Sha Lom

Shalom can be used to describe wholeness, well being of others, and prayers for the well being of cities or nations.

The Sha Lom Method of Meditation

(A Variation of the Hong Sau Method 

Taught by Paramhansa Yogananda)

 

The following is a very simple meditation technique you can learn in five minutes. 

• Make yourself comfortable, sitting upright, with a straight spine. With your eyes closed, look at the point midway between the eyebrows on your forehead. Inhale slowly, counting to eight. 

 

• Hold the breath for the same eight counts while concentrating your attention at the point between the eyebrows. Now exhale slowly to the same count of eight. Repeat three to six times.

• While inhaling and exhaling completely, as the next breath comes in, mentally say Sha . Then, as you exhale, mentally say Lom. Make no attempt to control your breathing, just let the flow be completely natural. Try to feel that your breath itself is silently making the sounds of Sha Lom. Initially try to feel the breath at the point where it enters the nostrils.

• Be as attentive as possible. If you have difficulty feeling the breath, you can concentrate, for a while, on the breathing process itself, feeling your diaphragm and chest expanding and contracting.

 

• Gradually as you become more calm, try to feel the breath higher and higher in the nose. Be sure that your gaze is kept 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, simply bring it back to an awareness of the breath and the mantra.