Latest / Lately with Lexi / 19. Dharana: The Power of One-Pointed Focus

Transcript

19. Dharana: The Power of One-Pointed Focus · Lately with Lexi

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Through the Veil.
• 0:01
  We are continuing our journey through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
• 0:06
  and the Eight Limbs of Yoga.
• 0:09
  Last week,
• 0:09
  we explored Pratyahara,
• 0:12
  which is the practice of withdrawing the senses.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: And this week, we're moving into the sixth limb, Dharaya.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: And
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the practice of concentration and one pointed focus,
• 0:26
  essentially how mastering our attention transforms us into
• 0:31
  becoming really
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: intentional co-creators of our lives.
• 0:36
  so the hanyan is where everything we've been building towards
• 0:41
  starts to come
• 0:42
  together so in sanskrit this translates to bind or to hold so
• 0:50
  it's essentially this
• 0:51
  practice of holding our attention on a single point without
• 0:55
  wavering without
• 0:56
  distraction without letting our mind scatter in a thousand
• 1:01
  different directions
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And after practicing the previous eight limbs of yoga,
• 1:07
  so if we just reflect back on kind of where we started through
• 1:11
  this journey.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: So we have covered so far the yamas and the niyamas,
• 1:16
  which are to really purify our character through different
• 1:21
  codes of ethics.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then we have asana, which is to stabilize our physical body and
• 1:28
  Then we have pranayama,
• 1:29
  which is to regulate our energy through the science of the
• 1:33
  breath.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then pratyahara, that withdrawal of the senses.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: We're finally ready for this next limb of yoga.
• 1:42
  And you're ready to learn how to direct your mind with
• 1:46
  precision and with power.
• 1:48
  This is kind of the next step as we start to move deeper into
• 1:51
  meditation and
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: so that you can meditate, right?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people, I mean, myself included, we feel like we can't meditate.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: We're not good at it.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Our mind wanders.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: We get distracted.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: We don't like it.
• 2:03
  There's a million and one reasons why we tell ourselves we
• 2:07
  can't meditate.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So once we really understand and develop this concept around
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: concentration.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Meditation becomes so much easier.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: And next week, we're going to delve deeper into meditation.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: So think about how you experience your mind on a normal basis.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So one minute, we're thinking about what we need to do today.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: The next, we're replaying a conversation from yesterday and
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Then we're worrying about something next week.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: We're distracted by a sound, our dog barking.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Then we're back to maybe thinking about what we're going to eat later,
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: what we're going to cook,
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: all of our errands.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And our attention is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And this is when we...
• 2:55
  become distracted from the present moment and what is truly
• 3:00
  going to move us
• 3:01
  forward on our path towards building and developing the life
• 3:04
  that we really desire
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: and that not only benefits ourselves,
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: but benefits our relationships and our community.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So this scattered attention,
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: it costs us more than we realize because we're typically unaware of it.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: And this is something that yogis understood.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: They understood that where our attention goes,
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: our energy flows,
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: even when we're unaware of that attention.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: And where our energy flows, our external reality follows.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: So it's so crucial to develop this one pointed focus and concentration.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when our mind is scattered, well, so is our energy.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: When our energy is scattered, it's really difficult to create
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: purity and substance and things that are aligned in our lives.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's difficult to come into alignment with the things that we desire.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's difficult to tap into our true creative power,
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: that gift that really we all have,
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: especially as children,
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: like we're all creative,
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: we're taking risks.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And for some reason, we tend to like lose that as we get older.
• 4:16
  And that's where this practice can really help us reclaim that
• 4:21
  creative spark in
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: whatever shape that takes form.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a business,
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: maybe it is art,
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: maybe it's a relationship,
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: being a mother,
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: being a father.
• 4:32
  And so when we develop this ability to concentrate,
• 4:36
  to hold our mind steady on a single point,
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: everything will start to change.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: We become focused.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Our energy becomes concentrated.
• 4:47
  We become so much more powerful with our thoughts and their
• 4:52
  ability to create our
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: external reality.
• 4:56
  suddenly we're no longer just like reacting to our life,
• 4:59
  but we're consciously creating it.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: That is the gift of a yogi and of this concept of concentration.
• 5:08
  And this is why yogis in India have practiced Dharayan for
• 5:12
  thousands of years,
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: not just for mental discipline,
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: but because they understood that concentration is the key to
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: to becoming that intentional co-creator of our reality,
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: of being fully supported and taken care of by the world around us.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, being able to take care of others, right?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yogananda taught extensively about this.
• 5:40
  He understood that the ability to concentrate your mind is the
• 5:44
  foundation of all
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: spiritual power.
• 5:48
  In his teachings,
• 5:49
  he emphasized that a concentrated mind,
• 5:53
  it's kind of like a laser beam.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: It can cut through anything.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: But a scattered mind, it's like a diffused light.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: It has no power.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And for me personally, learning to concentrate my mind, it's a challenge.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's also really rewarding.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: So naturally, I'm someone whose mind moves very fast.
• 6:19
  If you're familiar with human design,
• 6:20
  I'm a manifester in human design and
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I got a million and one ideas.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a seven in the Enneagram.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I could go on and on.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Oh gosh, what else am I?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I have Sagittarius rising in my chart.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I have a lot of ideas.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: I get very excited about multiple projects at the same time.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: And for years, I struggled with this like scattering of attention.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: But when I began practicing Dahariana and really practicing it,
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: like not just thinking about it as a concept,
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: but start to
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: practice different yogic techniques.
• 6:53
  I'm going to share a couple that you can do that are some of my
• 6:57
  absolute favorites.
• 6:58
  They can help us start to shift this so that we can truly have
• 7:02
  that one pointed
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: focus for our attention.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And what you'll start to experience and understand is that we are already
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: like manifesting, right?
• 7:16
  We hear this,
• 7:17
  we already are manifesting,
• 7:18
  but we're not always like conscious and aware of it.
• 7:21
  And so what will happen is we can start to materialize things
• 7:26
  more intentionally
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: because our energy can be concentrated.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what really is important.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think missed a lot of times if we're
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: maybe just practicing affirmations or writing down our desires.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: We have to be able to focus on that.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Think about how many New Year's resolutions we set,
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: and then we forget about them a month later,
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: sometimes days later.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I can go on a whole other riff on New Year's resolution and how...
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like January is not at all the time of like the spiritual new year and
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: energetically it's a season to go inward and be internal,
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: but we'll save that for another day.
• 8:12
  So let's talk about how our attention,
• 8:17
  it's one of the most valuable resources,
• 8:19
  right?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Where are we focusing our attention?
• 8:22
  And are we able to maintain a steady attention on the things
• 8:26
  that we desire?
• 8:27
  You know,
• 8:27
  in today's world,
• 8:29
  there's an entire economy built around stealing our attention.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Social media platforms, advertisers.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: I just read today ChatGPT is going to start hosting ads on the platform.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's going to be really interesting.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: What does that look like?
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Another place where our attention is going to be stolen from us.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: So here's what we have to understand.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Whoever controls our attention controls our energy.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: And whoever controls our energy, it controls what we create in our life.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: From a yogic perspective, the untrained mind is like a drunken monkey.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, really.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not kidding here.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: An untrained mind is said to be a drunken monkey.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: who has been stung by a scorpion.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: What the heck does that mean?
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Completely out of control,
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: jumping from thought to thought,
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: never resting,
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: never focused,
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: very scattered,
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: very reactive.
• 9:29
  But through the practice of training our mind to honestly start
• 9:34
  to obey us instead
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: of being at the mercy of every passing thought,
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: distraction,
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: or impulse,
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: that's when we start to take our power back
• 9:45
  and claim our attention and put it towards the things that are
• 9:49
  going to be more
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: beneficial for us.
• 9:52
  So the way that Patanjali teaches this is that he teaches that
• 9:58
  Dhanian is binding the mind to
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: One place, one object, one idea.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: This could be your breath,
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: a candle flame,
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: a mantra,
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: a visual image,
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: or even a concept that you want to contemplate deeply,
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: So the practice, it's simple, but simple isn't always easy.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a muscle we have to develop.
• 10:24
  So we want to choose a single point of focus and keep bringing
• 10:28
  our attention back and
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: every time it wanders.
• 10:32
  And can we practice this not just on our meditation cushion or
• 10:35
  on our yoga mat,
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: but while we're driving,
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: out in our lives,
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: when we are alone,
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: when we are thinking about the future?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we want to really harness and develop.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the most classical practices of this is
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: is candle flame meditation or tratakata.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is where we light a candle.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: We sit a comfortable distance and we have the flame at eye level.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: And we gaze steadily at the flame without blinking for as long as we can.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then when our eyes start to water, we want to close them.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then we want to visualize the flame in our mind's eye.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: This practice develops incredible concentration.
• 11:22
  It also helps us to develop that ability to visualize and see
• 11:26
  internally and really
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: powerful for like strengthening our third eye.
• 11:33
  So that's one simple practice that can help to develop this one
• 11:39
  point of focus and
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: concentration,
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Especially because like the flame is constantly moving.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: It is changing and
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: And our mind wants to follow the movement and analyze the colors.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the flame, the candle getting smaller as it's burning.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: So we practice not just seeing it,
• 11:59
  but holding that gaze steadily and just being present with this
• 12:03
  single candle
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: flame.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's it.
• 12:07
  So a couple of things that I love about this practice is that
• 12:11
  it's not just a
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: mental discipline.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: It is actually training our energy body.
• 12:17
  When we can hold our attention on the flame without wavering
• 12:21
  and we can see it in
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: our mind's eye,
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: we're learning how to hold energy steady and how to
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: rather than letting it leak out in a thousand different directions.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: And if you identify as an empath,
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: as a highly sensitive person,
• 12:40
  I would say it's even easier for people like us to have that
• 12:45
  scattered energy and
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: attention.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why this practice is so powerful.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Most people...
• 12:52
  don't actualize what they desire because we can't hold our
• 12:56
  attention on it long enough,
• 12:58
  right?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: We think about our goals for a few minutes.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: We write them down.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: We create a vision board and then we forget about it, right?
• 13:06
  And it's just like a reminder that it's easy for our energy to
• 13:11
  get scattered and we
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: want to reclaim that.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: So when we develop the ability to hold our mind steady on our vision,
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: on our attention,
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: on the candle flame,
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: whatever it is we're calling into our lives,
• 13:23
  that's when we become a conscious co-creator in partnership
• 13:28
  with the divine.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: So rather than thinking of manifestation as something external,
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: that we are creating through sheer will and force.
• 13:38
  It's really about this co-collaborative effort and coming into
• 13:42
  alignment with what
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: is right for us.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: So there's more ease in that intention.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: So a couple of things to reflect on this week,
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: you can journal around these things,
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: a few questions I want to share with you.
• 13:54
  So the first is how often is your attention actually where you
• 13:59
  want it to be?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, gosh, even in conversations or like
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, I'll be honest.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm in a meeting sometimes,
• 14:08
  I can start thinking about what I have to do after the meeting
• 14:11
  or other things that
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like are a priority.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: And really,
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: that's not doing anything positive for not just my focus,
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: but my nervous system and my body to be present.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: So ask yourself, how often is that attention of yours being
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: getting distracted?
• 14:30
  How much of your day is spent,
• 14:32
  you know,
• 14:33
  focused on presence versus scattered distraction?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just be honest with yourself.
• 14:40
  What would become possible in your life if you could
• 14:43
  concentrate your mind and
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: energy on what truly matters on what you desire to experience?
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: A couple others,
• 14:51
  what are you trying to create that might be struggling to
• 14:56
  materialize right now
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: because your attention,
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: scattered.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's just all over the place.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: What would it feel like to have complete mastery over your own mind?
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: And a few things,
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm someone with a lot of goals,
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: a lot of different desires and life experiences that I want to have.
• 15:14
  And sometimes it's easy to jump from one to the next and kind
• 15:19
  of romanticize it
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: and,
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: be in the vision,
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: but we're not necessarily taking the action to move it forward.
• 15:27
  So what can help with this idea of one point of focus and
• 15:31
  concentration is to hone
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: in on one thing and going deep.
• 15:35
  And it doesn't mean that we don't have these other desires and
• 15:39
  there's not
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: additional priorities happening at the same time,
• 15:42
  but it's just a way we can practice like really sitting in that
• 15:46
  so that the action
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: becomes second nature.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not something we have to like
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: will our way through.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to share a couple of practical tools and integrations.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: The first one I've already shared.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: So the candle flame meditation, this is really simple.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: You can do this for five minutes.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: There's even candles that you can buy that like it's a 20 minute candle.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So you know that by the time the candle flame goes out,
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: like you've been sitting in meditation for 20 minutes.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I love those because you don't need your phone.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need a timer.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's really powerful.
• 16:22
  And this is something that yogis have been practicing for
• 16:26
  thousands of years,
• 16:27
  and it trains both your external focus and then also that
• 16:31
  internal visualization
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: and really strengthening like your clairs,
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: that clairness.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: you know, vision that you can have with that like psychic power.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: So two other practices I want to share with you.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: The second is a single point breath awareness.
• 16:51
  So this practice is where you will focus your gaze down the tip
• 16:56
  of the nose where
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: your breath enters and exits.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: And
• 17:00
  And you can choose to either focus on the tip of the nose and
• 17:04
  just be the witness
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: of the nostrils as you're inhaling and exhaling.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Are you breathing through one nostril more than the other?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Is it equal?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Is it blowing out cold air?
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is it drying in warm?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like just being mindful of that alone.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Alternatively,
• 17:20
  you could just focus on the rise and fall of your chest as
• 17:24
  you're doing deep belly
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: breathing.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: This expansion and contraction
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: at the belly or even up into the heart,
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: that can really help you develop this single point focus.
• 17:38
  So it's gonna be common that when we're focusing on just the
• 17:40
  nostrils or just the
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: belly that our mind will wander.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't want to judge that wandering.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: We just want to practice returning again and again.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: What is that one point of focus in this meditation?
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: We could do this for three minutes, right?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: What's more important with these practices is consistency over,
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: um,
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: what's the word I'm looking for?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: maybe it'll come to me after the podcast is over, right?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So we wanna focus on consistency.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'll share.
• 18:14
  So it's not about doing this practice for two hours every few
• 18:18
  weeks,
• 18:19
  right?
• 18:19
  It's about three minutes every day,
• 18:22
  three minutes,
• 18:23
  five days a week,
• 18:24
  right?
• 18:24
  Building this mental muscle of concentration while using our
• 18:28
  breath as the anchor point.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then the third practice is,
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: I really love this.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: And if you like journaling, I think you'll enjoy this as well.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: So this is what I like to call focused alignment.
• 18:40
  And this is where we choose a specific intention or a desire
• 18:44
  that we want to experience.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: It could be a quality that we want to embody,
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: a goal that we want to achieve,
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: something you're calling into your life.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it's always important.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean,
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Joe Dispenza talks about this a lot and really a lot of his teachings,
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: like they're,
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: yes,
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: he comes from a very scientific lens.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: However,
• 19:02
  feet,
• 19:03
  what he's sharing are things that yogis have been practicing
• 19:06
  for forever.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: So what Dr. Joe teaches is the importance of not just having
• 19:13
  a visualization or a desire,
• 19:16
  but connecting that desired experience to a feeling.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because when we can connect a desire to a feeling,
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: we can experience that now in the present moment,
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 19:31
  And then it just kind of creates this frequency and this
• 19:34
  energetic ripple out into
• 19:35
  the world that we're attracting and coming into alignment with
• 19:39
  that thing,
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: So choose one specific intention or desire,
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: attach it to a feeling that that desire,
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: once you've achieved,
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: once you've experienced it,
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: achieved it will create,
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: and then focus on that feeling for five to 10 minutes,
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: closing your eyes,
• 19:58
  holding your attention completely on this one intention and
• 20:02
  that one feeling.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: And again, same concept here.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: We want to train our mind to have that single point focus.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Are other thoughts going to arise?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Probably.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: Are we going to get distracted?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: Are we going to judge that?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: No, right?
• 20:21
  We want to just practice being the witness and the observer
• 20:26
  when that mind gets
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: distracted and thrown off and then just bring it back,
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: bring it back in.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: And
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: And this takes time.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not something we do once and we've got it.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: It happens through consistency.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, I remembered that word I was looking for.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: We want to prioritize consistency over intensity.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: There we go.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: So those are a couple quick,
• 20:46
  easy practices you can explore and experiment with that I think
• 20:50
  you will love.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you love them.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you try any of them,
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know in Substack.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: You can always leave comments or email me,
• 20:56
  message me about your personal experiences or if you have
• 21:00
  questions or need any
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: clarification.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I just want to remind you,
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: there's such an incredible power that comes from a concentrated mind.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: And when you can hold your attention steady...
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: when you can focus your energy completely on one thing,
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: when you stop letting your mind scatter in a thousand directions,
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: you start to tap into your true creative potential,
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Where we're no longer just reacting to whatever life throws at us.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: We're no longer a victim of our circumstances or our wandering thoughts.
• 21:36
  we become an intentional creator,
• 21:39
  a conscious co-creator with the divine.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: So as you move through this week, practice gathering your attention.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: Notice when it scatters and practice bringing it back without judgment,
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: giving yourself grace,
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: choosing one point of focus and returning to it again and again.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: The more you practice this a couple minutes at a time,
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: it doesn't necessarily have to be a meditation.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of different ways we can practice this.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: You will get better at it.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's going to make meditation so much more enjoyable,
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: blissful,
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: productive,
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: healing for the nervous system.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to leave it there.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: We will explore meditation next week.
• 22:24
  So remember,
• 22:25
  the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your
• 22:30
  attention.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: Where are you letting it go?
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: Master your attention and you master your energy.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: When we master our energy, we master our ability to create.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: And we're all creators.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: So this is the practice of taharian.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: This is the power of one-pointed focus.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is how we become conscious creators.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: co-creators of our reality.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you guys so much for listening to Through the Veil.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: I can't believe we're nearing the end of the eight limbs of yoga.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: I have a lot of really fun, exciting updates and changes to the podcast.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: So stay tuned for all of that.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Next week, we're going to explore meditation and sustained awareness.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: Please subscribe on Substack if you haven't already.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then all the
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, little tongue tied there.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: The show notes have all links.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to reach out to me, book a session, check it out.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Love to hear your feedback.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: Please reach out with anything at all.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: Have a beautiful week.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: Om, peace, amen.