21-Day Dhyana Sadhana - Day 6 - Nourish and Master the Senses

Day 6 for the 21-Day Dhyana Sadhana, 21-Day Meditation Practice daily online retreat as we approach Divali 2024. 

In this practice we learn about the senses and how they feature in life, and the spiritual process. Learning to master the senses and go inwards is critical for our spiritual evolution.  

This meditation shows a process of how to engage with the five senses and gently withdraw from them, allowing you to reside more with the inner experience. 
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Meditation Transcript

​Let me invite you to close your eyes and begin tuning in inside. And already, just by closing your eyes, there's a big shift. Instead of the energy flowing out through the eyes, now the energy is reserved, and we have to learn how to direct that energy inwards for the spiritual process, take a few deep breaths to bring balance and stability.

Open up the self awareness to every level of being. And that means noticing your body, noticing your vitality, your emotional experience, your mental experience, if you're able opening up to the energy experience. These are all held in our being.

And just pay attention to that feeling, that sense of I,

you know, of your existence, your beingness. You are in there experiencing this human play. You are in there experiencing this play of mind, emotions, senses and energy.

So just affirm that I am experience.

Breathe into it,

and remember that I, that sense of identity that you are, is held in a divine place.

It's held in the source of all.

It's your connection to divinity.

We want to feel that sense of I is carried, carried in the deeper part of our being.

How will you know that feeling of observation, that sense of watching the experience becomes deeper, it becomes more profound. We are able to notice all the different levels of your being and experience.

This is a very deep centering in your spiritual consciousness.

Now become skillful in your breathing, controlling the flow of the in breath and the out breath, seeking to balance that flow of energy. And let's begin recharging the nervous system.

Come into the abdomen so we can recharge the enteric nervous system. That's the gut, the big nerve plexus, held in the abdomen. Use abdominal breathing.

Take a few breaths to allow the stretching of the abdomen and the contracting to tense the muscles.

And then hold the breath for a few seconds on the inhale. Do this a few times to recharge that.

Now, on your next inhale, draw the energy upwards. Bring the attention into your chest. Begin opening up the ribcage, the chest, the shoulders, exploring the full capacity of your lungs there. And you can focus at the point at the center of your chest as we recharge that emotional nerve plexus.

In the play of the world, we are perhaps constantly engaged with the emotions and that can deplete this nerve area.

When we recharge, we feel emotionally stable.

Breathe into, there and really seek to explore how the breath can open up the sensation there and then you can hold your breath for a few seconds before you release.

That's good. Now, on your next inhale, draw the energy up to that point between the eyebrows.

You can make the gentle constriction in your throat so that you can listen to your breathing and draw the breath deep into your head with an awareness of your brain. Seeking to feel that and create some distance from the thoughts. Clear the mind.

The best way to recharge the brain is to slow down the thinking and to come into that peaceful space. When you combine that with the control of the breath, then the brain is recharged it.

Now take your breathing and guide the flow of energy up and down in the central channel.

Start from the root. As you breathe out, go all the way down to the root. Give that muscle a little tension so you identify. And then on the inhale, invite the flow of energy into the central channel, gently, gently drawing it upwards.

This upward flow of energy is how you can begin withdrawing from the senses.

Identify the sense of smell. Notice and then drop away from it, distancing yourself from it.

Identify the sense of taste. And as you breathe out, drop away from it. Release it.

Identify sight, even though the eyes are closed. And as you breathe out, relax your eyes. Gently distance yourself from it. Move away from needing to see anything. 

Identify the feeling of touch. Notice the air on your skin. Draw the energy upwards from your heart and then gently release, relaxing, letting go of the sense of touch and coming into the listening.

You can stay in tune with my voice. Stay connected to me.

As you breathe out, gently withdraw and go fully into the mind.

Take a few deep breaths, observing that inner space.

Just learn to orient yourself there. Now take a deep breath in and breathe out. Move the energy down to your throat. Listen to the sounds around you.

Take a breath and breathe out. Move the energy down to your heart and feel the sense of touch on the next breath, as you exhale, move down to your gut. Notice the sense of sight.

Exhale, moving down to the sacral area. Notice the sense of taste.

And as you breathe out, go all the way to the root. Anchor yourself there and breathe, noticing the sense of smell.

Fully into the body. Immerse yourself in the body, feeling your connection there.

As we come close to the end of our meditation, let's affirm in the mind:
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I stay centered in the source of my being. I allow myself to be carried there.

I become more conscious of my five senses and skillfully use them in this world.

May I be perfectly guided on my spiritual path.

Take a deep breath and allow that thought to permeate your being.

Let's come all the way back, feel the weight of the body become fully present and alert to the physical. And when you feel ready, with a few gentle blinks, you can open your eyes.

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Reflection

​1. What did I observe in meditation? 
2. What was striking in the meditation experience? 
3. What was challenging for me today? 

Feel free to ask your questions and post your reflection in the comments if you wish for some feedback.