MEDITATION: what it is, what it isn't... and the top 3 benefits I am feeling in 2022
WHAT IS MEDITATION?
Meditation is an integral part of mindfulness and spiritual practices all over the world, yoga included. There are many methods of meditation. My favorite definition traces to the Tibetan word for meditation: “gom”, or “ghom”, which means:
“to become familiar with (one’s mind).”
Across all disciplines, meditation is the practice and process of laying down all distractions in order to become familiar with one’s own mind.
MEDITATION AND THE YOGA TRADITION
In general, all of our classes at New Yoga Now stem from India’s yoga lineage known as “the eightfold path” or the “eight-limbed path” of yoga as outlined by Patanjali in The Yoga Sutras thousands of years ago.
The Eight Limbs of yoga as defined by Patanjali are as follows:
Yama - Abstinances
Niyama - Observances
Asana - Postures
Pranayama - Breath Control
Pratyahara - Sense Withdrawal
Dharana - Concentration
Dyana - Meditation
Samadhi - “Bliss”, absorption, super-conscious state
In a typical one-hour class, we certainly practice poses, breathing, sense withdrawal, and concentration. Our teachers are constantly weaving in the yamas and niyamas (more on that later!)... and hopefully you taste a little hint of samadhi in your savasana! And what of “dyana”, or meditation?
After over twenty years of meditation practice combined with intimate study of several translations of The Yoga Sutras, I interpret dharana AND dyana as two limbs that BOTH comprise what we commonly refer to as “meditation”.
“DHARANA is the binding of the mind to one place, object, or idea.”
-YS 3.1 from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda.
This part of meditation is the down and dirty, simple but not easy, unglamorous, un-sexy practice of sitting down with no distractions and being with your mind and body. Dharana is where the rubber meets the road. You do not need to be able to sit in lotus pose. You need not know any mudras, nor do you need to renunciate the world and go live in a cave in India. You do not need to be “spiritual” or super calm. This practice is not exclusive to any race or gender identity or religious affiliation. This practice is for any human being who is breathing! Dharana is the simple act of coming back, with compassion, to one point of focus again and again. This concentration is the actual PRACTICE of meditation.
“DYANA is the continuous flow of cognition toward that object.”
-YS 3.2 from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda.
Dyana, on the other hand, is what happens after some dedicated time is spent in the down and dirty process of pulling your attention back to one thing, again and again. Suddenly, one day, you do not have to work as hard. You notice that there is something of a “flow state” to your meditation practice. You become aware of a deeper contentment, a sort of inner peace beneath the turbulent thoughts. This inner peace comes and goes, but grows with practice. There is less struggle, and a simplicity to the binding of your mind toward one object. The mind wanders, but there is a deeper awareness that allows you to observe the wandering mind with the same curiosity and deep compassion with which you may observe a wandering child at the playground. To me, while dharana is PRACTICING meditation, dyana is being in the STATE of meditation.
I have seen many students become frustrated with the practice of meditation because they believe they are supposed to be “good at it” right away. This is what happens when we expect the PRACTICE of meditation to immediately result in the STATE of meditation.
WHAT MEDITATION ISN’T…
Meditation is NOT:
a religion
only for people who like to sit still
about stopping your mind
an instant “flow state”
about clearing every thought
only for super-spiritual people
Complicated
Easy
TOP 3 BENEFITS I am feeling in 2022:
Increased mental clarity.
Even with a 10-15 minute regular morning meditation practice, I experience more clarity and connection to my intuition. There seems to be more time between an impulse and a reaction: time to ask myself: “Is this really how I want to respond?”, “Why am I suddenly opening the pantry when I ate lunch an hour ago?”, or even: “I can see that car up ahead is swerving a bit so I am slowing down.” This clarity keeps me on track with who I mean to be and also protects me from some of the nasty situations I get myself into when I am not being mindful.. It is not perfect by any means but it shows me my triggers, allows me to see the areas where I need to work a little deeper, and bolsters my street smarts.
Awareness of thought patterns: the good, the bad, and the ugly!
This is related to #1 but even better. Sooner or later, if you sit with your thoughts and allow them to frolic from a deeper awareness, you begin to see patterns emerge. This is super empowering because the way we talk to ourselves MATTERS. Meditation is the tool that finally introduced me face-to-face to my inner critic, my inner child, my inner saboteur. We must meet these shadow aspects of ourselves if we are ever to expand beyond our current limitations! (even more on that later, too!)
Heightened awareness of the extraordinary in the ordinary…
AHHH my favorite of all. We are surrounded by beauty: ALL. THE. TIME. Especially here in Savannah, our gorgeous hostess city. Sadly, with devices in our fingers all day long, it is very easy to take the simple moments for granted and find ourselves constantly unsatisfied and in search of more. With a regular meditation practice, I find myself taking breaks throughout the day to enjoy simple pleasures: to take a deep breath, really look at my plants, walk barefoot in the grass or watch the Spanish moss wave in the breeze. To simply drink up the colors of the homes on my street and truly see my precious daughters as they are in this moment, a snapshot that is so easily missed.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
If you are not sure where to begin, we have plenty of pre-recorded opportunities on our Teachable platform to try meditation online! We also offer a short meditation following Vinyasa 1 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and our Soul Circle Meditation Series meets the first Tuesday of the month Feb - May 2022.