1/9/2021 0 Comments Meditation in YogaYoga Myths Part 1: ‘I can’t meditate, I think too much’Meditation. What springs to mind when you think of that word? Complete stillness? Absolute silence? Not a thought flowing in or out of the mind? Perfect Zen?... Does any (or all) of that put you off? Make it feel like meditation is unachievable? Inaccessible? Well - I’ll let you into a little secret: ‘Perfect Zen’ does not exist. Also - Meditation doesn’t look exactly the same for everyone 😉 If you’re a devoted monk who's been living for years in the Himalayas, then yes, you’ll have some advantage in hours of lived practice toward reaching ‘Samadhi’ (highest state of bliss / enlightenment)... But even then, can it ever be ‘perfect’? “One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist..” Stephen Hawking Meditation - What does it mean?The term 'meditation' (Dhyana) means concentrating (Dharana) on the single thing or thought, or focussing the mind in a direction beyond our mental conditionings of attachment or indulgence of clinging to it. “It is the technique of perceiving one’s inner self, or the real self, by focussing on either external objects or internal points in our body or consciousness.” - Yogachariya Jnandev, Yoga Satsanga Ashram. So while this can sound complex - it’s essentially the act of drawing our focus to something specific - be it the breath, a sensation, an emotion - doing our best to become really aware, and tune-in to the specific in order to typically achieve a sense of relaxation, calm, release tension (mental, physically, emotionally), and an overall sense of peace. While a true aim of meditation is “to focus more and more on less and less” - Amma Meenakshi Devi - is it ever possible to completely clear the mind or stop the mind thinking anything at all? In my opinion - not so much. Bringing an awareness and learning through practice to tame the monkey mind - yes - but never eradicating those monkeys entirely. In most forms of traditional yoga, it is also said that yoga is meditation and meditation is yoga - They go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other or separate the two. If there is no conscious awareness in the practice - of the breath, the body, the mind, the emotions - then the yoga postures are just a form of physical exercise. Variations There are many, many forms of meditation which have been formed and evolved from different cultures, walks of life, lineages, and religions. A few commonly known are:
There are also many tools and methods of meditation such as:
Meditation practice can actually retrain the brain as well as the autonomic nervous system - How amazing is that?!Benefits There’s a huge list of benefits meditation can bring, and some will resonate more than others and their individual practice. Here are just a few:
Practice today With so much information, vastly differing styles, and many, many opinions on the ‘shoulds and shouldn’ts of meditation’s’ out there - I agree: Meditation can look overwhelming. But it doesn’t need to be. How about starting small and simple? Letting go of the ‘perfect meditation practice’ idea. Try one technique, maybe for 5 minutes to begin, and see what feels right for you? ... and if it doesn’t come naturally - Don’t worry! It can take a little getting used to ... it is our practice after all. Let’s try a simple breathing exercise and body scan meditation with me today: I’ve noted some simple ‘how-to’ steps here (just head to the ‘Practice Today’ section at the bottom for step by step guidance). There’s also some excellent resources out there which are a great starting point on your meditation journey such as the Headspace website and app. If you’d like to delve a little deeper (without over-complicating things) I highly recommend checking out Dharmananda Yoga’s podcast around mindfulness and meditation. I do hope you enjoy! Om shanti 🕉️ Hazel xx
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