In our fast-paced and often chaotic modern world, the concept of meditation has gained significant popularity as a means to find inner peace and tranquility. However, amidst the various interpretations and presentations of meditation, a fundamental misconception has arisen. Nowadays, meditation is often perceived as the state of having an empty mind, free of thoughts and emotions. While quieting the mind is undoubtedly an important aspect of meditation, the true essence of this ancient practice lies in something far more profound - Universal Love.

The idea of thoughtlessness or nothingness in meditation can be misleading and discouraging for many, as achieving a completely thought-free mind can be an arduous task, if not impossible. The mind is inherently active, and thoughts naturally arise. Attempting to suppress or eliminate them entirely can lead to frustration and a sense of failure. But, meditation is not about eliminating thoughts; it's not about emptying the mind. It is about filling up the mind with something that we can only find deep within ourselves. 

The essence of real meditation lies in filling the mind with Universal Love. Love, the most potent force in the universe, is the driving power that maintains the harmony of celestial bodies, the cohesion of atoms, and the vitality of human existence. Yet, love is often misconstrued as limited to the affection we feel for other physical beings or material possessions. True meditation reveals that love encompasses much more.

Infinite love transcends the boundaries of the physical and embraces the spiritual. It is the love that connects us to the boundless Consciousness that permeates all existence, a love that springs from the very essence of our being. When we tap into this source of infinite love, we connect with something far greater than ourselves, something that unifies all life and empowers us with a profound sense of unity and oneness with the universe.

Meditation is also not the elimination of all emotion, to be flat, some may say undisturbed. In fact, sometime ago I conducted a meditation session with a small group of people who came to our center for a weekend. They rented our facilities but invited me for a 1-hour practical workshop about meditation. I explained about mantra meditation and invited them to chant our universal mantra with me while I played the guitar. We alternated moments of chanting with moments of silent meditation with the mantra. At the end I asked them to share their experience. One person said that she had a very strong emotional experience and that surprised her because she thought that in meditation one should remove all emotions. Then others also expressed that they had also experiences that touched them deeply. I explained that real meditation should lead to the deepest and most profound experiences a human being can have and what they felt was just a glimpse of what can come with the regular practice. Then I decided to write an article about it. I wanted to tell that meditation is not about nothingness nor thoughtlessness. It is about fullfilment and realization. Even Buddha, as I understand, searched for Nirvana, not for an empty mind. Maybe we think today that Nirvana is an empty mind but for me it is a full mind. 

The journey to accessing this reservoir of love within us begins with practice. We need to learn the technique of meditation, the mantra that can awake Universal Love. In the external world we must first cultivate compassion for others and acceptance for ourselves. But the most important thing is to practice twice daily the meditation system. 

We see here a two-fold approach. One part is to practice meditation individually twice a day for some minutes which could start with as little as 5 or 10 minutes. The other part is 

acknowledging our imperfections, embracing our humanity with kindness and understanding, and applying some principles in our relationship with ourselves and our relationship with others.  

As we establish a foundation of self-love, we can extend this love outward to others and the world around us. This interconnectedness is at the core of Universal Love – recognizing that we are all part of the same fabric of existence, and that love knows no boundaries or divisions.

Meditation acts as a bridge that allows us to access this universal source of love. The regular practice let’s us connect stronger with the inner source. 

Don’t expect your meditation practices to be just moments of inner peace and bliss. There are obstacles within our mind that cover or seal away that inner source from the surfaces of our mind. A meditation session may as well be the moment you are struggling to remove those obstacles and to remove them you will be engaging with them. Therefore, don’t ever feel unmotivated because your meditation was a struggle with your mind. That struggle means there was progress. 

Make an analogy with physical exercises. If you want to be physically in shape, you may go to the gymn to exercise. That gymn session will be a struggle for your body. You will sweat, your muscles will get sore, your body will be challenged but the result, in the long run, is that you will be in good physical shape. 

Meditation is like mentally going to the gymn. Your mind will be challenged, it may think even more, your might find difficult even to repeat the mantra just a few times. But in the long run you will notice that your mind is better. And it will be better in ways that you were not expecting. Much of the literature about meditation creates misunderstood expectations around the practice. But you will only understand what really happens if you do not limit your mind with your expectations. 

At the same time, don’t consciously concentrate on observing the thoughts and emotions that arise within you. Even trying to observe them without attachment is actually putting your mind in that direction. Your effort should be to concentrate on the mantra that can open ourselves up to the vastness of Universal Love that resides within.

Practicing meditation with the intention of filling our minds with Universal Love can have profound effects on our lives. As we connect with this boundless love, our relationships become richer, our actions more compassionate, and our perspective more expansive. We begin to see beyond the surface-level differences that separate us and embrace the inherent unity that binds all living beings.

Furthermore, meditating on Universal Love can lead to an increased sense of gratitude and contentment. Instead of constantly seeking external validation or material possessions to find fulfillment, we discover that the true source of lasting happiness lies within us – in the infinite wellspring of love that connects us to everything around us.

In conclusion, the modern portrayal of meditation as thoughtlessness or emptying the mind fails to capture the true essence of this ancient practice. Real meditation is about filling the mind with Universal Love, a love that goes beyond limited affection for physical beings or possessions. By connecting with the infinite Consciousness within us and all things, we unveil the power of love to transform our lives and the world. So, let us embrace meditation as a means to open our hearts and minds to the boundless love that flows through the universe, uniting us all in a tapestry of oneness. And let us embrace this practice of meditation is what can give us the inspiration and capacity to transform the world within us and outside us. 

Today let us talk about Bio-psychology. It is about the relation between our biological structure and our mind. We will look at our body, the vehicle we have for this journey of life, and some basic ideas about how it functions.

We know we have a body and a mind but if we can know better the way they interact our movement through life will become easier. 

Part of being human is experiencing emotions, feelings and dealing with mental propensities. These are experienced in the mind but also in the body. They may determine the decisions we take and the thoughts that come to our mind. 

Meditating in the park: Imagine that you have gone to the park to meditate. You want to complete your two sessions of meditation. You are feeling that is an ideal place for meditation and that you are going to have a great meditation. But when you close your eyes. 

Instead of getting good concentration you start thinking that there is a dog behind you. Maybe it is coming closer. You cannot concentrate, you open your eyes and there is no dog, nothing. 

Why did this thought come to your mind? it was stimulated by one mental propensity called "fear". 

What part of the body would you think fear is related to? For me, it is related to the navel area. In this area there are a number of endocrine glands corresponding to a Yogic Cakra. 

The main location of the mind is in the head but it has sub-stations. Let us think of a country. The central government has the ultimate control and the seat of the government is in the country’s capital. But the country is divided into states and each state has the state capital with a state government that controls certain activities in that area. Ultimately the control is in the central government but the state government has its own jurisdiction. 

Cakras are subtle which means that we cannot perceive them with our senses.

Each Cakra controls a certain number of  propensities just like the navel cakra controls the propensity of fear. 

There are 7 main cakras. 

1. múládhára cakra - base of the spine
   
2. svádhiśt́hána cakra - genital area
   
3. mańipura cakra - navel area
   
4. anáhata cakra - chest
   
5. vishuddha cakra - throat
   
6. ájiṋá cakra - center of the head
   
7. sahasrára cakra - top of the head
   

The correspondents to the cakras in the physical body are the endocrine glands. The main glands are ovaries/testes, pancreas and adrenals, thymus, thyroid & parathyroid, pituitary and pineal and there are a number of sub-glands. 

The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs.The hypothalamus is the neural control center for all endocrine systems. (Wikipedia)

How to control or balance the Cakras?

There are different Yoga practices that can help us control or balance the cakras and its propensitiesWe can start with more physical practices like a’sanas or half-bath or use of water. Breathing techniques as simples as breathing fully in and out in a relaxed way or holding the breath during a’sanas as instructed.Mental practices of concentration on the cakras or mantras. Pure mental practices like meditation.Every practice we have given you up to now are designed to help control the cakras.

Propensities of the Manipura cakra

Fear is a mental propensity and it is related to the navel cakra. A cakra is a sub-station of the mind which controls a number of mental propensities. 

In this case the navel cakra controls 10 mental propensities which are: Fear, Shyness, Sadistic tendency, Envy, Staticity, Melancholia, Peevishness, Yearning for acquisition, Infatuation, Hatred

Namaskar everyone,

Today, I want to talk about something that affects us all: habits. We all have them, some good, some bad. But have you ever tried to give up a bad habit? It's not easy, is it? The truth is, it's often more difficult to give up an old habit than to start a new one. 

Why is that? Well, habits are deeply ingrained in our brains. They are automatic responses that we've developed over time. When we try to simply stop a habit, we're fighting against these powerful neural pathways. It's like trying to stop a train in its tracks. 

But what if I told you there's another way? Instead of trying to stop the train, what if we could redirect it? What if we could replace our bad habits with new, healthier ones? 

This is where the practice of daily meditation comes in. Meditation is a powerful tool that can help us become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. But the most important thing of meditation is that it allows us to change from where the driving force that fuels the habit originates.

Instead of being driven by the layer of the mind where the pathways are located you start being driven by a deeper consciousness. 

So, how does it work? 

First, we need to understand that habits are formed and reinforced by a loop: a cue, a routine, and a reward. The cue triggers the routine, and the reward reinforces the habit. For example, stress might be a cue that triggers the routine of smoking, which is then rewarded by the feeling of relief.

Meditation helps us break this loop. By practicing meditation, we become more aware of our cues and routines. We start to notice when we're feeling stressed and when we're reaching for a cigarette. We start to see the pattern.

But awareness is only the first step. The next step is to replace the routine with something healthier. This is where the daily practice of meditation really shines. Instead of reaching for a cigarette when we're stressed, we can choose to meditate. 

Meditation, in this context, becomes a new habit that occupies the time so there is no time left for the old habit. It's not about suppressing the urge to smoke, but rather about choosing a different response to stress. 

Over time, as we continue to practice meditation, we start to see changes. The urge to smoke becomes less powerful. We start to find relief in our meditation practice. We start to form a new habit.

But remember, this is not a quick fix. It's a journey. It takes time and patience. It takes daily practice. But the rewards are worth it. Not only can we break free from our bad habits, but we also gain a powerful tool for managing stress and improving our overall well-being.

In conclusion, giving up a bad habit is not about fighting against ourselves. It's about understanding ourselves, observing our habits, and choosing a different path. It's about replacing old habits with new ones. And meditation is a powerful tool that can help us on this journey.

In addition, I want to share with you a powerful idea: if you just change yourself a little bit, in the long run it will make a big difference. Imagine you're on a ship sailing in the ocean. If you change your direction just a few degrees, it might not seem like much at first. But over a long distance, those few degrees can mean miles of difference in where you end up.

Let us say you are sailing from New York to Lisbon, Portugal but you change the course just a few degrees. It might seem just a small change but you may end up in Casablanca, Morocco instead. In the same way, if you make a small change in your life for the better, in the course of a few years it will make a big difference. 

This is the power of small changes. You don't have to transform yourself overnight. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to be willing to make small adjustments, to change your direction just a little bit. And over time, those small changes can lead you to a completely different place.

So I encourage you to consider this on your habit transformation journey. Don't worry if the changes you're making seem small. Remember, just a few degrees can make a big difference in the long run.

As a summary for today. I have mentioned two important points about changing habits.

The first one and most important is to meditate every day for a few minutes, preferably twice, without expectations. That means without expecting to become instantly realized or to have a mystical experience every practice. Just do it as you eat your meals every day. You don’t expect neither to lose or gain lots of pounds after eating a few meals according to a certain diet for a week. 

The second point is that you don’t need to aim for a huge change immediately. Make small incremental changes in your daily routine which can be sustainable for a long period of time. In time the small change you lead to a big difference in the final result. 

Thank you for your time, and I hope this talk has inspired you to consider the power of meditation in transforming your habits and your life.