DHYANA: Meditation
The seventh limb of yoga is meditation, which is considered meditation without an object. Some consider it the most difficult limb, but I believe with preparation you may find it easy. If it is a challenge, you just go back and practice one of the limbs. You can go back to any limb and strengthen your practice; each limb builds on the others. Many people will go back and practice limb 6 meditating with an object (like mala beads) until they feel comfortable trying limb 7, meditating without an object.
Meditation without an object will bring the chatter of our “monkey mind” to a halt.
Meditation is different than concentration because it involves a lack of focus, effort, and concentration. While practicing concentration means focusing on one object, practicing meditation does not require an object. The seventh limb may look a little different for each age group. What is useful for parents of a newborn may not be the same for preschoolers.
Each stage of life may have an individual practice appropriate for the age. This is always changing as we move through the stages of life and the chitter-chatter of the mind comes and goes.
As people develop, grow, change and become experienced in a yoga practice, more time will be undisturbed by the effort required in concentration and can meditate peacefully. When that is mastered, it is possible to slip right into limb 8, where advanced yogis spend many hours each day.
Wherever you are in your journey with yoga, we can help you expand upon the physical postures and include meditation to your practice. By transforming every movement into a meditative practice, we can combine the mind and body through breathing and movements. Once you learn the core principles of meditation, these concepts can apply to any style of yoga.
Benefits of Mediation
- Reduced Stress
- Emotional Balance
- Increased Focus
- Reduced Pain
- Reduced Anxiety
- Increased Creativity
- Reduced Depression
- Increased Memory
Meditation is another stress relief method to practice. Start by adding short sessions to your mindfulness schedule and slowly start increasing meditation length.
Inhale and exhale. Accept yourself and clear your mind. Place your focus on some happy thoughts. Be thankful.
If you want to learn more these 2 books go into more detail: