Yup. I went to meditate a few times at a Shambala center in Birmingham, AL which is about 45 minutes from where I live. On my first visit, they offered complimentary one to one meditation instructions. I took them up on it just because it was the first time I had ever got the chance to be instructed in person. All of my previous instructions had come from the ananda website or books from various teachers like Yogananda and OSHO. So, I had been previously instructed in the Yogananda way. I had learned that looking down was associated with subconsciousness. I was kind of surprised when I was told to look down. I followed her instructions but thought it was interesting that it was the total opposite. In recent times, I became drawn to Sri Ramana Maharshi's teachings. He was asked a question about this and I think it might be helpful to share it here.
Q: We are advised to concentrate on the spot in the forehead between the eyebrows. Is this right? A: Everyone is aware - 'I am'. Leaving aside that awareness one goes about in search of God. What is the use of fixing one's attention between the eyebrows? It is mere folly to say that God is between the eyebrows. The aim of such advice is to hep the mind to concentrate. It is one of the forcible methods to check the mind and prevent its dissipation. It is forcibly directed into one channel. It is a help to concentration...I think if anyone has taken Yoganandaji as their Guru, they should follow his advice and not worry that Ramana Maharshi didn't tell people to do that or that the Buddhists do it differently.
Finally, I have been wanting to share a photo of Yogananda with one of Sri Ramana's disciples, Yogi Ramaiah. I grabbed this from the
Awake documentary.
