This week we come to Dharana, Dhyana & Samadhi, the last three of the limbs of yoga. It is where our foundations of yoga come together and lead us to the ultimate connection with ourselves and the universe. Yoga is uniting with this divine energy and our yoga practise is the journey.
Dharana is concentration, fixing your mind on a certain point. Last week’s theme of pratyahara was about withdrawing from the sense stimulations and doing this helps us to focus. When this point of focus becomes a continuous flow, without distractions it is…..
Dhyana, which is meditation. This uninterrupted flow is meditation, you are not even aware that you are “meditating”. To be honest when I say I am meditating I am mostly at the concentration point, Dharana. Even though I am not technically meditating, I am happy to continue as the discipline to practise concentration is very good for me. I also have to remember that it is not the result of the practise that is important but the practise its self 🙂
Once we have established meditation we may come upon…
Samadhi, which is enlightenment or pure bliss. How this appears to us and feels is completely personal. You may have experienced such a feeling when you are totally immersed in something or someplace and have a special feeling, an out of body experience. Whatever the feeling is, it is important that we do not boast about it, become attached to it or go searching for it but continue our practise without expectation.
Our yoga practise does not need to be sitting in lotus pose and meditating but more about practising the “eight limbs” in everything we do. When we practise this way, we have peace and contentment in our lives, always.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
