in this tradition). The practitioners of Sufism are called Sufis
, and they follow a variety of spiritual practices, many of which were influenced by the tradition of Yoga in India. In this post, I’ll explore the several types of Sufi meditation.
Unlike many of the other meditation techniques
, Sufi meditation is spiritual by nature. There is no “secular version” of these techniques, as the idea of God is part of their DNA. The core of all their practices is to remember God, fill the heart with God, and unite oneself with Him. So if you are atheist or agnostic, you probably won’t find these meaningful.
The journey of the Sufi is the journey of the lover returning to the arms of the Beloved, a journey of love in which we “die” as egos so we can be one with Him. It’s the way of the heart. All of the practices are aimed at letting go of one’s ego, which is considered the biggest obstacle to realization.
The roots of Sufism date back to around 1400 years ago, but they became near-extinct in the 20th century. There are different orders of Sufis, each emphasizing different exercises. In this article, I have drawn techniques from different schools.
Sufism is not a monastic path. The Sufi wayfarer lives in the inner world of the heart as well as functioning responsibly in society.
1. The Heart of Sufi Meditation: Contemplation of God
The core of Sufi meditation is to be conscious of the Divine at all times, until there is no longer a sense of separation between meditation, God, and daily life. This is called oneness ( ekatmata
)—that is, the complete merging with the Beloved and cessation of duality.
In Arabic, the word for meditation is muraqabah
(also murakebe
), and the literal meaning is to watch over
, to wait
or to protect. The essence of Sufi meditation is two fold:
So there is watching over the mind, focusing the thoughts on God (remembrance of Him), and an awakening of love in the heart. This practice is done in as a formal meditation, and also should be followed during all moments of one’s day. Irrelevant thoughts are considered harmful, and one keeps a watch on the mind to make sure they don’t sprout.
The work of the lover is to be silent, waiting, always listening with the “inner ear of the heart” for his call. Thus, “catching the divine hint” is an important Sufi practice in which we learn to be continually attentive to our Beloved in order to serve Him.
Almost all other forms of Sufi meditation are extensions of these basic principles.
2. Sufi Mantra Meditation
, and similar to what is called contemplative prayer
in Christian mysticism. It establishes an inner connection with the divine, and results in bliss.
In Sufism, the name for mantra is Zikr
(also Jikr
or Dhikr
), literally meaning remembrance. The essential aspect of this practice is the continual remembrance of God, typically by repeating one of these three words:
The goal is to inscribe the name of the Divine in your heart. For that, Sufis employ the methods of meditating on His name with the tongue (mantra repetition), gazing at the written word Allah
, and writing Allah
repeatedly on a paper. Eventually, the name grabs hold of you and illumines all your being.
The emphasis is always to have the zikr
going on all the time in your heart. But there is also time taken for the formal practice of sitting in silence and repeating the zikr. There is no particular posture for Sufi meditation.
Usually, this practice is synced with the breath. For instance, on the in-breath one says within one’s heart “Aal” and on the out-breath one says “Laah”. Or it is done while focusing on the solar plexus or on the spiritual heart
, which takes us to the next practice.
3. Heart Meditation
This practice, called Jikr-e-Sirr
or Wakoof Kulbi
(awareness of the heart), is a type of jikr
(remembrance of God). It is one of the two central practices of the Naqshbandi
Sufi.
For the Yogis, the spiritual heart ( anahata chakra
) is in the center of the chest, under the sternum bone. Some—like Ramana Maharshi and some Tantric texts—speak of the spiritual heart as being different from the heart chakra, and call it hridaya
, saying it is on the right side of the chest. But according to the Sufis, the spiritual heart is at the same place where the physical heart is (on the left).
Here are the steps for this technique:
The third step varies, according to the source and Sufi school. Here are some variations:
In some more esoteric traditions, it is said that the master transmits his power to the disciple ( tavajjoh
or tawajjaha
), and that awakens his spiritual heart, which is then filled with love. Only after this happens is the practice is really effective.
This practice can be done seated or lying down, and the recommended length is at least half an hour.
Here is a more detailed description of the third variation, as found in the book The Experience of Meditation
:
The first stage in this meditation is to evoke the feeling of love, which activates the heart chakra. This can be done in a number of ways, the simplest of which is to think of someone whom we love. This can be God, the great Beloved. But often at the
beginning God is an idea rather than a living reality within the heart, and it is easier to think of a person whom we love, a lover, a friend.
Love has many different qualities. For
some the feeling of love is a warmth, or a sweetness, a softness or tenderness, while for others it has a feeling of peace, tranquillity or silence. Love can also come as a pain, a heartache, a sense of loss.
However , love comes to us we immerse ourself in this feeling; we place all of ourself in the love within the heart.
When we have evoked this feeling of love, thoughts will come, intrude into our mind—what we did the day before, what we have to do tomorrow. Memories float by, images appear before the mind’s eye. We have to imagine that we are getting hold of every thought, every image and feeling, and drowning it, merging it into the feeling of love.
Every feeling, especially the feeling of love, is much more dynamic than the thinking process, so if one does this practice well, with the utmost concentration, all thoughts will disappear. Nothing will remain. The mind will be empty.
Learn more about the Sufi heart meditation here.
4. Sufi Breathing Meditation
Rumi, one of the most well-known Sufis, spoke highly of the practice of deep conscious breathing ( Hosh dar
Dam
or Habje-daem
). As with everything else in Sufism, the emphasis is about remembering God; so, in the Sufi breathing practices, one attempts to remain in God’s presence with every breath.
Here are the instructions for the second technique
( source
), which includes five breathing cycles focusing on each of the five classical elements
practice of Tantra. There are also similar “element purification” practices in the Taoist and the Hermetic traditions.
5. Bond of Love Meditation
In Sufism, the master-disciple relationship plays an essential role in the advancement of the aspirant. The master, called Pir
(“guide”, “old one”), is highly regarded and loved reverently.
In fact, in some Sufi practices the master is the object of meditation. The objective is to dissolve any sense of duality between the disciple and the master so that the aspirant can see with the eyes of the master, and possess his virtues, wisdom, and purity.
To develop this bond of love
between the disciple and his master is a cornerstone meditation technique in the Naqshbandi Sufi order. Here are four ways it is practiced ( source
)—through the heart, attention (contemplation), visualization, and gazing:
The seeker pictures in his heart, the face of his master and annihilates himself in it. As the lover sees the face of his beloved in his own face and loses himself in it, so does the seeker look upon his master. Through the bond they made, he takes on the very being of his master. The seeker’s soul is lighted up and shines with the light of his master. If the seeker perseveres in this way, in a short time he becomes a perfected man like his
sheikh .
He fixes his attention lovingly upon the spirituality of his master. He ascribes so exalted a rank to him that he separates him from the rest of creation. At this moment, the spirituality of the master manifests interiorly within the seeker. It raises the seeker above the creation. Slowly, slowly the seeker begins to acquire the state of the
sheikh .
The seeker represents, in his mind’s eye, the spirituality of his guide as a circle of light and pictures himself in the
center of that circle. Such an ecstasy takes possession of him that he goes out of himself. At that moment, the spirituality of his
sheikh is reflected in the light of the heart. From this reflection, a light appears in the heart of the seeker and draws him on towards perfection.
The seeker seats himself as though he were in the presence of his master. He brings an image of his master before his eyes. But here the seeker must know that the spirituality of the master never separates from his image and whenever and wherever he call son it that spiritual image will help him. If the seeker, coming into the presence of the master, annihilates his own self-hood and binds himself to that presence, the master can in a single instant raise him to the degree of Illumination.
6. Gazing Meditation
Rumi spoke very highly of the practice of gazing at the beloved. In his case, he practiced it as sitting down across from his master, with both looking into each other’s eyes, holding each other’s gaze, and surrendering to the transformation that happens. The essential aspect of the practice is communion ( sohbet
)—to become one with the master and see with his light.
This is a type of “Bond of Love” meditation, as discussed in the previous section. For a detailed exploration of this practice, see the book The Spiritual Practices of Rumi.
Another Sufi gazing practice, little known and rarely discussed, is mirror gazing. The aspirant sits in front of a mirror in a room with dim light, and gazes at the spot in between his eyebrows.
And a third type of gazing, called sagale-naseer
, involves concentrating the gaze on one’s nosetip.
All these three practices are sub-types of Trataka
meditation.
7. Sufi Walking Meditation
(Watch Your Step), which is about walking mindfully and consciously. One should not do anything which may drag him down or which may obstruct his spiritual progress. It also means that one should avoid looking here and there aimlessly as this pollutes the mind. This is why Sufi saints ask their followers to look at their feet while walking.
This practice is basically the application of the principles discussed in the section on Contemplation of God
(remembering God in the heart + watching one’s own mind) to walking.
Refer to my article on walking meditation
to learn other types of practice.
8. Sufi Whirling
, and it is called Samazen.
Like everything else in Sufism, it’s all about abandoning one’s ego, focusing on God, and merging with love. It’s the soul dancing out of love for God. It’s a training for awareness and for the heart.
This choreographed dance involves spinning one’s body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the Solar System
orbiting the sun.
While whirling, his arms are open: his right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive God’s beneficence; his left hand, upon which his eyes are fastened, is turned toward the earth. The
semazen conveys God’s spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema. Revolving from right to left around the heart, the
semazen embraces all humanity with love. The human being has been created with love in order to love. Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi says, “All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!” ( Source
)