Practice for the Week of April 30-May 13: Dharana: the First Step to Meditation

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the first texts about yoga written about 2500 years ago, dharana is defined as "a flow of awareness toward an object".  The "object" can be a real, physical object, or it can be something that has no physical existence, such as a mantra or a chakra. 
About twenty years ago I was in my meditation room practicing a form of concentration called Tratak, and I had a profound first experience of the feeling of meditation. I was focusing on a crystal pendant, allowing my gaze to rest on the pendant. After a few moments I was aware of being in a state of unusual clarity, still hearing everyday sounds like the voices of people downstairs and the sounds from outside, but my attention was completely absorbed in the crystal. I experienced a state of extraordinary clarity, stillness and easefulness.  After about 30 minutes, my awareness gradually returned to "normal", but its effects have remained with me for over twenty years. 

      

The practice for this week is Tratak.
Gaze steadily at an object. You will notice that the eyes tend to move around. This is a natural movement of the eyes. Keep bringing the gaze back to the object. Allow the eyes to rest on the object or image with minimal  movement. Notice how the mind becomes still as the gaze becomes still.
Traditional objects for Tratak: unwavering candle flame, crystal, clouds, flower, sand patterns.
Om Shanti!

Practice for the Week of April 23-29 - The Heart is the Hub of All Sacred Places

- The Heart is the Hub of All Sacred Places: Go There and Roam -
This was the primary teaching of Bhagavan Nityananda (1897-1961) who maintained an ashram (retreat center) in Ganeshpuri, India. Nityananda spoke very little, but people received insight and blessings from simply sitting in his presence. Little is known of his early life. It i said that he was orphaned when very young and raised by foster parents. His foster father was a judge and hoped that young Nityananda would also study the law. Instead Nityananda renounced worldy pursuits for the life of a wandering yogi. He ultimately settled in Ganeshpuri, a small village in Maharashtra state in western India, the site of natural hot springs near Mandagni mountain, a dormant volcano. He attracted devotees who built schools and hospitals and created other charitable projects in his name. His modest ashram and samadhi shrine (burial place) can still be visited in Ganeshpuri and even after his death, he continues to inspire deep devotion.

The practice for this week is to contemplate his teaching.

Practice for the Week of April 16-22: The Soft Sound of the Breath

To regulate the breath during the practice of asanas, the technique of ujjayi breathing is important. In ujjayi breathing you constrict your vocal cords slightly as you breathe so that you feel the air as it flows past. A slight hissing sounds often results - the more you constrict your throat and force your breath, the louder the sound. The goal is not to create a lot of sound but rather less sound. With practice and greater control, you should be able to breathe slowly and very smoothly. Then the sound will diminish and you can direct your attention to a subtle indicator: the internal sensation of your breath flowing.

--A.G. Mohan, Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings, (Shambhala: Boston, 2010), 24.

quoting Krishnamacharya on breathing and asana.

This week, pay attention to the breath understanding how the quality of the breath reflects the mental fluctuations. Notice how the thoughts become still as the breath becomes more subtle.

Om Shanti!

Practice for the Week of April 9-15: Friendliness, Compassion, Delight and Dispassion

Undisturbed stillness of mind is attained
by cultivating an attitude of

friendliness toward those who are happy,
compassion toward those who are unhappy,

delight in those who are virtuous
and dispassion toward those who are wicked.

--Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1.33

Through this practice we overcome selfishness, envy, greed and anger. We strengthen ourselves and develop compassion, forbearance and patience.  We become free from malice. Other people take comfort in our presence.
A yoga practitioner becomes a blessing to everyone, uplifting oneself and others.

Om Shanti!



Practice for the Week of April 2-8: Om Pranayama

This is a traditional form of pranayama and meditation from our tradition.


Sit in a comfortable posture. See the sitting instructions for Breathe Easy.

Visualize a placid ocean reflecting a luminous, translucent sky.  Imagine that this luminous ocean is within the space of the heart and that you are also within that space.  As you inhale, mentally intone the sound "O", and as you exhale, mentally intone the sound "M".  Gently and quietly inhale and exhale to the sound of "Om".  The quality of the breath should be light and free.  Hold the image of the ocean within your heart as if you are holding an object within.

Do an internet search for "salar de uyuni mirror" for beautiful images of this lake in Bolivia which is a perfect mirror of the sky when filled with water.