The aspirant should assume his meditative posture, close his eyes gently, and allow the breath to flow smoothly and easily. One next draws upon his imagination to create an attractive image that symbolizes his highest spiritual ideal or concept. He places this image in his heart, where he surrounds the image with an ocean of light, and holds it there, mentally visualizing it. Any beautiful image may be visualized according to the imaginative capacity of the practitioner.

Laya yoga is the absorption of the mind in sound. The goal of this practice is to alter one's normal awareness of self by focusing on hearing an internal, mystic sound. The mind will become steady and absorbed in the sound on which it focuses. In space, sound is produced by the movement of sound waves in the air. So, too, in the body, there are currents that flow and produce sound when one practices pranayama.

By keeping the attention fixed on a certain idea or by making the mind blank for a sufficient duration, an outgoing of both ideas and will result. The will can thereby inadvertently bring about its own extinction when it is intent upon the extinction of something else, such as an idea. By the repetition of such a mental action, the consciousness of that action grows less, until at last it is performed quite automatically and unconsciously.

The cultivation of the shadow man is another method of concentration. To do this exercise, stand in the sun when the sky is perfectly clear so that your shadow appears clearly and distinctly in front of you, approximately five to ten feet in length. Focus your attention on your shadow at a point at the base of its neck. Hold this view with the eyes steady, the lids slightly opened, for as long as you can. When the eyes become tired and begin to tear, close and open them a time or two, and then raise the head to look into the clear sky. There you will see a figure, a full shadow which is capable of appearing in many colors.

Trataka is an external concentration practice in which one gazes steadily at some small object without blinking, while the eyelids are held slightly more open than usual. The practice is continued until the eyes strain and water. They should then be closed and the eyes rolled gently a few times, followed by rinsing them carefully and gently with cold water. Another method of relaxation involves contracting the muscles around the eyes and then relaxing them. The purpose of this practice is to coordinate the impulses of the sensory and motor nerves, which assist in producing a state of calmness and tranquility necessary for concentration. Trataka preserves and maintains good eyesight, and provides immunity from diseases of the eyes.