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Ancient Indian texts talk of ‘Yoga’ as a state where there is evenness of mind and emotions are steadied. Regular experience of this brings in an individual’s life calmness, peace, balance, and also heightened creativity
In Yoga, meditation corresponds with ‘Dhyana’, a state of uninterrupted attention or contemplation. (Shutterstock)
December 21 marks a rare coincidence that offers hope to humans. As the globe marks World Meditation Day today, it’s interesting to note that the date concurs with the Winter Solstice, an ideal day for inner renewal.
Meditation is known to calm the mind — a feat most of us try to achieve. The state of silence of the mind remains elusive as distractions and worldly concerns often make it a challenge to recreate it. However, Yoga is a technology and a structure that helps to stabilise meditation and makes it relatively effortless and sustained.
In Yoga, meditation corresponds with ‘Dhyana’, a state of uninterrupted attention or contemplation. Dhyana is the seventh step in Patanjali’s Ashtanga or eight-fold path of Yoga. Prior to Dhyana are Dharana and Pratyahara — concentration and withdrawal — which we touched upon in last week’s column. The three together constitute internal (antaranga) Yoga.
Dhyana is an effortless state, where the meditator becomes absorbed in the object of meditation. The culmination of this is Samadhi, where oneness — or complete unity — with the object of meditation is experienced. This is the joining that yuj, the root word of Yoga, refers to. Oneness between the tiny, egocentric individual unit of consciousness, and the universal consciousness that is the all-pervasive blissful reality.
‘Being in Yoga’ is the term used for the experience of this oneness. While the common understanding of Yoga is techniques for fitness or stress relief, in reality, Yoga’s bottom-line is controlling the mind to achieve this oneness.
WHY ‘BEING IN YOGA’ IS A DESIRABLE STATE
Ancient Indian texts talk of ‘Yoga’ as a state where there is evenness of mind and emotions are steadied. Regular experience of this Being-in-Yoga or oneness brings in an individual’s life calmness, peace, balance, and also heightened creativity. This inner peace is lasting and can overpower misery resulting from external circumstances. The individual remains unperturbed in difficult situations, besides becoming more efficient.
According to Shvetashvatara Upanishad, “the first signs of entering Yoga are lightness of body, health, non-thirsty mind, clearness of complexion, a beautiful voice, agreeable odour, and scanty excretions (laghutvamarogyamalolupatvam varnaprasadah svarasaushthavam cha, gandhah shubho mutrapurishmalpam yogpravrittim prathamam vadanti)”.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says: “When the body becomes lean, the face glows with delight, divine sound manifests, the eyes are pure, the body healthy, appetite increases, and sexual discharge is under control; then one should understand that the Nadis (energy channels) are purified and success in Hatha Yoga is approaching (vapuh krshatvam vadane prasannata naada-sphutatvam nayane sunirmale, arogata bindu-jayo’gni-dipanam naadi-visuddhirhatha-siddhi-lakshanam).”
The Bhagwad Gita talks about Yoga being a state of balance and evenness of mind (samatvam yoga uchyate), and also that Yoga is efficiency in action (yogah karmasu kausalam).
THE PATH OF YOGA PAVES THE WAY FOR MEDITATION
Yoga has a technology that helps prepare for meditation. Importantly, it provides the base upon which meditation gets stabilised.
The Yogic text Yoga Vashishta talks about Yoga being a skilful method or an expedient means to calm the mind (Manah prashamanopayah yoga ityabhidhiyate).
Note that the mind is to be controlled and calmed — but skilfully, and not forcefully. This means that Yoga must be learnt at an established school or from an experienced teacher well-versed in all its aspects or limbs, and it must be practised regularly.
This is how the limbs or aspects of Yoga work together: Asanas or physical postures instil awareness, mindfulness, stamina and flexibility; they prepare the body-mind complex by keeping the body healthy and removing energy blocks. Kriyas or purificatory processes add to this by cleansing the system. Pranayama or breath-control practices help slow the mind, channelise vital life-force into body systems, relax the nervous system, and purify and balance channels of energy. Conscious relaxation techniques practised regularly help in establishing withdrawal or Pratyahara. They also bring in the much-needed ‘surrender’, a crucial ingredient in attaining peace.
After this is Dharana or concentration, where the mind is focussed on a particular thing — it could be a name, form, sound, mantra, or the word Om. Remember, what you concentrate on, that you become and so, the object of concentration must be chosen wisely.
The role of Yama and Niyama, the first two limbs of Ashtanga Yoga, cannot be understated. These play the crucial role of stabilising our relationships with ourselves and with society, which helps in a peaceful daily existence free from worry or anxiety.
Dhyana gets stabilised gradually as all of the above get regularised and internalised. Dhyana leads to Samadhi, total absorption, the state of freedom and self-realisation.
BEGIN MEDITATING TODAY
• Create space in your mind and in your routine for meditation. Set the intention today, and begin practice.
• Find a comfortable place. Fix a time for daily meditation and stick to it. Upon waking and just before sleeping usually work well; or, fix another slot during the day.
• Find a comfortable posture, ensuring that the spine remains straight. Options are Sukhasana, Vajrasana, Padmasana, or Siddhasana.
• Set alarms: one as a reminder for the meditation practice, and the other to ‘wake you up’ from meditation after 20 minutes.
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at swatikamal@gmail.com.