In the menu below, the full list of articles can be found.
Please note if the title has "CS" by the side it means it will be "Coming Soon", please be patient.
We are trying to keep a consistent style to all our articles, in order to assist the reader.
You will notice on the screen that some words in the articles may be highlighted e.g Example and if you place your mouse over the word an explanation will appear in a small popup window.
In the same way, where an image is required the mouse over the highlighted image name and it will appear.
If you require a printed version of the articles then both the images and explanations will automatically be appended to the article.
Please feel free to comment on the article and or the house style will have adopted.
In the yoga system of Patanjali, three states of mind are discussed. These are concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and a type of constant flow state (samadhi). As these descriptions are very general, and everyone’s experience may differ, everything I say reflects my own ideas and understandings.
Very often ,dharana, or concentration will merge into dhyana,or meditation. Although these mental activities are part of a continuum, including samadhi,or absorption ,and known collectively as samyama,they are subtly different.The differences are difficult to describe, as we are approaching the non-linguistic non-conceptual states described in the Upanishads as "neti,neti" —not this,not that. (Brihadaranyaka Up.4:4:22). Patanjali describes dhyana as "the uninterrupted flow of knowledge on a point." (Yoga Sutras 1:2) The word used is which means “one¬flowingness” more than “one- pointedness”. Thought is not a continuous process, but more like a rapid flicker, which gives the appearance of continuity, as a cinema film gives the appearance of an uninterrupted flow of images. In concentration,(dharana),the focus must be held by an effort to exclude distractions. In meditation (dhyana), each successive thought automatically returns to an object such as the breath; in fact the succession of the flowing thoughts can itself be the object focused on, as in Buddhist vipassana meditation.
Meditation (dhyana) is a passive activity, a relaxed attentive state in which everyday concerns can gradually drop away, even if only temporarily. Shunryu Roshi in "Zen Mind,Beginner’s Mind",says that we ourselves make the waves in your mind. If we leave the mind as it is, it will become calm. Eventually,the meditative state should begin to carry over into everyday life, so that one can retain awareness of "the centre" even in the midst of outer stimuli. The Indian tradition mostly emphasised withdrawal from the everyday, which was seen as a source of suffering, but when dhyana travelled to China as Chan and to Japan as Zen, open- eyed sitting was advised in order to encourage integration of insight with normal life.
A basic working definition of meditation is "techniques to produce a state of being fully in the present moment". Regular practice of these techniques even for a short duration is the training ground for permanent change in the psycho-somatic being. Unlike concentration techniques, where a single focus is deliberately chosen, in yogic mindfulness meditation practice, whatever comes up is part of the object of focused awareness. The present moment is not always an enjoyable moment, and this is sometimes a shock to progressing meditators. Human beings experience prana in many ways, and the practice of dhyana trains one to "ride the wave" with less bumps. A technique taught at the Kripalu Centre is "breathe, relax, feel, watch, and allow" which is very useful in case meditation practice brings up uncomfortable thoughts or sensations
To print this document please click here for an Adobe PDF version.