A Process of Immersion - Writing as Meditative State

Harmonizing concentration is known to people who practice meditative yoga. Selecting a point of fixity, the mind is able to focus itself into a single stream of clear, undistracted thought & the body relaxes to accommodate the demands of stillness. Eventually, if this method is perfected, the result will be the expansion of an everyday awareness.

The heartbeat begins to slow & breath becomes a mechanism through which a deeper state of relaxation is achieved.

If a point of concentration is sustained for suitable duration, the practitioner of this meditative technique will experience a sensation of leaving their body. Some profess to enter into a plane of illumination, where a mystical union occurs. The point of concentration expands, enough so that they feel as though they are surrounded by a halo of bright light.

To account for this mystical expansion, a super-intelligent, cosmic life energy called “prana,” is said to be released as a result of perfecting yogic techniques. Prana is a form of energy which lies dormant in the body & may only be awakened through disciplined practice. Stemming from the kundalini, prana flows up the base of a spine, directly into the brain, causing this state of super-consciousness.

This awakening is, by design, a temporary state. It is reported to produce a form of euphoria in its recipient. Afterwards, once the prana begins to dissipate & the normal state of consciousness returns, there is a period of disruption. After the prana recedes, there can be a general state of exhaustion reported, in sharp contrast to the typical restfulness & mental clarity this form of meditative yoga will produce. Abnormal peculiarities of behaviour may also occur, as well as greater instability in the emotional nature.

The mind is not a safe, locked & secure, a compartment unto itself nor the receptacle where the only function is to contain the thoughts which are self-generated. Are there techniques writers can practice, similar to the devotion this form of meditation requires, where a channel of creative energy is opened, then calibrated?

{Artwork by Daniel Airam}