Maya is the greatest artist and juggler. She casts a spell on us and makes the impermanent permanent, the impure pure and pain becomes pleasure. We imagine that we will always have desires, passion and will always be in love. The whole world is a net of maya to ensnare us.

When we give up desire, hunger remains. When we give up passion, anger remains. When we control our anger, greed remains. When we control our greed then our pride remains. Avidya Maya is a web that entraps us and blinds us with ignorance. Vidya Maya takes us on a path of liberation and is characterized by discrimination and devotion.

Maya is manifest in us as our mind. Control of our mind leads us to control of Maya. Maya plays havoc with our imagination. The more we use our senses, the more the world seems real and exciting. We can curb Maya by controlling our thoughts, through a regular sadhana of Japa worship and meditation and satsang. We need determination and discrimination to control Maya.

So how do we go about it. The simplest way is practice Samvrit Pranayama. Samvrit means balancing. We breathe to the count of five, when we inhale, pause our breath to the count of five, exhale to the count of five or ten, and pause again to the count of five. Count backwards from fifty-four and the counting is fifty-four in, fifty-four out. No errors are to be made. Observe how you feel.

Aim Hrim Klim

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