spirit
DHYANA
During dhyana, there are no interceptions
from the mind. The practitioner is completely
immersed in what one can call – Shunya.
of Mother Nature, we cannot experience stability in our lives?
The meditation techniques of Yoga are extremely refreshing.
Incorporation of a 20 minute meditation may be a minute
change in one’s daily lifestyle but the changes it brings out over
a period of time are significant and noteworthy. Sometimes so
much that they take you by surprise. For instance, one day I
was in the car and had a quarrel with my colleague. We both
got upset and stopped talking to each other. The car was
moving but the usual chat was missing. And then I meditated
for a few minutes. I felt relieved from the burden of the biting
silence. The silence was like a boon for me now. There was
no hesitation in looking into my colleague’s eyes and initiating
talks afresh. And so the quarrel was put behind by us. Some
minutes of meditation had turned the wheel yet again in my
favor. Some people call mind ‘evil’ but that’d be very harsh and
unjust. For just like a mortal, his mind too has two sides – the
good and the bad. It is only the bad one that has to be
avoided. For this, wisdom is important.
But wisdom can only be attained once we have realized our
self, and self-realization can’t happen without calming the mind
and reaching to the depths within us. So calm the mind first.
The practice of Yoga aims at calming the mind in the initial
phase.
This is what it does. Meditation throws trash into trash. It’s a
great strength for me today, and I am sure for those millions of
people who have learnt this mind control technique and been
30 YOGIC HERALD JAN 2018
practicing it regularly. I’d go as far as to term it as a “life saver”.
Dharana is actually the first phase of Yoga in which the
practitioner or seeker begins as a completely ignorant being.
He begins to search for the place where he is supposed to
perform dhyana. There lies darkness inside, there lie frequent
interceptions by the mind, there lies lapse in concentration,
and there lies lack of physical ability to sustain meditation for
long periods. Hence the practitioner is only asked to meditate
for 30 minutes in the initial phase. In these 30 minutes, one has
to simply try to concentrate at the place one has been asked
to.
Those who practice dharana go through various criss-cross and
spiral movements that finally take them to a pin-point (bindu)
where they can meditate. This point is the place where dhyana
happens. During dhyana, there are no interceptions from the
mind. The practitioner is completely immersed in what one
can call – Shunya. While performing dhyana in some particular
points or shunyas in the body, one can experience the cosmic
vibrations such as Aum, Hum, and Raram. While performing
dhyana, one is completely at peace. Post Kundalini awakening,
the practitioner experiences and practices some life
transforming Kriyas (of what I prefer to call autonomous Yoga).
The regular practice of meditation balances our chakras and
pancha kosha, stabilizes our body and mind, heals us at a
physical, psychological, aural and intellectual level, completely
relieves us from stress, and takes us from mind control in level
one to complete awareness of the self. A great meditation