What are Active Meditations?

When I search for images relating to meditation, I found many images like the one above.  Someone in a fixed cross legged seated position with their eyes closes and in seeming silence.  Well what if meditation could look like this:

Or This

WELL, a combination of all these images comprise what I know of meditation.  Though the meditations I share in my practice tend to start with the Active techniques, which naturally lends itself to the more passive or silent techniques.

My journey with Meditation began around 1998, I had for some years explored meditation on my own.  At that time I found my way to a gorgeous monastery in upstate New York, where I studied monthly with the monks there. I then journeyed back to Brooklyn to a small temple in Sunset Park run by all female monks.  Around that time I met my ex-husband, a brilliant man, who introduced me to OSHO and his meditations.  At the time he was going to events held by Ali and Krisana of OSHO Meditation Studio. Most people I meet who know of OSHO have read his books, or fell in love with the tarot deck inspired by his teachings, but very few have experienced the power and transformation of the meditations he developed.

OSHO developed meditations for the modern man.  He understood that the majority of humans on Earth today live in areas touched in some way or another by industry.  Many live in cities with minimal access to nature.  Very different from the times of the Buddha.  As a result many have become not only disconnected from the body of nature, but also disconnected from their own bodies, and some from their feelings and instinctual natures.

Active meditations aim to get us back into the center using breath, movement, sound, etc,.  Re- connected to source and to our physical bodies as conductors or channels for source energy to flow through.  He came up with a set of 11 Active meditation techniques that are accompanied by music, Meditative therapies and developed well over 100 other techniques to support humanity in returning to its vibrant and peace filled center.

One of the first techniques that I had the pleasure of experiencing was OSHO Dynamic Meditation. This is an hour long technique , which supports the healthy release of emotions AND centering of energy.  I have practiced this technique at least 500 times in the past years and can say it is one of the most potent methods for encountering myself and my emotions AND the stories I've created for myself and my life, than any other modality I have experienced.

Just the way that it is structured is absolutely brilliant. The meditation feels like an activation of the sacred spiral energy which is built in to many of our structures here on Earth.  It is an hour long journey inwards guided by an experienced facilitator.  We start with Breathing.

Yes, breath is life!  Our breath patterns are a bit like memory foam as well.  What I mean is that that we repeat patterns of breath according to our emotional experience.  If we are happy we breath one way, sad another, angry, yet another.  This first stage helps to bring awareness to the patterns of breath and break some these patterns through deep, fast and chaotic breathing.  This also brings a ton of Oxygen into the body, changing the chemical balance of of blood and raising our energy level.  This shakes up all the emotions that have been locked in unconscious patterns related to the breath.  The next stage is Catharsis.  

 In this stage we release all of the charge we have built up in the previous stage, as well as any charge from emotions locked inside us for who knows how long.  In this stage I invite participants to go consciously mad!  To let it all out.  To let loose.  All the things you have wanted to say, but haven't had space for.  Yup, let it all go right here.  This is the stage where I fell in love with this process.  Being safely held while I totally let myself go bonkers, with no judgement, no questions asked was priceless for me.

The third stage Hoo!

In this stage we jump with our arms in the air, down into the Earth, while shouting the Mantra Hoo!  This mantra combined with the bio energetic pulsing provided in the jumping, hammers the sex center from the inside.  Say What??!!  Yes, you are activating the sexual, creative center from the inside out.  Rather than getting stimulated from the outside, we activate and turn ourselves on in this stage, by returning with determination to our center.

The fourth stage is STOP!

And we do just that!  In this stage, once we here OSHO's voice saying stop, we stop wherever we are and simply witness.  No adjustment of your shirt, tossing one's hair back, scratching that insatiable itch.  Here we simply do our best to witness all the energy circulating throughout body and being.  This is the space, where after the physical, mental and emotional bodies have been completely exhausted, that we drop into meditation.  It is a surrender.  Through our own will we surrendered all of what came before to arrive at this moment where we can simply stop and be aware.  This silence is vibrant and alive. In it is the potential for pulsating peace filled presence.

The last stage is Celebration

In this stage we celebrate.  You can dance, come back into your body with curiosity, hug yourself.  Whatever feels good to you.  It is a re-emergence coming back from our journey and bringing into our day the jewels we have discovered through this process.

This technique is normally done in the morning, and for making a deep shift in one's life, in a 21 day process.  I highly recommend this technique for any and everyone.  It is a great way to do some internal clearing and cleansing and is sure to shift the way one views their lives, emotions and their relationship to both.

For more info about OSHO Dynamic feel free to reach out to Ashni at lovingseeds@gmail.com or join a weekly class at MINKA BK, 8am every Thursday.