Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Dhyana and Samadhi

What a week we have behind us! Earthquake and hurricane in our area... Unexpected turbulance around us leads the yogi and the yogini to look within and find reprieve from all that is the external world. This is our final week of the Summer Yoga Challenge and the exploration of the Eight Limb of Yoga. I am so glad that so many of you participated and I hope that you all will carry something new that you learnt with you in your hearts… It is a perfect week to explore and contemplate on the last two limbs, Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (enlightenment, bliss)…

In Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar likens the analogy of water taking the shape of its container to the mind being transformed into the shape of the object it is contemplating. This elicits an important truth: that which we dwell on in our minds becomes how and who we are.

Dhyana is absolute concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. Therefore, dhyana is meditation or perfect contemplation. It is the next step following up on Dharana (one pointed concentration). Although there is a notable separation between dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation) in yogic philosophy, there is also an intimate connection between the two.

In Dharana, the mind is put through various rigors of trainings to restrain its waywardness and to refine its awareness to the ultimate degree of one-pointedness. Achieving this state is an active process that requires much effort. But it is precisely when this one-pointedness of mind ceases to be an active effort and then just happens naturally, without any effort, that we have achieved the state of meditation. So Dhyana, as far as it can be described with words, is an unbroken stream of concentration, whereby very little sense of self remains.

At this level, it becomes increasingly more difficult to use words and the reasoning, conscious mind to describe the experiences of yoga. After all, the state of meditation, by its very nature transcends our material human experience and everything that is related to it.

The eighth limb in Patanjali's text is Samadhi. Samadhi translates to enlightenment, bliss, or Union with the Divine. Patanjali describes the feeling as ecstasy. This is the ultimate goal of the practice of the other seven limbs of yoga.

This state is described as a feeling of complete inner peace and unity with the Divine and with every other living creature on earth. They completely experience the oneness of all life in the universe. Samadhi is a state of awareness and consciousness with the body, mind and senses completely relaxed.

There is no timetable or order to reaching the state of enlightenment. The steps and practices in the previous seven limbs are all intended to provide the path to enlightenment and the profound peace that accompanies it. It is something that is experienced on a personal level and not a goal that is attained in a specific time frame. Samadhi requires devotion and regular practice of yoga and meditation to clear the mind and experience the peace and unity of enlightenment. And we all so need it more than ever…

Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Dharana

Welcome to the sixth week of our Summer Challenge. We are looking at the sixth stage of the Eighth Limb Path: Dharana, Dharana is a form of meditation that can be called receptive concentration. With the help of Dharana, a set of conditions are created that helps the mind focus in one direction and object, rather than concentrating in many directions, thereby diverting the mind. The term 'Dharana' is given to both the practice of deep concentration and the state in which you achieve deep concentration. Ideally, 'Dharana' should be performed at every moment of the day to gain utmost control of both body and mind. Easy enough, right :)?

The word 'Dharana' simply means 'unbending concentration of mind'. Working with complete focus and concentration is something that satisfies every individual at the maximum. Each of us, feel a sense of frustration, when we are not able to focus. The inability to focus may be because our minds were racing with ideas, judgments, worries, songs, or even memories. The main idea underlying Dharana, is the ability to focus on something (uninterrupted both by external or internal distractions). We will plant the seed of Dharana this week for our practice on the mat and our existence off the mat.

How one achieves Dharana? Well, going through the previous weeks of learning about the Yamas, the Niyamas, the Asanas, Pranayama and Pratyahara. We start to see a progression in walking on the road inward to that sacred, unwavered Self. Last week we were practicing pratyahara, control of the senses to get us ready for Dharana. The mind must be mastered and senses withdrawn in order to truly meditate. This is not an easy thing as the senses and mind have been our masters for so long.

Next, we work toward being able to concentrate and keep the mind from roaming for some length of time. It is best to be situated in an area with as little distraction as possible. Begin focusing the mind on one object. Our attention will get diverted over and over again. As disturbances arise it is best to just notice and then kindly dismiss them. As with most practices, the more we do it, the more skilled we become. It is definitely a long journey but we have the rest of our lives to walk on this path.

And what is Dharana good for? Dharana helps in channeling one's thoughts on a certain thing. It makes sure that we reach a level of awareness in anything we do, by focusing on every step we take. Dharana can bring richness to one's life. With the help of deep contemplation and reflection, one can create the right conditions. Dharana works with the objective to achieve the mental state, where the mind, intellect, and ego are controlled. The mind becomes purified by the practices. It becomes able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience. Dharana also helps in the cessation of fluctuations in the mind, one of the major reasons for practicing yoga.

Usually our minds are paying attention to many different things at once. As soon as our senses become stimulated they pull our attention in many directions. As our minds wander from one stimulus to another we become reactive emotionally, hormonally and energetically. The practice of Dharana, at the time, when you are struggling with anger, restlessness or expectation would help in balancing those struggles. Dharana is the practice of training the mind, to concentrate and focus, in such a way, that we can possibly avoid frustrations.

Ready to try it? This week, and many more weeks to come.

Namaste.

Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Pratyahara

“The restraint of the senses occurs when the mind is able to remain in its chosen direction and the sense disregard the different objects around them and faithfully follow the direction of the mind.”
~ Yoga Sutra 2.54 Translation by TKV Desikachar

Welcome to the fifth week of our Summer Challenge and to Pratyahara, the 5th stage of Patanjali’s 8-limbed path. One could refer to Pratyahara as “withdrawing the senses away from the external surroundings and distractions.” Withdrawing of the senses does not come easy to most of us. In our fast-paced, media driven world we suffer from sensory overload. The result of constant bombardment from television, radio, computers, newspapers, smart phones, magazines, books — you name it. Our commercial society functions by stimulating our interest through the senses. We are constantly confronted with bright colors, loud noises and dramatic sensations. We have been raised on every sort of sensory indulgence; unfortunately, it is the main form of entertainment in our society.

According to David Frawley: “The problem is that the senses, like untrained children, have their own will, which is largely instinctual in nature. They tell the mind what to do. If we don’t discipline them, they dominate us with their endless demands. We are so accustomed to ongoing sensory activity that we don’t know how to keep our minds quiet; we have become hostages of the world of the senses and its allurements. We run after what is appealing to the senses and forget the higher goals of life. For this reason, Pratyahara is probably the most important limb of yoga for people today.”

Sense withdrawal means that the senses cease to be engaged or connected to the objects in our thoughts. It does not mean the suppression, repression, or stopping of these thoughts. They may naturally slow down or decrease to some degree, but the method itself is to break the contact, to cease connecting with the thought patterns. This means allowing thoughts to flow without interruption, while the senses are simply not diverted into those thoughts.

In the past weeks, on the eight-limbed path of yoga, we started with the world outside and around us and have been working inward. The first limbs of the Yamas and the Niyamas had a lot to do with our conducts in the external world we live in. Asanas, our physical practice bought us in contact with our bodies, taught us awareness and connectedness to our senses concerning our bodies. Then last week we talked about Pranayama, breath control or life energy extension; starting to focus on our breath, trying different breathing techniques to best serve our practice. We connected our Asana practice with Pranayama and experienced a better focus and moving meditation.

With Pranayama, we brought the air around us into our bodies. By doing so consciously, our sense of connection between the external and the internal deepened. However, Pranayama is still a practice of using our bodies to control and experience the breath. Apart from Pranayama, another device that we used to find this connectedness was focusing on the third eye (Ajna Chakra, the place between the eye brows) as we moved through our practice with closed eyes. Even when the eyes were open we directed our gaze at one point, the Drishti, to allow for even more awareness of our bodies and the movements in the mind.

Now, together, Pranayama and Pratyahara start to move our efforts and intentions toward our inner worlds. While doing a posture, our thoughts turn to the sensations we are feeling in our muscles and our bones. We may notice that our emotions become excited or dulled. We observe the breath and attempt to be present with all of these observations. This very process is the beginning of practicing Pratyahara. Of course, it does happen that some days our minds are distracted by the temperature, by other people in the class, by overly negative (or positive) thoughts about ourselves… Even this is an opportunity to practice Pratyahara, by trying to notice it happening, withdrawal from the racing thoughts, and come back into the moment. Especially in the setting of a class, the eyes and ears are usually the most distracting sensory organs. For this reason, it is helpful to close your eyes, and to focus on the breath (which will draw the energy of the ears inward).

With Pratyahara, the transition from external to internal awareness goes one step further. By observing our senses, their activities, and our responses, we can gain an increased understanding of how easily our thoughts can be redirected by the random input from our senses. Gradually, we gain skill at releasing our minds from the current of constant thoughts and drawing them back to our chosen area of focus. Even when a light flickers outside, our gaze stays steady. Even if the fire tuck passes by, we don’t waiver :). When practicing yoga postures, each time we realize our mind has wandered and bring it back to our experience in the pose – that is Pratyahara.

This week we will practice Pratyahara with Pranayama techniques we already learnt, mantra meditation, and visualization techniques. Pratyahara occurs almost automatically when we meditate because we are so absorbed in the object of meditation. Precisely because the mind is so focused, the senses follow it; it is not happening the other way around. So I am looking forward to our nice long Savasanas :)

Namaste.

Summer Challenge 2011 - The Eight Limbs of Yoga - Pranayama

We are half way through our Summer challenge, my yogic friends. And what a perfect week this is to start talking about the breath, Pranayama. I feel that it is the perfect time to EXHALE this week as the studio transformation is almost over, the 200HR training is on its way, and the Fall schedule is shaping up with even more interesting classes added into the schedule. My goal is to create and further nurture our yoga community here at Quiet Mind and the last few weeks have included a lot of "holding my breath". Now I start to feel that it is time to exhale :) So breath in and out with me and the whole Quiet Mind community as you go through your practice mindfully this week.

Prana is the life force or energy that exists everywhere and flows through everything and everyone. Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath, in order to purify and remove distractions from the mind, making it easier to concentrate and meditate. It also restore and maintain health and to promote evolution.

Pranayama is extremely important in yoga; it goes hand-in-hand with the physical practice, Asanas as we addressed them last week. In the Yoga Sutra, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body. The basic movements of pranayama are inhalation, retention of breath, and exhalation. “The yogi’s life is not measured by the number of days but by the number of his breaths,” says Mr. Iyengar.

Pranayama involves the use of various breathing techniques, and can be translated as "control of the breathing", or "breathing exercises." However, the use and effects of pranayama are much greater than this. The word prana actually refers to the “vital life force” and ayama means “to control or extend”, so pranayama can also be defined as “extension of the life force”, which is why it can help to restore, to heal and to relax.

The practice produces the actual physical sensation of heat (tapas), or the inner fire of purification (from our second week, the Niyamas). It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body. This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to become more calm. As you follow the proper rhythmic patterns of slow deep breathing, the patterns strengthen the respiratory system, soothe the nervous system and reduce craving. As desires and cravings diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration, leading towards the next steps on our Eight Limbs of our yogic path.

This week, you might be focusing on Ujjayi (victorious breath), Nadi Shodana (alternate nostril breath), Shitali (cooling breath) or some other ones. Each technique has a purpose, but the overall benefits of pranayama include increased oxygen uptake, lung capacity and efficiency, and a stronger diaphragm, pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles, which support the organs. The immune system and the digestive fire so important to overall health, are both stimulated.

It is amazing what adjusting your breath can do. If you are emotionally excited, you can stop and deliberately adjust your breath and it will actually alter your mental state. By taking control of the breath, you can control the mind, reducing the constant chatter.

Take a deep and slow breath in…….and now exhale all the air from your lungs. Do it one more time – this time with your eyes closed. Take a nice long breath in…..now, a nice long exhale. May you find peace, breath and happiness in your day today!

Namaste