Hour 21 Meditation – Osho’s Dynamic Approach: Active Techniques for the Modern Mind
Osho’s Dynamic Approach: Active Techniques for the Modern Mind
Introduction: The Need for Active Meditation Techniques
In today’s world, our minds tend to get burdened with continuous stimulation, stress, and a hectic lifestyle. This renders conventional methods of meditation, which generally involve quietness and stillness, difficult for most, particularly novices. Osho understood this difficulty and, therefore, developed a set of dynamic meditation techniques to aid one in achieving the state of internal quietness.
These active methods are constructed to be compatible with the mind and body, enabling one to let go of bottled-up emotions, tension, and the ongoing mind chatter. Active meditation provides an avenue for those who cannot sit quietly and meditate.
In this module, we will study Osho’s active method of meditation and how these practices can be utilized to bring calmness and order to a distracted mind.
Learning Active Meditation: A Brief Summary
Osho’s meditation system is far cry from traditional meditations. His belief was that meditation should never be made in a certain predetermined pattern but that it should rather be made within the requirement of the individual person in the given moment. Active techniques are how the modern mind is addressed regarding its restlessness, allowing us to break mental patterns and start heading towards increased awareness.
Active Meditation vs. Passive Meditation:
| Aspect | Active Meditation | Passive Meditation |
| Mind | Engaged and active; involves body movement and expression. | Silent; focuses on observation of thoughts and stillness. |
| Approach | Begins with external activity (breath, body, expression). | Begins with stillness, observing thoughts without engagement. |
| Suitability | Ideal for those with an overactive mind, or physical restlessness. | Best for those who have already mastered mental stillness. |
| Goal | Release emotional blocks and tension; prepare the mind for deeper stillness. | Achieve pure, non-dual awareness and presence. |
Osho’s dynamic meditation techniques are particularly aimed at releasing tension, freeing energy, and making the person more available for silence. The method starts with outer activity, and by that means, the meditator comes gradually into the quieter stillness of meditation.
Osho’s Dynamic Meditation Techniques
Osho created a number of dynamic meditation methods, most popular being Osho Dynamic Meditation. Every method aims at changing the energy in the body, and the practices include specific steps to stimulate and release tension in the body and mind.
1. Osho Dynamic Meditation
Osho Dynamic Meditation is one of the most popular active methods. It consists of five phases, each of which is intended to progressively relax the body, activate the mind, and guide the subject towards the feeling of inner silence.
Stages of Osho Dynamic Meditation:
| Stage | Description |
| Stage 1: Chaotic Breathing (10 minutes) | The practitioner breathes chaotically and rapidly, releasing pent-up emotions and tension. The breathing should be deep and fast, with the goal of breaking through emotional barriers. |
| Stage 2: Catharsis (10 minutes) | This phase is focused on emotional release. The meditator can express themselves through sounds, yelling, crying, or any other form of emotional outpouring. |
| Stage 3: Mantra Chanting (10 minutes) | The mantra “Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha!” is chanted out loud to energize the body. The practitioner is encouraged to chant vigorously while maintaining a state of heightened awareness. |
| Stage 4: Stillness (15 minutes) | After all the physical activity, the meditator sits in stillness. The goal is to observe the inner silence and experience the present moment. |
| Stage 5: Celebration (15 minutes) | In this final stage, the practitioner celebrates the new state of awareness, often through spontaneous dancing or movement. This is a joyful expression of the transformation that has taken place. |
Purpose of Each Stage:
Chaotic Breathing: Purifies the body of negative energy.
Catharsis: Assists in releasing repressed emotions.
Mantra Chanting: Energizes the system and stimulates the body and mind.
Stillness: Fosters inner peace and silence.
Celebration: Incorporates the experiences of the earlier stages and induces a sense of freedom and joy.
Key Insight: Osho asserted that following active meditation, the stillness felt is pure and unadulterated because it emerges spontaneously, unhampered by mental manipulation.
Other Dynamic Techniques by Osho
Apart from Dynamic Meditation, Osho also developed a range of other active methods. All of these techniques share the same underlying aim—to push the meditator out of mental patterns and into a more profound state of consciousness. Some examples are:
2. Kundalini Meditation
This meditation is made up of four levels: shaking, dancing, being still, and lying down totally relaxed. The shaking releases body tension, the dance phase releasing emotionally and mentally, the resultant stillness taking one’s consciousness to the centre of the self, and then finally a rest time to just sink into the energy of the present moment.
3. Nataraj Meditation
A dynamic dance meditation that incorporates free-form dancing and wild movement. The emphasis is on losing the sense of self and letting go to the rhythm of the music. As the meditator dances freely, they shed all inhibitions, finally settling into stillness at the end of the meditation.
4. Gourishankar Meditation
A strong breathing exercise that consists of a deep breath in and holding the breath at the peak of the inhalation, then exhaling slowly. This technique assists in creating an increased state of awareness, releasing mental blocks, and purifying the body’s energy pathways.
Why Active Meditation for the Modern Mind?
In the present era, the minds of people are usually filled with unnecessary overactivity and cluttered with constant input from information, media, and outside distractions. Osho’s dynamic method confronts the difficulty of achieving deep stillness by first changing energy.
Benefits of Active Meditation:
Interrupts cycle of mental chatter: Breaks free from habitual thinking patterns.
Alleviates emotional tension: Engages the body’s energy circuit to eliminate stuck emotions.
Readies the body for rest: The energy unleashed during active meditation facilitates settling into deep meditation more easily.
Activates the entire being: Engages the body, breath, and feelings to ready the individual for spiritual awareness.
Osho believed that calmness was not achievable directly without initially calming down the restlessness in the body and mind. Active methods provide a cathartic release that provides room for the practitioner to feel a higher state of consciousness.
Thought-Provoking Questions
Have you ever attempted active meditation methods? If yes, what did you feel while practicing it and after practicing it?
How do you feel when your body is engaged in the meditation process (e.g., through movement, breath, or expression)?
What areas of your life (physical, emotional, mental) feel “blocked”? How could these techniques assist you in releasing such blockages?
Consider the levels of Osho Dynamic Meditation. How does each level prepare you for the next? How do they contribute to one another?
Do you have trouble sitting still in meditation? How could active meditation help your path to deeper silence?
Conclusion: The Modern Mind and Dynamic Meditation
Osho’s dynamic meditation methods provide potent tools for the modern mind that has trouble with the stillness of traditional meditation methods. These methods energize the body, release emotional tension, and activate the mind, offering a way to deeper levels of consciousness.
Through the process of penetrating the layers of turmoil and mental distraction, Osho’s active methods provide a way of recovering the pristine state of awareness which is always available in us. The path from active involvement to stillness within is a natural part of Osho’s teachings, demonstrating that the active mind may also become a door to the still mind.