The seat of command

One of the greatest benefits of meditation, even in its early stages, is to get a sense of mental stability. This is important because it helps to adjust things that are going on. Just think of a sloshing bucket. Nothing stays in it. In the same way, if my mind is jumping around like a moving bucket, I won't be able to understand nor engage in things in the way that I would like. Instead of reacting aggressively or stupidly to some event, I need at least one second, between what happens and my response. In that second I can go inside and sit on my internal seat and react adequately. Let's say the situation demands patience, but tI find myself acting decisively. Decisive action is good, but not at the moment that requires patience. If the situation demands decisive action, and I am being patient, this is also not good enough.

Being able to sit on this inner seat is very important for the practice of Raja Yoga Meditation.
Just as I am sitting on a physical seat, I am aware of a subtle seat, a few centimetres behind the middle of the forehead, between the two hemispheres of the brain. All the information from the senses and the different aspects of my life, come to this point to be processed. This is so I can understand and deal with them. This point is remembered by many traditions. The Hindus put a dot or tilak in the centre of the forehead to symbolise this. Christians make the sign of the cross here. Muslims touch their forward when they're greeting each other. When they pray they touch their foreheads on the ground. When we do something silly we slap or touch the middle of the forehead to signal our stupidity. It is not the body that has made the mistake. It is the thinking being.
So let's practice.

First of all, I sit in a comfortable posture, my back neither rigid nor slack. I look ahead, my face relaxed. I become aware of the 360° of things around me. I become aware that I am sitting in the centre of my life. There are people and things that are connected to me, so I enjoy this centred position for a short time.
Just as I am sitting on a physical seat, I visualise a subtle seat. A few centimetres behind the middle of the forehead behind the eyes. In between the ears. It's like the control panel of my life. It's here that all of the information comes from the senses. As I experience all the sensations that are coming in, I am aware of this control centre behind the eyes. I have a distinct sense of command. I am sitting calmly and stably at the centre of my life, at my control panel. I remain aware that I am a tiny point of concentrated conscious energy. I enjoy this sense of command for a few moments longer in silence and gradually come back to the physical surroundings.

Text from the Live and Meditate Channel (https://www.youtube.com/liveandmeditate and https://www.facebook.com/liveandmeditate/) Video #6