Here is a 13 minute YouTube video on how to meditate with the Hong Sau (Shaw) technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=l3mVjsWtPL0&feature=emb_logo
Alternative pronunciation, as Yogananda pronounced it (per Swami Kriyananda), is "Hong-Shaw."
Your Breath
• After the preliminary breathing exercises, you should cease any effort to control the breath.
• Let it flow naturally.
• You may notice that the pauses between the inhalation and exhalation are gradually becoming longer.
• Enjoy these pauses, for they are a glimpse of the deep state of advanced meditation.
• As you grow very calm, your breath may become so shallow.
• The pauses may become so prolonged, that it hardly seems necessary to breathe at all.
• Do not be alarmed. This is good!
Hong-Sau (Hong-Shaw) Technique of Concentration
• Now wait for the next breath to come in of its own accord.
• When it does, mentally say Hong (rhymes with song).
• Don’t hold the breath, but exhale naturally.
• As you do, mentally say Sau (rhymes with saw) or Shaw (as Yogananda pronounced it -per Swami Kriyananda).
• Hong-Sau (Hong-Shaw) is an ancient Sanskrit mantra
• A mantra is a word, syllable, or group of syllables, which can convey spiritual power.
• It is important to pronounce the mantra correctly, and often with repetition.
• It means “I am He” or “I am Spirit.”
• Try to feel that your breath itself is silently making the sounds of Hong and Sau (Shaw).
• Make no attempt to control your breath.
• Simply observe it as it flows in and out naturally.
• In the beginning you may be mostly aware of the physical manifestation of the breathing process.
• Your awareness may include your diaphragm and chest expanding and contracting.
• As your breath grows calmer, however, try to become aware of its flow in the nostrils.
• Gradually transfer your awareness higher and higher in the nasal passages.
• With the eyes closed, turn your gaze upward to the point midway between the eyebrows within your forehead.
• Concentrate there.
• This is the seat of spiritual consciousness in the body, also called the spiritual eye, or Christ Center.
• In time, try to feel the flow of the breath near the spiritual eye within your forehead.
• Keep your gaze steady at the point between the eyebrows throughout your practice.
• Don’t allow your eyes to follow the movement of the breath.
• If you find that your mind has wandered, gently bring it back to an awareness of the breath and the mantra.
• Finish your practice of Hong-Sau (Shaw) by inhaling once through the nose, then exhaling three times through the mouth.
• Forget the breath.
• Concentrate deeply at the point between the eyebrows.
• Keep your mind focused and your energy internalized. Absorb yourself in the peace generated by your practice.
• Continue for at least five minutes.
• Finish with a prayer to the Divine, offering yourself into the light of God.
Your Breath
• After the preliminary breathing exercises, you should cease any effort to control the breath.
• Let it flow naturally.
• You may notice that the pauses between the inhalation and exhalation are gradually becoming longer.
• Enjoy these pauses, for they are a glimpse of the deep state of advanced meditation.
• As you grow very calm, your breath may become so shallow.
• The pauses may become so prolonged, that it hardly seems necessary to breathe at all.
• Do not be alarmed. This is good!
Hong-Sau (Hong-Shaw) Technique of Concentration
• Now wait for the next breath to come in of its own accord.
• When it does, mentally say Hong (rhymes with song).
• Don’t hold the breath, but exhale naturally.
• As you do, mentally say Sau (rhymes with saw) or Shaw (as Yogananda pronounced it -per Swami Kriyananda).
• Hong-Sau (Hong-Shaw) is an ancient Sanskrit mantra
• A mantra is a word, syllable, or group of syllables, which can convey spiritual power.
• It is important to pronounce the mantra correctly, and often with repetition.
• It means “I am He” or “I am Spirit.”
• Try to feel that your breath itself is silently making the sounds of Hong and Sau (Shaw).
• Make no attempt to control your breath.
• Simply observe it as it flows in and out naturally.
• In the beginning you may be mostly aware of the physical manifestation of the breathing process.
• Your awareness may include your diaphragm and chest expanding and contracting.
• As your breath grows calmer, however, try to become aware of its flow in the nostrils.
• Gradually transfer your awareness higher and higher in the nasal passages.
• With the eyes closed, turn your gaze upward to the point midway between the eyebrows within your forehead.
• Concentrate there.
• This is the seat of spiritual consciousness in the body, also called the spiritual eye, or Christ Center.
• In time, try to feel the flow of the breath near the spiritual eye within your forehead.
• Keep your gaze steady at the point between the eyebrows throughout your practice.
• Don’t allow your eyes to follow the movement of the breath.
• If you find that your mind has wandered, gently bring it back to an awareness of the breath and the mantra.
• Finish your practice of Hong-Sau (Shaw) by inhaling once through the nose, then exhaling three times through the mouth.
• Forget the breath.
• Concentrate deeply at the point between the eyebrows.
• Keep your mind focused and your energy internalized. Absorb yourself in the peace generated by your practice.
• Continue for at least five minutes.
• Finish with a prayer to the Divine, offering yourself into the light of God.
Where to meditate...
If possible, set aside an area that is used exclusively for meditation.
In time it will become saturated with spiritual vibrations.
A small room, a corner of your bedroom, or even closet can suffice, as long as it is well ventilated.
All you really need is a chair or small cushion to sit on, and perhaps a small altar.
Face East if possible, and place a wool or silk blanket on the floor to insulate your body from the subtle magnetic currents of the earth.
Would You Like to Learn More?
The material offered above is a greatly abbreviated explanation of the Hong-Sau (Shaw) Technique of Concentration. The full instruction is available from The Ananda Course in Self-Realization.
In time it will become saturated with spiritual vibrations.
A small room, a corner of your bedroom, or even closet can suffice, as long as it is well ventilated.
All you really need is a chair or small cushion to sit on, and perhaps a small altar.
Face East if possible, and place a wool or silk blanket on the floor to insulate your body from the subtle magnetic currents of the earth.
Would You Like to Learn More?
The material offered above is a greatly abbreviated explanation of the Hong-Sau (Shaw) Technique of Concentration. The full instruction is available from The Ananda Course in Self-Realization.
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