Meditation: The Inner Yoga

Yoga is described as a self study (svadhyaya) which ultimately means that we learn about ourselves through practice. Learning to practice is the aim of attending classes and this includes the routines and habits that support a practice. Yoga Mandir offers a range of learning pathways such as Yogasana courses, Led practices and material for home practice including sequences and study material. Teachers communicate an experience of Yogasana based upon their own practice experience and through the practitioner program levels we offer courses rather than classes, endeavouring to be systematic in this communication. Teachers therefore seek to develop students as practitioners of yoga, rather than just encouraging attendance at classes. While it may appear that technical details of asana are a focus, over time the aim is for students to develop a capacity to focus on swadhyaya (self study). Swadhyaya is an aspect of Kriya yoga (tapas, swadhyaya and isvara pranidhana). Kriya yoga is one of Patanjali's key approaches to the practice of yoga. Yoga as Meditative practice Yoga is classed as a meditative practice because it is concerned with the effects upon the mind. Whilst we work within a physical discipline both highly structured and refined ultimately the body is the vehicle to use the mind in a specific way. As we progress in our understanding of the techniques and in our application within the practice we develop concentration and we can begin to examine the behaviour of the mind. It is possible to think of our practice as directed towards performance outcomes in the body and therefore distinct from meditation but this misses its effects on the mind. In the practitioner program at Yoga Mandir we identify the practices (3 of the 8 disciplines of astanga Yoga) as being conducted to effect our inner state. Yoga is described as a culture of consciousness and the study of the mind. Observances, practices and outcomes Iyengar divides the astanga (8 disciplines) of Patanjali into 3 groups below ...yoga is divided into three parts. Yama and niyama are one part. Asana, pranayama and pratyahara are the second part. Dharana, dhyana and samadhi are the third part. Yama and niyama are the discipline of the organs of action and the organs of perception. They are common to the whole world. They are not specifically Indian, nor are they connected to yoga alone. They are something basic which has to be maintained. In order to fly, a bird needs two wings. Similarly, to climb the ladder of spiritual wisdom, the ethical and mental disciplines are essential. Then, from that basic starting point, evolution has to take place. In order for the individual to evolve, the science of yoga provides the three methods of asana, pranayama and pratyahara. These three methods are the second stage of yoga, and involve effort. The third stage comprises dharana, dhyana and samadhi, which can be simply translated as concentration, meditation and union with the Universal Self. These three are the effects of the practice of asana, prana and pratyahara, but in themselves do not involve practice. 1 This third stage noted above is referred to as an outcome. When our practices (asana, pranayama & pratyahara) are conducted effectively they generate the outcomes of concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and surrender (samadhi). In his book Tree of Yoga Iyengar uses the image of a tree to arrange the 8 limbs and uses the fruit to refer to the outcomes. Another term for the outcomes is samyama.

Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2016

Attention is an important part of the process of meditation. Traditional Yoga texts describe two stages of meditation which follow each other in sequence. These are meditative focusing (dharana in Sanskrit) and effortless meditation (dhyana in Sanskrit). This review evaluated eight experimental studies conducted on participants in normal health, who practiced dharana and dhyana. The studies included evaluation of autonomic and respiratory variables, eLORETA and sLORETA assessments of the EEG, evoked potentials, functional magnetic resonance imaging, cancellation task performance and emotional intelligence. The studies differed in their sample size, design and the method of practicing dharana and dhyana. These factors have been detailed. The results revealed differences between dharana and dhyana, which would have been missed if the two stages of meditation had not been studied separately.

Yoga is an ancient physical and spiritual discipline and branch of philosophy. It is practice that connects the body, breath and mind to energize and balance the whole persons. Yoga is a means of achieving spiritual enlightenment that has brought exclusive global change in the life style of people. Meditation and yoga are natural compliments to each other. Yoga is an active, physical way to prepare the mind for meditation. Originally, yoga techniques were of mouth. Yoga began to gain popularity in the went the end of 19th century. Yoga works for good health some say it reduces stress like other mind body therapies. The technique of yoga is superb way to connect yourself and let your inner being come out in the best possible manner. Yoga enables everyone to move towards the state of development consciousness which is oneness with the scared. The main purpose of yoga is to purify the mental state.

Історія філософії та історії філософій. Тези тринадцятої міжнародної наукової конференції "Філософія. Нове покоління" (Київ, НаУКМА􏰉􏰈􏰘􏰗), 2018

Dhyāna is a category and one of the basic elements of yoga philosophy (yogadarśana). This term has ancient roots that are first mentioned in g Veda (RV). Later dhyāna becomes a part of yoga discourse in the Upaniads, and a cornerstone in the framework of Patañjali’s Yogasūtras. It is often used in Moksadharmaparvan and Bhagavadgītā of Mahābhārata, texts which are disclosing yoga and in many details describe dhyāna. In haha-yogic texts, such as Dattātreyayogaśāstra, Gorakaśataka and others, dhyāna is still used as one of the major parts of yoga-practice. The term dhyāna is generally translated as meditation. The results of my Ph.D. research show that the meaning of the term dhyāna is non- homogeneous. Dhyāna in different texts has had a different meaning, explaining various mental and embodied practices. Analysis has shown that the term meaning was continuously changing, going from poetic, visionary and less specified in its first mentioning in RV (root dhī derivatives in 4.36.2, 8.12.10, 10.11.1.) to mystical practices of seeing ātman in Upaniads (e.g., Śvetāśvatara Up. 1.14.). In Patañjali’s Yogasūtras (2.11. and 3.2.) a clear and unambiguous definition of dhyāna is given, it is there a continuity of cognition on the subject of dhāraā and destroyer of vtti, which are accurately defined in the Yogasūtras. The text of Moksadharmaparvan (12.181, 12.188, 12.203, 12.333.) contain explicit explanations of dhyāna-yoga practice, with its cognitive component and substantial vision of the mind. Bhagavadgītā (12.6.) equates dhyāna and bhakti. The haha yogic texts, mentioned earlier, describe dhyāna as an embodied practice, sometimes followed by a visualization.

Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2019

Are there universal structures or stages of experience, socalled contemplative landmarks, that unfold during meditative practice? As commonly described in contemplative manuals or handbooks, there is a transition from a form of meditation where the subject must exert continual effort in order for consciousness to remain focused. As Kenneth Rose has recently shown, these manuals, stemming from the Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian traditions, agree that a transition will take place from effortful meditation into a state where attention is fixed or locked in on the meditation object. This article describes the micro-phenomenology of this phenomenon, sometimes called dhyana or access concentration, from the first-person perspective. This study both confirms and refines the traditional account, engaging with certain difficulties involved in establishing a correspondence between traditional, clear-cut, and sometimes contradictory concepts and actual experiences, which can be hard to conceptualize precisely

Journal of Indian Philosophy, 2014

In later Yogācāra, the path to enlightenment is the course of learning the Four Noble Truths, investigating their meaning, and realizing them directly and experientially through meditative practice (bhāvanā). The object of the yogi's enlightenment-realization is dharma and dharmin: The dharma is the true nature of real things, e.g., momentariness, while the dharmin is real things i.e., momentary things. During the practice of meditation, dharma is directly grasped in the process of clear manifestation (viśadābhā) and the particular dharmin is indirectly ascertained in the process of determination (adhyavasāya). So, even though a yogi does not directly perceive any actual thing, s/he is still nonetheless able to undertake practical activity directed toward it. The realization of the Four Noble Truths consists of two aspects: firstly, the manifestation of momentariness, etc., in the stream of the yogi's consciousness; secondly, the ascertainment of momentariness, etc., in whatever s/he happens to encounter.