The practice
Begin chanting AUM audibly. With each round let it get a little softer, without hurrying the reduction. Let it become a murmur, then only breath, then only the thought of the sound, then let go of the thought as well. Sit in what is left.
What it works on
Where the earlier AUM dharana works with the silence after each round, this one works with a gradient across the whole sitting. It is a descent in a single unbroken slope, and the destination is the point where you can no longer say whether you are chanting.
Notes
- Resist the urge to get quiet quickly. The descent should take most of the sitting.
Practise gently
Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.