Vilopa Meditation

Vilopa in Sanskrit means disturbance. This meditation is all about being in meditativeness while being disturbed, while being in a disturbance. If you are still able to meditate in disturbance, then meditation is for you. This meditation is created for those who have a wavering mind, who are constantly bombarded with thoughts which disturb them; such thoughts could be of the past memories, of some recent trouble. Such thoughts come as a surprise, with a jerk, in suddenness. The entire idea of this meditation technique is to disturb you and prepare you to build your consciousness, to guide your flow in the suddenness.

Vilopa Meditation lasts 45 minutes and has three stages; each stage ends with a gong sound. Watching yourself is to be carried out in all the three stages.Keep your eyes closed in all the stages. You can open your eyes when each stage ends and enter into the next stage with your eyes closed. Watch yourself, keep witnessing remain in your consciousness.

First Stage

Be in a standing position, take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes slowly, move from your legs as the music flows, then slowly move your hands. Just let your body movements flow, keep your entire body moving slowly and slowly, and as the music flows then shift to fast body movements, just dance. Move your body fast but remain comfortable do not get too tired - tune your body movements with the music, just move from slow to fast. Let all your body dance, swing your hands, move your hips, move your shoulders, move yourself, be in your complete awareness. Keep watching yourself, keep watching your thoughts, feel it. This will help you come into total consciousness. Remain in total watchfulness, feel your body.

Duration of the first stage is 15 minutes.

Second Stage

Just relax, sit in any comfortable position, place one palm on another , take a few deep breaths. Watch your breathing, flow with the music just remain watchful of the thoughts that come to your mind. Just witness them, try to remain still. Once you come into the comfortable position, watch your thoughts and when the sudden bombarding of sound in the music happens and/or if you are gently pushed or gently touched by a stick by your meditation instructor - remain witness to it. Do not look back, do not turn around, do not react. Just allow the disturbance to bypass you allow yourself to be disturbed. This is witnessing; this is watching the very thought of disturbance, let it pass by.

If you lose this position, do not bother simply remain seated. Remain in your watchfulness. Remember nothing is necessary in meditation. Meditation has no rules, remain a witness.

Duration of the second stage is 15 minutes.

Third Stage

Sit silently in any position, be completely relaxed. Place your one palm over another. Forget if your back is upright or not, just sit in complete silence, remain in watching, remain in witnessing, watch each and every thought. Be in your complete watchfulness and consciousness, go deeper and deeper into the silence of the within. Hold on to the very silence, hold on to the watchfulness, just be with it.

Duration of the third stage is 15 minutes.

People may say that meditation techniques seem like nothing but a wild dance. Let them say – only from the wild you can come into being civilized. The wild dance technique is designed to make you let go – to make you accept all that is within you – acceptance is the key to meditation.

During meditation, you may have thought to scratch your body, to move your body, or adjust your sitting position, let all this happen. Do not stop any thought, just flow with it, watch it – during the last stage of sitting in silence, you may suddenly get reminded that today you may have missed an important meeting or you have missed an important due date – do not get up to make a phone call- you may feel some uneasiness because of all the dancing and jumping, simply watch your thoughts. You will realize those old thoughts go and new thoughts take their place – the very technique of meditation is to make you aware that thoughts come and go –you have been giving unnecessary importance to every thought – your realization will make way for the inner silence- it will slowly take you into acceptance.

Become a watcher and not the doer- experience that you and your body are separate.

Watching yourself during meditation practice cannot and should mean to refrain you from taking actions- actions are also part of your thought process- watch your actions too.

People with medical trouble should restrict their deliberate vigorous breathing, dancing, and jumping to a limit which your body permits – do not try to do what others are doing – do not copy anyone - there is no one to give you marks – simply be yourself - the very idea of meditation is not to force but to liberate yourself from the force itself.

Do not watch your pain to an extent that you stop the intake of medical help. Meditation should be added to your life it is not a substitute for any medical help. Meditation should not be done with a hungry stomach, the comfort of the body is equally important.

The music, the dancing, breathing, body movements, and body positions are devices designed and mixed together to bring you into meditativeness. Watchfulness and witnessing is the key to meditation. Without coming into watching yourself and witnessing - all the techniques will be just like a dance practice or body exercises. Watching yourself and your thoughts is meditation.