Showing posts with label dharana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dharana. Show all posts

Monday, October 10, 2011

Meditation




Meditation
One of the hardest parts of my yoga teacher training is the required 10 minute meditation every day.  Throughout my life, without realizing it, I've often meditated by staring into the flame of a candle and just watched the fire lick the air.  My mind was quiet with the curious nature of the element entirely and it absorbed me.  I unintentionally practiced Dharana at random times in my life.
I think it's the idea of meditation, or the pressure I put on myself to get it right, that gives me anxiety of the daily task.  Sometimes I will just try to listen really hard- that brings me to the present.  If I can hear crickets and really focus on their creaky song, my heart and mind become silent in awe and wonder.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Dharana




6. DHARANA:  the sixth limb of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
Concentration.  Dharana teaches the mind to focus on one point or image.  "Concentration is binding thought in one place." -Patanjali.  The objective is to still the mind to quietness by fixing your thoughts on one thing such as a candle flame, a flower, or a mantra.  In dharana, concentration is effortless- there is no sense of time passing.
strawberry