EMBRACING the 7th LIMB OF YOGA: DHYANA~ meditation...

WHEELING ALONG OUR PATHS, on this SACRED SAGA, we embrace the 7th LIMB OF YOGA: DHYANA~ meditation...

"In DHYANA, psychological and chronological time come to a standstill as the mind observes its own behavior. The intensity of attention in the field of consciousness neither alters nor wavers, remaining as stable, smooth, and constant as oil pouring from a jug. Maintaining the same intensity of awareness, the attentive awareness moves from one-pointed concentration to no pointed attentiveness...in DHYANA the empahsis is on the maintenance of a steady and profound contemplative observation." -B.K.S.Iyengar

As we continue to utilize Rolf Gates' book MEDITATIONS FROM THE MAT, as a guideline along this 8 LIMB PATH of YOGA, he states that: "It is important to understand that DHARANA and DHYANA are skills we can cultivate. In fact, the eight-limb path itself and the names given these states of mind were established long after the fact. The YOGA SUTRAS are simply describing experiences that human beings had already been having for centuries. The point of understanding the difference between DHARANA and DHYANA is that our understanding can inform the way we approach any endeavor.

Think of DHARANA and DHYANA as aspects of the anatomy of excellence in action. Equipped with a model of how we and others have achieved excellence, we can better prepare ourselves to live our dreams. DHYANA is that profound place that sports psychologists call "the zone." It is that place where the musician and her instrument disappear and there is only the music; the timeless place in which the public speaker no longer speaks from knowledge but from an unerring sense of the moment. Through fearlessness and dedication we leave behind the everyday impediments and enter the realm of pure energy...unerring right action. All of us have the capacity to live from this place if we practice.

We've so often heard the famous yogic quote: "YOGA IS 99% PRACTICE AND 1% THEORY."....So, let's take a deep breath, and go practice...practice BREATHING INTO THIS MOMENT, NOW...practice CONCENTRATING ON THIS BREATH, NOW...practice MEDITATING wherever we find ourselves right HERE, RIGHT NOW...practice~again & again...

om shanti, om love, om practice...
om peace,
Lee Ann

Wheelin' Along our Path with the 6th Limb: DHARANA/CONCENTRATION

As we ADD THIS 6TH SPOKE TO OUR WHEEL, a SUPPORT for this JOURNEY in our lives, we consider this 6th Limb of Yoga~ Concentration...

"FIXING THE CONSCIOUSNESS AT ONE POINT OR REGION IS CONCENTRATION." ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

As Rolf Gates shares: "We learn to bring our attention to one point, and train our minds to stay there. The point of concentration can be external, as in asana, or it can be internal, as in meditation.

On the mat we experience DHARANA quite often, during those moments when we lose track of time, when our mids become so absorbed in the physical experience of a posture that we are no longer connected to everyday concerns. In dharana, the past and the future have dissolved and we are simply existing in the NOW...

When we are doing something we truly love, we connot help but give ourselves to it wholeheartedly. DHARANA, therefore, is a by-product of love. In the clarity of a focused mind, we find that timeless place where we connect with our soul...

In baseball, pitchers are told, 'Throw the ball, don't aim it.' This is a good example of the difference between knowledge and the knowing that is beyond knowledge. To aim the ball is to come from a place of knowledge, of trying to control events. To throw the ball is to let go into the flow of the moment, to trust events and your place in them. To aim the ball is to affirm your separateness; to throw the ball is to affirm your connectedness. In aiming there is much mental chatter; in throwing there is no sound; there does not need to be.

The regularity of asana and meditation practice provides us with the chance to see both forms of activity for what they are. We can think about a posture or we can embody it fully, without reservation. We can sit in meditation at war with ourselves, trying to stay with the breath, or we can surrender and soften into stillness...

DHARANA is throwing the ball. It is the quiet that occurs when we flow into a posture or let go into meditation. It is the mind pouring itself like water into a moment. It is the stillness that is beyond knowledge.

OM SHANTI, OM PEACE, OM DHARANA,
Lee Ann