Raja yoga means royal union; pranayama means extension of breath or life force. This rajayogic-pranayamic meditation for developing union with one's self and the Supreme Being having a vertical dimension has four stages of relaxation, purification, surrendering, and union.

            Relaxation. Calmness, peacefulness, and relaxation are necessary for growth and development. Nothing can grow in a climate of disturbance, tension, and stress. The best way to relax is to regulate our breathing in a setting where external and internal stimulations are controlled. Often we do not have situations of our choice where we can control the external stimulations. In such settings we can control the stimulations by not controlling them or actively accepting those stimulations that we cannot eliminate. We can maximize elimination of internal stimulations by carefully chosen postures. To begin the meditation, sit comfortably in sukhasana (easy posture) or siddhasana or padmasana or on a chair with a straight back support. Direct the eyes down towards the floor. Close them letting the upper eye-lid gently sliding over the lower one. This will help quieten the brain and minimize external stimulation. Similarly gently close the lips. You must be sitting in a comfortable pose without undue stress or tension with your head and spinal cord straight. Keeping the spinal cord erect helps one to be alert. One does not want to go to sleep. Breathe in and out in a slow, continuous flow without stops and jerks. Let smooth, deep inhalation and complete exhalation go on and on throughout this exercise. Think of lungs as two good balloons getting slowly and completely inflated and deflated with air. Fresh air with plenty of oxygen carried by blood vessels into every cell comes in during inhalation; used-up air that contains carbon-dioxide exits from the lungs. Be aware of any aversive stimulus such as unwanted noise in the environment. Acknowledge such stimulus and let it be. Take a brief systematic survey of your body going slowly from one part of the body to another. Be aware of any itching, twitching, tightness, throbbing, tension, and stress. Acknowledge any uncomfortable sensation, and let it be to be worked on later. During the process of rhythmic inhalation and exhalation, be aware of the deep relaxation that is taking place. Experience waves and waves of relaxation enveloping and enwrapping, carrying and floating you in enjoyable, deep relaxation. You can also imagine to be in a beautiful, scenic view of your choice.

            Purification. During inhalation think of every cell and fiber of your being refreshed, strengthened, and cleansed by oxygen carried by your blood streams. Likewise carbon-dioxide and other impurities in your blood are exhaled out of your system. During this special awareness of breathing in and breathing out, the process of on-going purification taking place. We need to add mental healing and hygiene to the bodily cleansing. During inhalation everything that is desirable such as truth, justice, fairness, goodness, beauty, compassion, kindness, and awareness, or any other value is breathed in. During exhalation everything that is undesirable lust and desire (kama), anger and hatred (krodha), greed and miserliness (lobha), delusion and attachment (moha), ego and pride (mada or ahankar), envy and jealousy (maatsarya) are breathed out. This is a very relentless, dynamic, and life-long process.

            Surrendering: During inhalation one breathes in cosmic consciousness, vital energy, and fullness of spirit-life. During exhalation one surrenders completely to the Supreme Being, and puts oneself at the disposal of that Divine Spirit to be molded and shaped as a lump of clay is worked on by a potter. We are works in progress. Our complete surrendering makes sure that we do not put any obstacle in the way of our becoming and being who we need to be.

            Union and Communion: Here the stage is set in our innermost being for the all important and climatic union of the individual consciousness with the Universal Consciousness. We are minute sparks that are parts of the One Blazing Cosmic Spark. Here the mutuality of communication is going on even as the yogic-pranayamic meditation is going on. For a person who has been through years of sadhana (asceticism), the jeevatma (individual soul) in this ecstatic union with the parmatma (Supreme Soul) is in communion beyond communication. Here only what matters is that the individual spirit wills what the Supreme Spirit wills.

Meditation fosters union

            This raja-yogic pranayamic (rajayoga = royal union; pranayama = extension of breath or life force) meditation fosters union or relationships among individual beings. The meditation having a horizontal dimension also has the four stages of 1.relaxation, 2. purification, 3. surrendering, and 4. union. Holy Scriptures very strongly warn that it is impossible to love God who is invisible without loving humans who are visible in our day to day life. Service of God is done only through service of humanity. We need to love even those we dislike, even our enemies.

            The first two stages of relaxation and purification during rhythmic breathing are the same as in the previous meditation for developing union between oneself and the Supreme Being. In the third stage the surrendering is to the divine aspect in every person. This surrendering and letting go to the divine in each person facilitates the unity of humanity, marks our human solidarity, and highlights our common destiny, no matter how different we are.

Union

            While on-going breathing in and out in the context of relaxation, purification, and surrendering we can visualize vividly all the persons in the world with whom we have relationship problems slowly and one at a time. These persons are our relationship targets. Then we need to make in our imagination packages of our subtle psycho-spiritual-social energies, and direct these energy packages to the targets. Experience these packages moving in terms of powerful vibrations of peace and love. While some are ready and disposed to receive your vibrations, others are not. From those who are not yet ready to receive the vibrations of peace and love you sent, your vibrations will return to you. You do not like it. You are not in this universe to react out of your frustrations but to respond out of your endless love. You do not allow to be conditioned by them. So keep on sending your vibrations regardless. You are not in this universe for the results you want. You are here to surrender to the Divine who alone knows what is best for all.

            Those who are ready for the encounter will receive your vibrations whole-heartedly. See your vibrations enveloping and embracing them. Your vibrations in turn generate reciprocal vibrations in them so that they can surrender to all that is best - the divine in you. Here your vibrations are in phase with theirs. Experience communion, communication, and transformation taking place in the selfless, non-exploitative surrendering and merging with each one's pure and egoless being. Here there is no settling of scores, no justifications, no pompousness, and no claims. Here there are only two sparks of divine consciousness that engage each other in gratitude, compassion, and love to make this world a better place for all.

            With those you want to develop a relationship with, bombard them with your vibrations of peace and love. When they are ready, they will respond. Meanwhile be aware that only unconditional acceptance and selfless and compassionate love for all can generate effortless and non-ending bliss and pure joy.