Lesson 7 - The Mental Practices of Yoga - Branches 6,7 & 8​

The Mental Practices of Yoga – Branches 6, 7 & 8So far, we have looked at branches 1-5 of the 8 branched system of Yoga.
 
Ethical practices of Yoga - 1 & 2, known as the Yamas and Niyamas. Physical practices of Yoga - 3, 4 & 5, known as the Asanas, Pranayama and Pratyahara.
 
Today let’s explore the Mental practices of Yoga - branches 6,7 & 8 - known as Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
 
The mental practices of Yoga take us beyond improving our understanding and experience of being our physical self, to evolving our understanding and experience of all aspects of ourselves. In Sanskrit the word meditation means “to cultivate the self”.
 
Dharana - translates roughly as relaxed concentration.
A light meditative state of deepened awareness. To concentrate without strain, on purpose, on a single point, in the present moment and non-judgementally. This is the mind-set that I try to encourage you to adopt at the end of an asana class in the final pose of Savasana (relaxation pose). To observe or notice what comes up emotionally and mentally or when the mind wanders, without labelling anything as good or bad, whilst keeping the mind relaxed and at ease.
Becoming familiar with this state is an important precursor to the next step, Meditation (Dhyana).
 
Dhyana - translates roughly as meditation.
This is a deeper meditative state. There are lots of different types of meditation practice. I personally follow a mantra-based meditation practice called Transcendental Meditation* I do it once or if possible twice a day for 20 minutes, sat upright in a comfortable seat. In an ideal world I would do it after Savasana but it is not always possible. This is just one of many meditation practices available to you. In this state we move beyond our analytical mind and can access our subconscious mind. In meditation brain wave frequencies slow down and become more coherent, bringing about feelings of bliss, joy, wholeness, clarity, peace.

Samadhi - translates roughly as absorption.
Pure absorption or transcendence into the universal self, beyond the individual self. An ever deeper meditative state for a sustained period of time, here the mind completely transcends to a higher level of consciousness. In this state a person would no longer be conscious of their ego, body, thoughts, emotions, time or place.
 
*The transcendental meditation technique , often referred to as TM, is a completely different system of Yoga to Iyengar Yoga. Iyengar Yoga is rooted in daily practice of the Yogasanas, TM is rooted in daily practice of mantra meditation. I just happen to practice both of these methods.
Although I only teach Iyengar Yoga. TM was brought to the west by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s