Yoga is the complete settling of the activity of the mind. (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras)
Yoga means “to join,” and its purpose is to join our awareness of mind-body and the world, reversing the process that makes One become many. As a result, the world becomes a much friendlier place, a flow of the One, the real Self. The process of union (yoga) is not just an intellectual understanding, but an experiential way of being, which changes our deepest functioning biologically and neurologically. The process starts with making contact with our inner self – the pure consciousness, through meditation.
Meditation is the core of yoga practice.
Meditation Instructions: Sit in a quiet, comfortable place, preferably with back support. Slowly close your eyes. You will notice thoughts, streams of thoughts. That is fine. Just observe them without minding them. After about a minute, introduce the mantra … I AM… and begin to repeat it easily and effortlessly in the mind. We use the mantra I AM for the sound, not for the meaning. If your mind wanders off into other thoughts or you get distracted from the mantra by anything else, it is natural. When you realize you are off the mantra, gently come back to the mantra. This is all you have to do. Easily repeat the mantra silently inside. The meditation is this simple procedure of thinking the mantra, losing it, and coming back to it. Continue like this for the entire meditation period. At the end of the meditation, rest with eyes closed for a couple minutes before getting back to activity.
TIPS:
-Meditating every day is better than doing it only some days, even if for longer periods.
-Meditating twice a day is better than meditating once a day, even when the total meditation time remains the same each day.
- For best results, do this procedure for 20 minutes, twice a day, before breakfast and dinner.
- If 20 minutes is too long for you, start with a shorter period, e.g. 5 or 10 minutes, but keep it consistent. Gradually, increase your meditation to 20 minutes (e.g. You could add a minute to your meditation time every week, until you get to 20 minutes).
- Meditation gets easier if we do it at the same time and in the same place every day. Do the best you can.
-When life interferes, meditate for 2 minutes wherever you are. This is called “honoring the practice, and keeps it going. But do not make this a habit.
-Give it some time to work. You will be amazed at the results, and then you will want to keep going forward to more and more. More lessons at Advanced Yoga Practices: www.aypsite.com
The eight limbs of yoga are:
1. Yama (restraints): non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, preservation of sexual energy, non-greed.
2. Niyama (observances): purity, contentment, austerity, study of scriptures, surrender to the divine/our highest ideal.
3. Asana (posture)
4. Pranayama (breathing techniques)
5. Pratyahara (introversion of senses/turning the attention to the inside)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation) is the flow of attention inward and the expansion of attention beyond any object (beyond the mantra, in our case).
8. Samadhi (absorption/transcendence) is a state in which the meditator, the process of meditation, and the object of meditation (mantra, in this case) merge into oneness. It is pure bliss consciousness, the inner silent witness, immortal universal Self. That is what we are.
“One must realize his Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness.”
Ramana Maharshi
Yoga means “to join,” and its purpose is to join our awareness of mind-body and the world, reversing the process that makes One become many. As a result, the world becomes a much friendlier place, a flow of the One, the real Self. The process of union (yoga) is not just an intellectual understanding, but an experiential way of being, which changes our deepest functioning biologically and neurologically. The process starts with making contact with our inner self – the pure consciousness, through meditation.
Meditation is the core of yoga practice.
Meditation Instructions: Sit in a quiet, comfortable place, preferably with back support. Slowly close your eyes. You will notice thoughts, streams of thoughts. That is fine. Just observe them without minding them. After about a minute, introduce the mantra … I AM… and begin to repeat it easily and effortlessly in the mind. We use the mantra I AM for the sound, not for the meaning. If your mind wanders off into other thoughts or you get distracted from the mantra by anything else, it is natural. When you realize you are off the mantra, gently come back to the mantra. This is all you have to do. Easily repeat the mantra silently inside. The meditation is this simple procedure of thinking the mantra, losing it, and coming back to it. Continue like this for the entire meditation period. At the end of the meditation, rest with eyes closed for a couple minutes before getting back to activity.
TIPS:
-Meditating every day is better than doing it only some days, even if for longer periods.
-Meditating twice a day is better than meditating once a day, even when the total meditation time remains the same each day.
- For best results, do this procedure for 20 minutes, twice a day, before breakfast and dinner.
- If 20 minutes is too long for you, start with a shorter period, e.g. 5 or 10 minutes, but keep it consistent. Gradually, increase your meditation to 20 minutes (e.g. You could add a minute to your meditation time every week, until you get to 20 minutes).
- Meditation gets easier if we do it at the same time and in the same place every day. Do the best you can.
-When life interferes, meditate for 2 minutes wherever you are. This is called “honoring the practice, and keeps it going. But do not make this a habit.
-Give it some time to work. You will be amazed at the results, and then you will want to keep going forward to more and more. More lessons at Advanced Yoga Practices: www.aypsite.com
The eight limbs of yoga are:
1. Yama (restraints): non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, preservation of sexual energy, non-greed.
2. Niyama (observances): purity, contentment, austerity, study of scriptures, surrender to the divine/our highest ideal.
3. Asana (posture)
4. Pranayama (breathing techniques)
5. Pratyahara (introversion of senses/turning the attention to the inside)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation) is the flow of attention inward and the expansion of attention beyond any object (beyond the mantra, in our case).
8. Samadhi (absorption/transcendence) is a state in which the meditator, the process of meditation, and the object of meditation (mantra, in this case) merge into oneness. It is pure bliss consciousness, the inner silent witness, immortal universal Self. That is what we are.
“One must realize his Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness.”
Ramana Maharshi