Question: How can we bring intensity into our meditation without bringing it into the physical at the same time?

Sri Chinmoy: In your case, when you meditate you immediately think of a tug-of-war. There is tremendous tension in your forehead, as if your whole body were seated in firmness. But you have to know that the fastest runner runs the fastest on the strength of his co-ordination. The limbs of the body have to be in perfect co-ordination. If he exerts himself beyond necessity, then he loses his balance and he will slow down on the track. When you are meditating, you have to feel that your entire body is slowly, steadily and unerringly climbing up. But in your case, a portion of your mind and a portion of your vital are greedy. Each wants to reach the Highest, leaving aside the other members of the being. In a family there are five members, but one member feels if he can go all by himself before the rest, then he can eat the most. But it is not like that in the spiritual life. In the spiritual life, when all the members go together, only then does God give you the proper feast. Otherwise, He says, "How did you dare to leave the members of your family on the way?" So when you meditate, try to feel that your whole existence is going up. Each time you breathe in, feel a new member of the family is entering into you and when you breathe out, feel that you are lifting up that new member along with your aspiration. Then there can't be tension. Your tension comes because you neglect parts of your being when you meditate. That is wrong. Don't neglect anything. If you do, they will automatically revolt. You will try to pull them in a tug-of-war, but they outnumber you. Take them with you: then there will be no tension at all.