What does Ajapa japa do?
Ajapa japa is a very powerful meditation. It can take a lot of practice to get the full benefits. If undertaken gradually and with full awareness it will eventually bring all your hidden desires, fears, and complexes of the mind to the mental surface. This occurs through the activation of the nervous system and the chakra points along the spine.
Ajapa japa relieves the mind of all tension, which in turn removes the root cause of most physical and mental ailments.
Japa is the constant repetition of a mantra. This changes to Ajapa when you unconsciously repeat the mantra. You are moving from consciously speaking the mantra in your mind and then settling with the practice and feeling that the mantra is coming from the heart, it just becomes automatic.
Ajapa Japa is a combination of ujjayi pranayama, awareness of pranic channels and chakras with the mantra So-Ham.
In the attached video you will progressively move into the practice.
How to do the practice
Stage one practice
Make sure you are in a comfortable sitting position. Spine is straight and shoulders back. Gently close your eyes and create jnana or chin mudra (tip of index finger to the base of the thumb).
- Relax for a few moments and become aware of the breath at the nostrils, sense it moving in and out.
- Imagine there is a straw, tunnel or tube between the navel and the throat. A passage that allows the breath to move up and down.
- On the inhalation imagine the breath coming in at the naval (the naval moves in), draw the breath up the tunnel to the throat. On the exhalation sense the breath going down the tunnel and out the abdomen with the naval releasing.
- Be conscious of breath practice for a few minutes.
- Link the mantra So-Ham. In your mind repeat the mantra. So on the inhalation and Ham on the exhalation.
- Be totally aware of both the movement of the breath (prana) and the mantra So-Ham. This practice will start to be automatic but remain aware of the movement and mantra.
- Do this for a few minutes.
- When you are complete release the mantra (So-Ham) and mudra. Relaxing the hands. Place the hands on the floor or chair to ground you.
- Become aware of the breath at the nostrils and start to increase the breath.
- Become aware of sounds, gently turn your head from side to side.
- Open your eyes.