There are some special hours which are particularly favorable for practicing yoga and for meditating. In some way, any time is golden for doing good things, and for negative things every time is unfavorable. In those terms any time is good for practicing. One should practice around the clock. As I told you yesterday, whatever you are doing – working, talking, walking, be constantly aware of your yoga sadhana.
But there are some truly special hours. They are not just symbolic. There are parts of the day when there is a special influence. They are like keys or combinations that open the lock. The lock can be opened when you turn certain dials, or level the tumblers so that they show a specific sequence of numbers. If you don’t know the combination you may play with it for days and still not be able to open it. Setting things right is very important in yoga. You see, yoga is like higher mathematics.
When the sun rises, the whole of nature automatically wakes up: flowers, birds, animals. Only the lazy human stays asleep. And when the sun sets, the whole of nature closes in of its own accord. Everything withdraws and goes to sleep. The two parts of the day, dawn and dusk are in Sanskrit called sandhya. San means ‘good’ and dhya means ‘to meditate’. So it is the time when one should meditate or do good things.
When they say sandhya, it can also refer to the coming together of day and night. Then consciousness and nature meet. It is the time when the central nervous system, the sushumna, which extends along the spinal column, is active. This is particularly important for those who meditate, because it leads directly to samadhi, that is, to liberation.
In the human body there are 72,000 nadis which conduct the energy. The following three nadis are the most important: the ida, the pingala and the sushumna. The ida is connected with the left nostril. This main nadi is influenced by the moon. The pingala is connected to the right nostril and carries the influence of the sun.
The moon symbolizes the mind and feelings, and is connected to them. Like the moon, the mind is always changing. Sometimes it is happy, sometimes unhappy. During full moon – that is, the day before the full moon, on the actual day of the full moon and the day after – cats and dogs are particularly nervous. Many people are also nervous and overly sensitive in that time. The mind changes people significantly; its waves can go very high, like sea waves.
The sun also has a great influence. The sun keeps the planets together. It stands for consciousness.
In order to awaken the sushumna, there must be a balance between the ida and the pingala – mind and consciousness. The left canal is thus the symbol of Vishnu; the right one of Shiva; the central canal represents Brahma, and that is why it is also called Brahma nadi.
Our body has ten openings. The tenth opening, situated on the top of the head is called brahmarandhra, “the door of Brahman.” It functions only in a developed yogi.
When man dies, his soul, that is, his consciousness, exits from one of these doors which are also connected with the chakras. When a person with a lot of negative karma dies, his consciousness is controlled by the lower chakras and it exits the body through one of the other nine openings. It manifests like bleeding at the mouth, ears, or urinating, or something similar. At the moment of dying, a perfect yogi leaves the body through the door of Brahman.
The time of sandhya is called brahmamuhurta. That is the part of the day when stars and sun alternate. Sandhya is the time when the stars are fading, but the sun has not yet risen, and in the evening when the stars have only just appeared, before they shine. In the broader sense, since these transitions happen gradually, brahmamuhurta counts from two hours before sunrise and one hour after; and half an hour before sunset to one hour after. Another time which is also good for meditation is noon when the sun is at the zenith.
All in all, the best time for meditation is sunrise, noon and sunset. Then you are automatically guided. Your meditation is enhanced without any special technique. If you cannot meditate at these mentioned times of the day, if you cannot practice, at least try not to do anything negative, because whatever you do then, multiplies the karmic consequences.
You should avoid sleeping at that time. People with negative karma like best to sleep in the morning. They have their sweetest dreams then. However, there are of course some justified reasons for sleeping in the morning, for example, when you work night shifts or late into the night.
However, for the yogi it is very important to practice in the morning hours. Half an hour of practice in the morning is worth more than five hours during the day. And in order to be fresh in the morning, you shouldn’t eat much late in the evening. These are small trade secrets of the yogi.
Taken from the publication: "Meetings With A Yogi," a book of satsang.
Satsang means to be with truth, to be at the place where truth is taught. This book consists of words spoken by Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Sri Swami Maheshwaranandaji.