Yoga = Super Powers Part 4

So far, we’ve looked at how we treat others and ourselves with Yamas and Niyamas. Then we looked at how to discipline the body and mind through Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara.

Now we will look at how we take that mental discipline to the next level through Concentration and Meditation.

Yoga is the restraint of the fluctuations in the mind. Yoga is finding true stillness of mind. With this true stillness of mind comes enlightenment. So far we have been mostly working on physical actions that will enable us to achieve this. Now with a healthy body and mind we work on training the mind to find stillness.

This is done through two steps: Dharana or Concentration and Dhyana or Meditation.

Dharana

This is the act of finding a singular focus. During a yoga class we try to keep our focus on our breath throughout the practice. Focusing on the sound, rhythm and quality of our breathing. And continuing to bring our focus back to the breath when our concentration lapses. 

Other ways to practice Dharana are through what people often refer to as meditation. Sitting in stillness and finding a single object to concentrate on. Be that through scent, feel, sight or sound. Some examples would be the scent of incense, the feel of the breeze on your body or the ground beneath you; focusing solely on a candle flame or a drop of water; concentrating on the sound of a bell or the chanting of Ohm. Developing a sense of awareness while not being actively involved.

While practicing Dharana, it is important to remember that there is no judgment. If your mind wonders, this is normal. Bring it back to the object of your concentration practice. If yesterday you managed to concentrate for a half hour but today only five minutes, do not compare. Each day is different. Your body is different, your mind is different and the circumstances in which you come to practice are different. It is important to remember each day is unique and to treat it as such.

Dhyana

Meditation has many definitions and many of you who have just read the above will be asking, “But isn’t Dharana the same as Meditation?”

It is thought, that Dhyana/Meditation is the culmination of Dharana/Concentration. Once your concentration is steady and can be maintained without distruption, or once your concentration has developed to the point where it no longer needs an object to concentrate on. Once you are truly in that state of full awareness but are standing separate from everything surrounding you. There are no thoughts, no comparisons, no judgements.

If you have truly reached this state then you would be unaware of reaching it. For being aware of reaching a state of Dhyana would involve a thought and to truly be in full meditation then there would be no thoughts.

It is at this point where a person can so easily fall back to Dharana as any thought would cause a ripple in the mind disturbing this true peace. Even the thought: “I finally did it!”

Samadhi – Enlightenment – Super Powers

Once a person has mastered all of the previous steps. They have the physical and mental health, discipline  and awareness to obtain Dhyana, the next step is Samadhi. It is a this stage where even the sense of being falls away and that person is no longer weighed down by earthly things. They experience true peace.

They continue to live their lives with a new outlook and understanding. Yoga is about practice though and it isn’t something that you can say “I’ve done it now, lets focus on the next thing.” Yoga is a lifelong journey and practice.

It is at this stage however, once a person is at true peace with themselves and the universe that they are able to develop Siddhis/ Super Powers.

Some examples of these super powers:

• Knowing the past, present and future – Foresight
• Knowing the minds of others – Mind Reading
• Being unaffected by earthly things like heat, cold, hunger, tiredness
• Being able to move the body where the mind goes – Teleportation
• Hearing and seeing things far away
• Assuming any form desired – Transformation
• Choosing when to die