaneously makes the sound ofSo, and when you exhale the breath makes the sound of Ham. T he most important thing is that the breath and the mantra should become one. In the beginning you are aware of the breath flowing in and out. Later, however, when you integrate the mantra with the breath, the two become one - Soham. While breathing inside the psychic passage, you must become aware of the movement of the breath combined with the movement of the powerful sound, Soham.
T his process purifies the nadis. When m an tra is awakened in the breath, the whole body is recharged. Psychic toxins are eliminated and blocks in the nadis, which are the main source of physical and m ental disturbance, are removed. The psychic sound, the mantra Soham, should awaken the psychic passages and perm eate each and every particle o f the body. Sushumna is atma, the highest
consciousness. When sushum na begins to vibrate, self- awareness becomes active. When ida starts vibrating the mental force becomes active. When pingala starts vibrating, the prana or life force becomes active and energy flows through one’s system, even extending outside the physical body.
Awakening sushumna
When sushumna starts vibrating with the help of concen- tration on the prana, the breath and the mantra going up and down, there is an awakening in the higher realms of consciousness. T hen the inner or psychic sounds, which are called nada, are produced. Within the stillness of the inner dimension one begins to hear the sound of the bell, conch, flute, drums, celestial music, roar of the sea, lightning and thunder. Not one but several sounds may be heard. O ther inner experiences also take place on new and different dimensions which denote that karmas and samskaras are being eliminated, worked out symbolically.
When the awakening of sushumna takes place with the help of mantra shakti, the elimination of karma takes place symbolically. This results in the arising of inner sounds and fantastic experiences. You hear music and see colours, animals, symbols etc. At times you may feel that the horizon is receding further and further from you or that your body is expanding as if it is being pumped with air to bursting point. These and many more meaningful, meaningless, relevant, irrelevant, strange and ordinary experiences take place. All of them arise from your deeper consciousness. They all belong to you. You have acquired them in this life or inherited them from your own p arents along with your DNA molecules.
Ajapa dharana is the basis for kundalini yoga. With this practice the real dharana o r concentration begins. When ajapa dharana is perfected and fully realized, the mind becomes totally one-pointed. In this way, dhyana, or spontaneous meditation, blossoms forth.
Ajapa Dharana One
Frontal Passage: Manipura-Vishuddhi
Vishuddhi Manipura SOHAM Inhale - So Exhale - Ham HAMSO Exhale - Ham Inhale - So