My Experiences with Meditation
This month in class, we’ve been exploring the theme of ‘Dhyana’.
Dhyana is the 7th limb of Patanjali’s eight-step yoga system, as described in the Yoga Sutras.
Dhyana is explained in the Sutras as ‘the continuous flow of consciousness towards one object’ - what Patanjali is describing here is a state of meditation or total absorption in the present moment.
It comes carefully placed after the first four more ‘outward-focusing’ steps in Patanjali’s system – which are practicing positive habits (yama) and observing a certain set of morals (niyama) to create a healthy environment, building a strong asana practice to take care of the body, and working with the breath to create more awareness and control of subtle energy (pranayama).
From there, the last four limbs work directly to lead us into the state of dhyana, a deeper inward focus.
My Love / Hate Relationship with Meditation
My teachers always emphasised the importance of teaching from our own practice, and so I try to create class themes that will be interesting and informative for my students and that will also support me in my own practice, with something I need to learn or focus on.
So, why dhyana?
Well, like many people, I’ve had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with meditation over the years.
In 2021, I was diagnosed with ADHD. If you’re not aware of it, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a condition which means that my brain works differently from everyone else’s.
Although there are some very positive aspects, it makes certain things very challenging. Some of the more negative symptoms for me include high distractibility, a frequent inability to focus and a constant whirlwind of thoughts popping in and out – some of which disappear forever never to be seen again, so I am always worrying about remembering things.
Being able to sit down and be still, without fidgeting or getting drawn off into other things, was and is a real challenge. And so, I have always found meditation really hard.
Paradoxically though, when I can make myself sit down and do the damn thing, it always feels really good in the end.
Overcoming Barriers to Meditation:
A huge barrier to meditating for many people is worrying about not being able to completely still their mind.
There’s a common misconception that stilling the mind) is the goal of meditation but really, it’s just one of the many benefits. It might come for you, or it might not. But it’s not the ultimate goal.
Even the most seasoned meditators may only experience a glimpse of this fabled stillness during their practice. So, it’s important to remember that struggling to keep your mind focused on one point is normal and natural for everyone.
What I find for most people and certainly for myself a lot of the time, is that it is very challenging to just come in from doing something else and then sit straight down in meditation. There are some days when it feels near impossible to sit quietly.
The way that I usually like to practise and teach meditation is after asana and/or pranayama. I’ll use these two practices to move through the layers of the body and mind and to help shift my / my students’ energetic state towards something more conducive for meditation.
We might have a still moment at the beginning of class to be with the breath and ‘settle’, but the deeper longer states of meditation are best coming towards the end of class, once we’ve worked things through, so to speak.
My Tips for Meditation:
If you’re, like me, someone who finds meditation challenging, why not give this a try - take yourself through a short physical yoga practice (or do some dynamic breathwork, such as Kapalabhati or Wim Hof’s technique) - it doesn’t have to be for long, just 10 - 15 minutes of fairly rigorous practice.
And then, once you’ve done that, bring yourself into a state of meditation.
You can use a timer if you like - I love Insight Timer for their simple, free app which has an easy to use, built-in meditation timer.
Notice the difference in your state of mind as you sit - and observe if you feel calmer, clearer and steadier than you might have done otherwise. Then see if you’re able to ‘drop-in’ a little more easily to your meditation.
For me, I know when I’ve really been able to ‘drop in’ to my meditation when I begin to experience a gentle sensation of hovering in time and space. It’s at that moment when I stop The moment when I stop focusing on my dead leg, when I lose the urge to fidget and shift about, and my thoughts begin to slow down. I’m suspended in mid-air, with nowhere to be and nothing to do.
I might be there for a moment or two, and then a thought wave might roll in. I try to let it gently pass, like clouds moving across a blue sky.
With practice, you might be able to feel something like this for yourself.
There are many ways to meditate – one of the keys to sustaining the meditative state is keeping the mind focused on one thing. This could be the breath, this could be a visualisation, this could be a mantra. The most important thing is to give it a try.
We’ll continue to explore this in class together this month. Hope to see you there.
