Latest / Lately with Lexi / 20. Dhyana: The Art of Meditation
Transcript
- 0:00welcome back to through the veil we are continuing our journey
- 0:03through patanjali's
- 0:05yoga sutras and the eight limbs of yoga last week we explored a
- 0:10couple of my
- 0:10favorite yogic practices of cultivating one-pointed focus and
- 0:17concentration which
- 0:19SPEAKER_00: really helps prepare us for the discussion we're going to be having today
- 0:24So this week we're moving into the seventh limb,
- 0:28which is meditation or dhyana.
- 0:32So dhyana is essentially the practice of meditation and the
- 0:36profound shift that
- 0:38SPEAKER_00: happens when concentration deepens into sustained awareness.
- 0:44SPEAKER_00: So we're going to delve into exactly what that means.
- 0:47SPEAKER_00: So you can think about this as...
- 0:50SPEAKER_00: You know,
- 0:50SPEAKER_00: it is essentially what happens when you practice concentration,
- 0:56SPEAKER_00: that deep yogic concentration we talked about last week,
- 0:59SPEAKER_00: when you start to develop that,
- 1:01and it's definitely like this yogic mind training skill that we
- 1:08all can develop
- 1:09SPEAKER_00: when it becomes stable and
- 1:12It helps to almost like transform the wandering of the mind
- 1:18into an unbroken flow
- 1:20SPEAKER_00: of focused attention.
- 1:23So if you're someone who thinks I'm not good at meditation,
- 1:25I don't like meditating.
- 1:27It's probably because you haven't yet developed that muscle of
- 1:30concentration,
- 1:31SPEAKER_00: which is really a precursor to meditation.
- 1:34SPEAKER_00: So
- 1:37SPEAKER_00: So Diana,
- 1:37SPEAKER_00: which is what we talked about last week,
- 1:39SPEAKER_00: is where we choose a point of focus and we return to it again and again.
- 1:44SPEAKER_00: So check out that episode in case you missed it,
- 1:46SPEAKER_00: because I shared a couple of practices that you may really enjoy,
- 1:49SPEAKER_00: especially if you feel like meditation is difficult.
- 1:53SPEAKER_00: And by practicing that, your concentration is going to improve.
- 1:58And I think all of us can use some help when it comes to our
- 2:01concentration because of
- 2:03just the fast paced nature of the world that we live in and the
- 2:06age of social
- 2:07SPEAKER_00: media,
- 2:08SPEAKER_00: short form content,
- 2:09SPEAKER_00: I could go on and on.
- 2:11SPEAKER_00: So think about it like this.
- 2:14So Diana,
- 2:16which is again,
- 2:17concentration,
- 2:18imagine that as like you're pouring water.
- 2:22SPEAKER_00: You're pouring water drop by drop.
- 2:24SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have like, maybe, you know, your sink has a drip.
- 2:29SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 2:30SPEAKER_00: That is this returning to concentration, one drop at a time, right?
- 2:37Then meditation is when we turn the water on and it becomes
- 2:42this continuous stream.
- 2:44SPEAKER_00: Those gaps start to disappear.
- 2:46SPEAKER_00: The effort dissolves.
- 2:48SPEAKER_00: Suddenly you're not even like
- 2:50aware of the fact that you are trying to meditate,
- 2:55like you're doing it,
- 2:56right?
- 2:57SPEAKER_00: So hopefully that analogy makes sense to you.
- 3:01SPEAKER_00: But it's a really crucial distinction because a lot of people miss it.
- 3:05SPEAKER_00: Meditation, it's not something that we do.
- 3:08SPEAKER_00: Even though we're told it's something we do, right?
- 3:10SPEAKER_00: It's not.
- 3:11SPEAKER_00: It's actually a state that we enter.
- 3:13SPEAKER_00: And that's what yoga teaches us.
- 3:15You know,
- 3:16we can't force Dayana any more than we can force ourself to
- 3:21fall asleep,
- 3:22right?
- 3:22SPEAKER_00: Like we can only create the conditions for that state to arise now.
- 3:27SPEAKER_00: naturally.
- 3:27SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 3:28SPEAKER_00: So what are those conditions of becoming,
- 3:31SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 3:33SPEAKER_00: really,
- 3:33SPEAKER_00: I don't want to say good at meditating,
- 3:35SPEAKER_00: but like,
- 3:35SPEAKER_00: I don't know,
- 3:36SPEAKER_00: maybe finding ease in meditation and entering that liminal state.
- 3:41SPEAKER_00: Well,
- 3:41SPEAKER_00: those conditions that we want to develop,
- 3:43it's everything we've been practicing with the previous six
- 3:46limbs of yoga.
- 3:47So just to recap really quickly,
- 3:49think about the ethical foundations of the yamas and the
- 3:57SPEAKER_00: yoga postures that we know and love,
- 3:59SPEAKER_00: the energetic regulation of pranayama and breath work,
- 4:04SPEAKER_00: the sense withdrawal of Pratyahara,
- 4:07SPEAKER_00: and then the concentrated focus of Daryana.
- 4:11So all of this is what's going to prepare us for Daryana,
- 4:16the state where meditation is
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: simply happens.
- 4:20SPEAKER_00: So for me,
- 4:21understanding this distinction really helps to change how I
- 4:26relate to my practice,
- 4:28SPEAKER_00: right?
- 4:28SPEAKER_00: So for years, I definitely fell into that camp of I'm bad at meditation.
- 4:33SPEAKER_00: I prefer breath work.
- 4:35SPEAKER_00: I like a physical yoga practice because I would sit down.
- 4:39SPEAKER_00: I would try to meditate.
- 4:40SPEAKER_00: My thoughts would be everywhere.
- 4:41SPEAKER_00: I'd get frustrated.
- 4:42SPEAKER_00: I judge myself.
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: I feel like I was failing.
- 4:45SPEAKER_00: And
- 4:45SPEAKER_00: And then this story kept me from actually developing that,
- 4:50SPEAKER_00: that skill,
- 4:51SPEAKER_00: that mind training of one pointed focus and concentration.
- 4:56So I realized I was trying to skip like straight to meditation
- 5:00and that like
- 5:01SPEAKER_00: blissed out state without building the foundation,
- 5:04SPEAKER_00: without developing concentration and
- 5:07SPEAKER_00: I hadn't learned to withdraw my senses from the world around me.
- 5:12SPEAKER_00: I hadn't yet stabilized my body or learned to regulate my breath.
- 5:17SPEAKER_00: So once you start practicing the limbs,
- 5:19SPEAKER_00: almost in order,
- 5:21SPEAKER_00: it's not this systematic thing,
- 5:24SPEAKER_00: but if we think about it
- 5:26SPEAKER_00: just for a moment as if it were systematic and we practice them,
- 5:31SPEAKER_00: you will find that meditation becomes so much more accessible.
- 5:34SPEAKER_00: And it's not because we got better at like forcing our mind to be quiet,
- 5:38but it's because we create the conditions for quietness to
- 5:42arise naturally.
- 5:43SPEAKER_00: Um,
- 5:44Paramahansa Yogananda taught that meditation is the doorway to
- 5:49communion with the divine.
- 5:51It's not about emptying your mind or achieving some special
- 5:56blissed out state or
- 5:59SPEAKER_00: psychic abilities.
- 6:00SPEAKER_00: Sure, can those things develop through yoga?
- 6:03SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
- 6:04SPEAKER_00: But that's not what it's about, right?
- 6:05SPEAKER_00: It's about becoming so present, so aware, so absorbed in the moment that
- 6:11SPEAKER_00: that the like small self, the ego mind dissolves.
- 6:16SPEAKER_00: And then all that remains is pure consciousness or Christ consciousness,
- 6:22SPEAKER_00: that God spark that we've talked about before,
- 6:24SPEAKER_00: our true nature,
- 6:25SPEAKER_00: right?
- 6:26SPEAKER_00: That truth of who we really are, that we are.
- 6:29SPEAKER_00: So it's good to remember we are not our thoughts.
- 6:36SPEAKER_00: You are the awareness that witnesses them.
- 6:41And this is perhaps like the most profound realization that we
- 6:45get to experience
- 6:46SPEAKER_00: through meditation.
- 6:47SPEAKER_00: So when we can sit in sustained awareness,
- 6:50SPEAKER_00: we begin to notice that although thoughts arise,
- 6:54SPEAKER_00: we don't have to become them.
- 6:56SPEAKER_00: Emotions may surface, but we don't have to be swept away by them.
- 7:01SPEAKER_00: Or maybe we are, but we can bring ourselves back.
- 7:04SPEAKER_00: right?
- 7:04We don't have to sit and stew in that for too long because that
- 7:07doesn't serve us,
- 7:08SPEAKER_00: doesn't serve anybody.
- 7:10SPEAKER_00: Sensations may appear, but we don't have to identify with them.
- 7:14So what happens is you start to experience yourself as the
- 7:17space in which all of
- 7:19SPEAKER_00: this is happening,
- 7:20SPEAKER_00: the unchanging awareness,
- 7:22SPEAKER_00: this like silent witness of yourself and
- 7:26SPEAKER_00: the consciousness that has always been here,
- 7:29SPEAKER_00: that is underneath every thought,
- 7:32SPEAKER_00: every feeling,
- 7:33SPEAKER_00: every experience.
- 7:35Patanjali describes dhyana as an uninterrupted flow of
- 7:40awareness towards the object
- 7:43SPEAKER_00: of meditation.
- 7:45SPEAKER_00: So whether that object is your breath,
- 7:47SPEAKER_00: a mantra,
- 7:48SPEAKER_00: a deity,
- 7:50SPEAKER_00: or simply the field of awareness itself,
- 7:53your attention becomes so absorbed that there's no separation
- 7:57between the observer
- 7:59SPEAKER_00: and the observed.
- 8:00SPEAKER_00: This is where meditation starts to dissolve the illusion of separation.
- 8:05SPEAKER_00: You're not sitting there trying to meditate.
- 8:07SPEAKER_00: There's just meditation happening, right?
- 8:10SPEAKER_00: So from a yogic perspective, this is where transformation begins.
- 8:15SPEAKER_00: Because when you rest in this state of pure awareness,
- 8:19SPEAKER_00: even for a few moments,
- 8:20SPEAKER_00: you taste your true nature.
- 8:22SPEAKER_00: You start to experience what you are beyond your personality,
- 8:27SPEAKER_00: beyond your story,
- 8:28SPEAKER_00: beyond all of your conditioning.
- 8:31SPEAKER_00: And I remember...
- 8:33SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 8:33SPEAKER_00: one of the first times I sat in meditation and experienced this,
- 8:37SPEAKER_00: and I had been practicing Kriya yoga meditation for months,
- 8:40SPEAKER_00: doing different,
- 8:42SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 8:42SPEAKER_00: techniques,
- 8:43SPEAKER_00: trying so hard to like get somewhere,
- 8:47SPEAKER_00: right.
- 8:47SPEAKER_00: And be a good student, a good yogi.
- 8:50SPEAKER_00: And then,
- 8:50SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 8:50one morning I remember sitting down without expectation and I
- 8:57wasn't trying
- 8:57SPEAKER_00: anymore.
- 8:59SPEAKER_00: which is really interesting.
- 9:00SPEAKER_00: I wasn't doing anything.
- 9:01SPEAKER_00: It's kind of paradoxical if you think about it.
- 9:04SPEAKER_00: But what happened was this allowing where,
- 9:07SPEAKER_00: because I didn't have any expectation,
- 9:09SPEAKER_00: I was able to be completely present.
- 9:12And then it's in that presence,
- 9:14I remember experiencing so much peace and like,
- 9:17SPEAKER_00: You know, I think my 20 minutes went off.
- 9:20SPEAKER_00: I was meditating.
- 9:21SPEAKER_00: I'm like, that felt like 30 seconds.
- 9:23SPEAKER_00: What just happened?
- 9:24SPEAKER_00: What time warp portal did I just enter?
- 9:27SPEAKER_00: Right?
- 9:29SPEAKER_00: So that state, it doesn't always last long.
- 9:31SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it feels like it's a couple seconds, a few minutes.
- 9:36SPEAKER_00: Right?
- 9:37But it can show us what's possible and it can show us the truth
- 9:42of who we are
- 9:43SPEAKER_00: underneath all the noise,
- 9:44SPEAKER_00: right?
- 9:45SPEAKER_00: Where we're no longer sitting in meditation,
- 9:46fixating on our back pain or the wandering thoughts that just
- 9:51tend to arise.
- 9:52SPEAKER_00: We can move beyond those things.
- 9:56SPEAKER_00: So the thing about meditation is that we can't grasp for it, right?
- 10:02The moment we try to make it happen,
- 10:04like we're back in doing mode,
- 10:06we're back in the mind.
- 10:08And the practice is to show up consistently and to create the
- 10:12conditions and then
- 10:13SPEAKER_00: allow ourselves to really let go of trying to control the outcome.
- 10:18That's when we can experience meditation and experience that
- 10:21peace of mind,
- 10:22right?
- 10:23SPEAKER_00: So a couple of things to reflect on this week is just to ask yourself,
- 10:27SPEAKER_00: what is your relationship with meditation?
- 10:29What are the stories and beliefs that you have when it comes to
- 10:33meditating?
- 10:34Are you trying to achieve something or are you willing to
- 10:39simply be present with what is?
- 10:42SPEAKER_00: Um,
- 10:42can you notice the difference between effort and ease in your
- 10:45practice between
- 10:46SPEAKER_00: forcing and allowing,
- 10:48SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 10:49SPEAKER_00: who are you when you're not identified with your thoughts?
- 10:54SPEAKER_00: What remains when everything else falls away?
- 10:58SPEAKER_00: So really simple practice.
- 10:59SPEAKER_00: You can try this week.
- 11:00SPEAKER_00: Um,
- 11:01that i'll share and you can layer on top of this okay so we can
- 11:06start simply with
- 11:07effortless breath awareness okay so this is one of the simplest
- 11:12meditation
- 11:13practices that you can begin with if you're new to meditating
- 11:17sitting comfortably
- 11:18keeping a straight spine ideally you're not leaning up against
- 11:21something because we
- 11:23want there to be a free flow of energy from the base of the
- 11:26spine that's where the
- 11:26SPEAKER_00: kundalini energy resides
- 11:29SPEAKER_00: and then the chakra system.
- 11:30SPEAKER_00: We want there to be some free flow there.
- 11:32So if you can,
- 11:34sit up on a pillow,
- 11:35but try to keep your back away from anything.
- 11:39And the focus here is not to breathe deeply or breathe slowly
- 11:47or do anything
- 11:48SPEAKER_00: different with your breath.
- 11:50SPEAKER_00: You just want to watch it.
- 11:52SPEAKER_00: Just notice your inhales, notice your exhales,
- 11:56SPEAKER_00: Notice the pause in between the inhales and the exhales,
- 12:00SPEAKER_00: not changing the breath,
- 12:01SPEAKER_00: just noticing.
- 12:03SPEAKER_00: When your mind wanders,
- 12:04SPEAKER_00: and it will,
- 12:05SPEAKER_00: trust me,
- 12:06SPEAKER_00: it always does,
- 12:07SPEAKER_00: gently return your attention back to your breath.
- 12:11SPEAKER_00: no judgment,
- 12:12SPEAKER_00: no frustration,
- 12:13SPEAKER_00: just this gentle return again and again,
- 12:15giving yourself as much grace as you need as you start to
- 12:19develop this breath
- 12:20SPEAKER_00: awareness.
- 12:22SPEAKER_00: And as your practice of this deepens,
- 12:24SPEAKER_00: you may notice that the effort of returning to that inhale,
- 12:29SPEAKER_00: to the
- 12:32SPEAKER_00: it starts to dissolve.
- 12:33SPEAKER_00: It becomes easier, right?
- 12:35SPEAKER_00: So start with a couple minutes a day.
- 12:37The consistency of a daily practice matters much more than like
- 12:42the duration,
- 12:43right?
- 12:43I'd rather you try this out for five minutes every day for a
- 12:47week than two hours
- 12:48SPEAKER_00: once a week,
- 12:48SPEAKER_00: right?
- 12:51SPEAKER_00: right?
- 12:52So if you want to build on top of this,
- 12:55there's a couple other things that we can do.
- 12:58So we can start to build on this meditation and this is known
- 13:03as like the inner light.
- 13:05And this is a practice from Kriya Yoga where you will continue
- 13:09this just awareness
- 13:10SPEAKER_00: of your breath,
- 13:11SPEAKER_00: but with your eyes closed,
- 13:13SPEAKER_00: you
- 13:13you'll gently turn the gaze upward towards the point between
- 13:17the eyebrows,
- 13:18SPEAKER_00: connecting to the spiritual eye or the third eye center.
- 13:22And you'll start to simply observe whatever you perceive in
- 13:25this inner space.
- 13:26Sometimes it may feel like you get a little bit of a headache
- 13:29when you gaze there,
- 13:30SPEAKER_00: if you're new to that eye gaze,
- 13:32SPEAKER_00: but that tends to subside after about a minute or so.
- 13:35SPEAKER_00: And the more you practice this,
- 13:36SPEAKER_00: the easier holding that drishti point,
- 13:38SPEAKER_00: that focal point of the third eye,
- 13:40SPEAKER_00: the easier that becomes.
- 13:42SPEAKER_00: And the practice is to rest your awareness in this inner space.
- 13:47SPEAKER_00: Watch whatever may arise.
- 13:49SPEAKER_00: It may be nothing.
- 13:50SPEAKER_00: It may be total darkness.
- 13:51SPEAKER_00: Maybe you'll see colors, light, or nothing at all, right?
- 13:55SPEAKER_00: You may experience creative downloads or insights.
- 14:00SPEAKER_00: It's just an opportunity to tune inward.
- 14:02And this is where a lot of yogis experience visions,
- 14:06insight,
- 14:07or profound sense of peace,
- 14:09right?
- 14:09SPEAKER_00: So over time,
- 14:10SPEAKER_00: this practice can lead to direct perception of your own inner light,
- 14:16SPEAKER_00: that divine presence that resides at the third eye.
- 14:21SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 14:23SPEAKER_00: So really simple practice that breath awareness technique after,
- 14:27SPEAKER_00: you know,
- 14:28SPEAKER_00: building up that ability to concentrate.
- 14:30SPEAKER_00: We also have a couple of the practices from last week.
- 14:33SPEAKER_00: If you want to further build that one pointed focus and
- 14:36SPEAKER_00: And then start to play with this drishti point,
- 14:37SPEAKER_00: that gaze at the third eye,
- 14:40SPEAKER_00: and just be open to what may come up for you,
- 14:43SPEAKER_00: right?
- 14:43SPEAKER_00: And it could be different every time you sit into this practice.
- 14:46SPEAKER_00: So just a couple notes to close on.
- 14:52SPEAKER_00: Just remembering, you don't have to fix yourself.
- 14:55SPEAKER_00: You don't have to achieve some special state, right?
- 14:59SPEAKER_00: Meditation really teaches us this,
- 15:02SPEAKER_00: that when we can sit in sustained awareness,
- 15:05SPEAKER_00: when you can rest as the witness of your experience,
- 15:09SPEAKER_00: rather than becoming lost in it,
- 15:11SPEAKER_00: you touch something unchanging,
- 15:13SPEAKER_00: something that's here all along beyond that.
- 15:15SPEAKER_00: the ego, right?
- 15:17SPEAKER_00: Your true nature, it's not something that you attain through meditation.
- 15:22SPEAKER_00: It's what remains when all the doing falls away.
- 15:26SPEAKER_00: So throughout this week,
- 15:28SPEAKER_00: practice showing up for your meditation,
- 15:30SPEAKER_00: not as like another task to accomplish,
- 15:34SPEAKER_00: but as a
- 15:35SPEAKER_00: really like this nourishing gift to yourself,
- 15:38SPEAKER_00: a return to really remembering your own inner light and divinity and God
- 15:46SPEAKER_00: consciousness.
- 15:47SPEAKER_00: That's something we all have access to within ourselves, right?
- 15:50SPEAKER_00: That Christ consciousness.
- 15:51SPEAKER_00: Yogananda talks about this all the time.
- 15:54SPEAKER_00: So let go of trying to get somewhere.
- 15:56SPEAKER_00: Let go of judging your experience.
- 15:58SPEAKER_00: Let go of those stories that you're not good at meditating.
- 16:00SPEAKER_00: Like that's just not true.
- 16:02SPEAKER_00: Part of meditation is like clearing the mind and all that noise.
- 16:07So it's actually like you could think of that as a really
- 16:09productive meditation
- 16:11SPEAKER_00: when there are a lot of thoughts that come up.
- 16:14SPEAKER_00: And just remember that this is the practice of meditation.
- 16:20SPEAKER_00: It's not something you do.
- 16:22SPEAKER_00: It's what you are when everything else dissolves.
- 16:27SPEAKER_00: So
- 16:29This really is going to help you when it comes to the final
- 16:34limb that we're going
- 16:35SPEAKER_00: to talk about next week,
- 16:36SPEAKER_00: Samadhi,
- 16:36SPEAKER_00: which is the state of complete union with the divine.
- 16:40SPEAKER_00: We're going to be diving into that next week.
- 16:43SPEAKER_00: I think you're really going to enjoy it.
- 16:45SPEAKER_00: It's the final episode of this series,
- 16:49SPEAKER_00: and we're going to have a lot of exciting new changes to this podcast.
- 16:52SPEAKER_00: I'm really excited.
- 16:53SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share more about that next week.
- 16:56SPEAKER_00: Uh, but thank you for listening to through the veil.
- 16:58SPEAKER_00: If you are still here, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
- 17:02SPEAKER_00: I love doing these every single week.
- 17:05SPEAKER_00: Um,
- 17:05next week will be that final episode in the exploration of the
- 17:10yoga sutras and the
- 17:11SPEAKER_00: eight limbs of yoga.
- 17:12SPEAKER_00: We're going to explore the eighth and final limb, which is again,
- 17:17SPEAKER_00: samadhi and the state of enlightenment and complete absorption in divine
- 17:23consciousness please subscribe on Substack if you're not already
- 17:27there we are on
- 17:30apple podcast and spotify as well soon i think we're going to
- 17:34move into video
- 17:35SPEAKER_00: podcasting we're going to have new formats for the show and
- 17:38SPEAKER_00: based on some of your feedback.
- 17:40SPEAKER_00: Again, next week, I'll share more about that.
- 17:42SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for tuning in.
- 17:43SPEAKER_00: Have a beautiful week,
- 17:45SPEAKER_00: resting in to the awareness that you are more than capable and worthy of
- 17:53SPEAKER_00: experiencing the profound state that meditation offers us.
- 17:58SPEAKER_00: Om, peace, amen.