Spiritual Daily Amrit Vela Blog - Difficulties, Joys, Methods Of This Practical Journey To Self Discovery

[chazSingh]

A Blog for all that do regular Amrit Vela Nitnem, Simran etc.

Whilst i try to do Amrit Vela every day, some days lifes events come in the way, or the mind brings forth it's excuses and i fall prey and follow.

It would be nice to share this journey with others that wish to try, or are already doing Amrit Vela ... to uplift each other, to inspire each other etc etc. in a practical sense...

no rights, no wrongs ... to learn through actual experience ...to allow our consciousness to grow through continued contemplation, taking practical steps, re-evaluation when hurdles appear - whilst constantly seeking guidance from our outer and inner guru (One), and each other

God Bless All

 

[chazSingh]

oh, forgot to mention...

This is a blog for newbies also, who have always been thinking of starting Amrit Vela, but for one reason or another can never get it going.

Lets inspire each other

God Bless

 

[Harry Haller]

Chazji, might I suggest you post some techniques and share some of your experiences with meditation so that others can gain some insight into what one can expect from simran, be as personal and as explicit as you wish, this is your blog, so you can really go to town on the subject, Good Luck

 

[chazSingh]

Satnaam Harry Ji,

Thanks for joining and taking part ji, I will try and post my own practical experience with regards to amrit vela over the coming days.

With regards to expectation, i found expectation a stumbling block when doing simran ... you expect something, it doesn't happen and mind asks a million questions.

I think when one starts this inner seeking i guess it depends on how much you really want to know yourself...who you really are... is this it? the body, the thoughts, the physical sensations? something inside tells me it isn't.

so where do i look for answers ... i find hints and tips in Sri Guru Granth Ji ... not to look on the outside, but to seek within...

This is not to say the outside doesn't matter - but we spend majority of our time looking to the outside already - plenty of time for Seva in creation and living truthfully and honestly - or the exact opposite.

When do I get a few moments tojust 'Be'tojust 'breath'and not be bombarded with a million thoughts...and tojust experience 'Me' ... theconscious element within methat is aware of the creation and experiencing it.

so the question arose, how does one seek within?

How does one withdraw back from the creation, the body, to what is actually having this experience...the consiousness.

The body dies...if there really is an element within me which is forever existing and is formless ... how can i see 'me' the real 'me' or experience the real 'me'These are just some thoughts and urges that came from within that got me looking into the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji for guidance, and it's what gets me doing Simran either during the day or what some think of as the Amrit Vela in the early hours before sunrise, for Newbies like myself

 

[Parrup]

Thanks for starting this thread!!! I am going to start this today too!! Will try to post my progress everyday!!!

 

[Ishna]

Count me in! Thank you chazji for creating the blog.

 

[Harry Haller]

In an effort to prove something to myself, I meditated yesterday using random words, so I kicked off with Lady Gaga, I have always felt that the 'word' was irrelevant, but to be sure, my thoughts were filled of leather dresses and blonde bobs, so I switched to 'Wimpy' and my mind was filled with hamburgers and milkshakes, I then chose 'Satnaam Waheguru', and yes, I thought of waterfalls and universes, trees, animals, all spinning in harmony, blocking everything out, yes, I felt a connection, not with the supreme, but with my inner, I am not sure I should have carried this excercise out listening to James Blunt but there you go, if this is not relevant please feel free to delete Chazji

 

[chazSingh]

thanks Parrup, Thanks Ishna

remember guys, there are no time restrictions as to which time of day ... if you couldnt wake up at night, try the day time ... and if you miss a day completely..don't beat yourself up about it, we always have another day

I will post some details about how i meditate and do my simran... feel free to do so also if you want to.

 

[chazSingh]

Harry Ji,

thats cool, to be honest i've never tried other non-god related words

.
Try words like 'Peace' 'Love' 'Truth' 'Freedom' i'm sure the words will have a good effect somehow.

it's your emotions behind the words also...if they make you feel some peace inside then it surely can't be a bad thing.

Gurbani says we have everything we need within us...
jesus says, temple of god is within us...

time to look within and see whats there? Some people say to me "i dont believe that God exists" i often reply "but you believe that YOU exist...so start off with seeking yourself...who you are"

 

[chazSingh]

Satnaam Harry Ji, you may also want to read the following:

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES OF NAAM SIMRAN
http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/july20...files/naam.pdf

the first section is similar to your experienced of how words attach our minds to certain objests, feelings and directions.

the other paragraphs explain some methods of Naam Simran.

My Method:

Place of meditation/Simran:
During Amrit Vela (early hours) i sit on my living room couch...it's comfortable...my back doesnt ache, and i can only cross my legs for about 5 minutes before they start to ache..so the couch is perfect

Sometimes i meditate at the gurdwara during quiet times, and even whilst lying in bed before sleep

I initially couldnt resist falling back to sleep when trying to wake up at amrit vela,so for a few weeks, whenever i woke up during the night naturally, i would try to just consciosly do some waheguru or satnaam simran lying down in bed whilst i innevitably fell asleep. this seemed to help me atleast try to stay awake and fight my minds desires to sleep.

Verbal / Mental Simran:
i start with audible simran...speak with mouth, hear with ears. then it turns to mental simran after about 10 minutes, with eyes closed...

Verbal:saying Waheguru very gently and almost silently, and concentrating on listening to the sounds, and feeling the vibration.

Mentally:usually repeat mentally "wahe" as i breath in slowly and deeply, then "guru" as i breath out. I sometimes visualise energy coming into me as i breath in, and moving through me as i breath out.

I've tried various other methods, but for me this really helps me relax and feel like my concentration is going 'within'

Wayward Mind
of course, when i do this my mind still wants to think about sex, money, life issues etc etc.... but slowly i started to create a 'distance' between me and my thoughts...i recognised that I was the one witnessing my thought...i WASNT my thoughts....if that makes sense.

When these wayward thoughts appear, i recognise them, and let them pass...and go back to simran....next thought comes..let it be, and let it pass...then go back to simran...

eventually for me, the thoughts stopped bothering me that much..they are still there, but there potency is less influening.

again Ji, this is just me...i tried things..trial n error sort of way...you seem to be doing that aswell.
The point is not that there is one way and you have to do it that way... your method will fall into place depending on how you feel.

If you do get up in the earlu hours, i recomend listining to some kirtan or some shabads by Snatam Kaur etc ... it's quite magical how shabad hits you during these hours.

God bless

 

[Ishna]

Thanks for the tips Chazji! I'm so glad someone else does their jap/simran on the couch.

Ok so I'm starting tomorrow. *deep breath* My plan is not very ambitious, I'm going to set the alarm for 4.50am and get up at 5. Wake up a bit. Jaap mul mantar (I've had good experiences with this at Sikh camp) and/or do some meditation as Chazji has described. Do Japji Sahib.

I have until 6am before I have to get ready for work so I feel I won't be rushed. I don't want to feel pressured by time as I won't be able to focus if I feel rushed or always have that nagging feeling of anticipation.

I'm really looking forward to getting up early for this, as when I try to focus on bani at other times of the day I'm distracted by feeling self-conscious. This way, no one will be moving around the house and I'll be quite free.

I've always wanted to get into the early morning thing but always been too lazy. When I've got this sorted out I'll crank it back 1/2 hour and bring Jaap Sahib into the routine. But no pressure, I'll just see how it falls out.

Guru rakha.

 

[chazSingh]

That's brilliant Ishna Ji,

I missed early morning Amrit Vela for two days

but was able to do some Simran during the day

Last night i managed to overcome my minds excuses and woke up...

I think you will recognise the difference in morning simran/nitnem or even just listening to some spiritual music ... there is something about it which i cannot describe.

Keep us posted whenever you can.

god bles

 

[Ishna]

Will do bhaji. I hope you don't miss it again tomorrow. Hang in there.

 

[Ishna]

I have learned: the fridge is really loud at 5.15 am. Moved to spare bedroom. Bright lights are irritating, had to put my back to the lamp. It's really friggin cold at this time of year - blanket required. My house makes lots of creepy noises. You can get totally lost in Japji Sahib when you take your time with it. I need to practice the meditation part cos my mind wanders around like a homeless dog sniffing piles of garbage in my mind if it's not kept on a short leash.

I also found not a huge amount of difference in feeling at that time of morning. But the strangeness of getting up at that time of day might be overriding any other feelings until I get more used to the routine.

 

[chazSingh]

My fridge isn't too bad, but my wife bought a fish tank which makes some noise and put it next to the couch.

It was annoying at first, as my mind kept focussing on the noise, but when i do my Simran/meditation outer noise dissapears eventually as my focus goes within

you should have seen me during the winter during Amrit Vela, i had my Star Wars Bath Robe on, and a blanket, a hat

the joys...

ahhh the mind that moves in a hundred directions, its a pain!! keep at it, takes some time and practice to quieten the mind. i always keep telling myself

than praem har har laae chaabak man jinaiguramukh jeethiaa||
Applying the whip of the Lord's Love to his body, the Gurmukh conquers his mind, and wins the battle of life.Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji 575

If i awake when the sun has risen, i wear a hat to block the light out during mediation

but most times i'm up between the hours of 2am and 4am when it's completely dark....i can turn the lights off, close my eyes..it's perfect.

 

[Ishna]

Yeah it's funny how we can block out external noise when we're really engrossed in something, like a good book, and you can be on the train at peak hour and not hear a thing the whole way.

Hehe, Star Wars bath robe!! I was in my meow cat PJs with a men's adidas sweater with the hoodie right over my noggin this morning.

Tomorrow I'll turn the light off for meditation and only put it on when I'm ready to read. Because we're coming up to winter where I live it's still completely dark at 6am when I have to start getting ready. That really eerie, still pitch darkness.

 

[chazSingh]

Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru Waheguru

 

[Harry Haller]

baby steps for me, I intend to start listening to kirtan and losing myself in that at 6am, I like music, so I am not sure if that qualifies but I would like to think it is a valid form of simran..

 

[Ishna]

Missed out on this morning. I need to go to bed earlier and get up earlier.

Harry Ji, I'm not expert on this but I think as long as whatever you do brings you calm and connection then it counts. Ideally that calm and connection will linger throughout the day. I'm not there yet.

 

[Luckysingh]

Good stuff guys !!!
Maybe try meditating at other quiet times in the day when possible. Hopefully this can give you more of a yearning and incentive to get up in the early hours of the morning.
I'm sure that I got into the swing this way initially.

If you like music Harryji, then you should try some soothing mellow kirtan like Snatam kaur's. I enjoy it because I like to hear good quality music on a nice system where you can hear all the different instruments quite clearly and her music is recorded in this good quality.

I think that starting is one of the hardest hurdles to overcome at first and ideally you shouldn't expect anything but just to feel closer within yourself at 1st and then the Lord inside you - the 'antarjami'

I would also recommend the 'waheguru' simran with 'wahe' on breath in and 'guru' on breath out. This little technique helps you to focus and stop you drifting or stopping from saying it.