Brahma Abhyasa - The Spiritual Practice

Spiritual practice consists mainly in three processes:
(1) The affirmation of the universality of Brahman in one's own consciousness, thinking only of That, speaking only about That, discussing among one another only on that, and depending on That alone, known as brahma-abhyasa;

(2) The restraint of the mind by eliminating its desires one by one gradually, adopting as many ways as would be necessary in accordance with the nature of the desires, known as mano-nigraha; and

(3) The restraint of the prana by the well-known method of pranayama, called prana nirodha.

The prana, the mind and the spirit form the degrees of ascent as well as descent and one can start the practice from above downwards or from below upwards, according to one's temperament and predominating inclination.

The most potent way, however is brahma abhyasa, which is the affirmation of Brahman in life, continuously, at all times, and in all conditions, as one's sole occupation, purpose and duty. This is the principal method of meditation, which restrains the mind and the prana simultaneously.

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Chapter 5: Yoga Vasishta