Dhyaana Yoga
Practice of Meditation
Goals of Meditation
• Train the mind to
think deeply about any
topic
• Think deeply about
any topic based on
already known
information
Goals of Meditation …
• What about these?
– Increase concentration
– Increase memory
– Reduce stress
– Occult powers
Goals of Meditation …
Train the mind
to think deeply • What about these?
– Increase concentration
Right understanding
followed by deep
– Increase memory
thinking – Reduce stress
– Occult powers
Not worth
going after
What is Meditation?
• sajaatiya pratyaya
pravaahah
• Flow of related
thoughts
• Like the flow of a
steady stream of oil
Types of Meditation
• Value meditation
• Idea meditation
• Mental worship
• Mantra/Naama Japa
• Story meditation
• Self enquiry
Pre-requisites
• Faith in freewill and law
of karma
• Life of values
• Karma yoga
• Planned disciplined life
• Clarity of goal
• Faith in yourself
Place
• As secluded as possible
• Clean, orderly
• Associated with
spiritual thoughts
• Eg. Temple, puja room,
sacred rivers
Time
• Early morning is best
• Any time when mind
is not lethargic and
not extrovert
• Quality is more
important than
duration
Seat
• Not very high/low
• Not very hard/soft
• Firm and level
• Comfortable
• Don’t share
Posture
• Seated relaxed
• Steady with wide
base
• Back, neck and head
should be straight
• Should be able to sit
for 20 minutes
Breathing
• Smooth
• Deep
• Without strain
Shut Out the Senses
• Close eyes gently
• Withdraw mind from
senses
• Be aware of the body –
head to foot, foot to head
• Be aware of the
breathing
Withdraw the Mind
• Withdraw mind from roles
in the world like parent,
child, employee, etc
• Take up role of spiritual
aspirant, disciple, devotee,
sannyaasi
• Temporarily hand over all
worldly responsibilities to
God
Obstacles
• Sleep
– Tiredness
– Lack of sleep
– Full stomach
– Lack of interest
Obstacles
• Wandering mind
– Surrender all past to God
• All experiences were for inner
growth
• Have no regrets
• Have no hatred or bitterness
towards anything or anyone
• Forgive yourself and others
– Surrender all future to God
• Law of karma will take its course
• Pray for strength to bear and
learn from whatever happens
Obstacles
• Wandering mind …
– Mentally give up all
relations in the world
– Spiritual aspirant has
only three relationships
• God, Guru, Scriptures
Stages
• Dhaarana
– Turning the mind away from the
world towards the object of
meditation
• Dhyaana
– Retaining the mind in the focused
object
– Whenever the mind slips off, bring
it back
• Samaadhi
– Natural absorption in the object of
meditation
– Constant flow without struggle
Types of Meditation
• Value meditation
• Idea meditation
• Mental worship
• Mantra/Naama Japa
• Story meditation
• Self enquiry
Value Meditation
• Memorize a list of
values or slokaas and
meditate on their
meaning
– Yama and Niyama of
Patanjali’s system
– Gita 16:1, 2, 3
– Gita 17:14, 15, 16
– Saadhana chatustaya
Idea Meditation
• Take one idea and
deeply think about
various aspects of it
– Law of Karma
– Karma Yoga
– Dhyaana Yoga
– Any enriching idea
Mental Worship
• Develops a personal relationship and love to God in a
particular form
• Request deity to sit in a lotus at the center of your
heart. Form of deity should face same direction as
worshipper
• Wash feet, give welcome drink, freshen up
• Offer new clothes, tilak, flowers, incense, aarati
• Offer food, fruits, sweets, water, massage, fan
• Request to permanently be in your heart
Mantra or Naama Japa
• Usually done after mental
worship
• Repeat the mantra or name
of deity
• Loving remembrance of the
deity
• Optionally, counting on
fingers or japa maala
• Done as an offering of love
to the deity
Story Meditation
• Run through the sequence
of events in the life of a
deity or saint
– Raamayana, Bhaagavata
– Story of Gajendra,
Prahlaada, Dhruva
– Incidents in the life of
Swami Vivekanandaa
Self Enquiry
• Special kind of idea
meditation
• Meditation on “Who am I?”
• Based on the ideas of the
scriptures as taught by the
Guru
• Ultimate purpose of
meditation
Questions and Answers
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