VALUE OF CONCENTRATION BEFORE SLEEP

Articles In This Section:

· CONCENTRATION IN YOGA

· YOGA TEACHES DIFFERENT BEFINNINGS

· YOU'VE GOT TO EMPTY YOUR MIND OF ALL FOR YOGA

· VALUE OF CONCENTRATION BEFORE SLEEP

· HIGHLY TRAINED YOGA

· CONCENTRATION CAN IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

· YOGA HELPS WITH EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL

Valuable as concentration directly before sleep can be to you, it is a mistake to try practicing it if, by the time you are ready for bed, you have reached a stage of mental fatigue. But if you are determined to go through with it just the same, a period of relaxation should precede it. In such a case follow the classic method: lie flat on your back, close your eyes and consciously relax each set of muscles in turn, starting with the head, neck and shoulders, going down the arms, the torso, the thighs and knees and legs, all the way into your toes. Make your mind a blank. Soon you will feel sufficiently refreshed to proceed to the mental exercises. This approach will also contribute to deep, healthful sleep.

Tired or not, never make the mistake of trying to achieve your goal of concentration by forcing unwelcome or irrelevant thoughts sternly out of your head. Instead, deliberately substitute those thoughts which are acceptable. For example, if you are concentrating on the flame of a candle and your mind wanders away to the picture of an ordinary light bulb, and from there to the lamp on your desk and the work piled up beside it, do not shudder away from the sight—ignore it. Focus your mind's eye on the candle flame once more. Continue doing this until your thoughts, accepting your bidding, flow as you would have them flow. But be sure, again, to do this without identifying with the thoughts themselves: pretend to be the outsider looking on, as though what is going on inside your mind were an action on a stage. Always bear in mind the difference between you, the thinker, and the object of your thoughts.

This trick of looking inside yourself is the initial step toward becoming truly 'self-conscious—conscious of the Self, that is; once you learn to separate the Self from its environment you will experience a sense of freedom and augmented strength, for then the environment, the things that are happening, the people around you, will cease to dominate your consciousness. Gone will be the need to yield to every outside demand. You will begin to cultivate the kind of detachment which will make it possible for you to be in true control of your own mind.

Many years ago Yoga was defined as "the complete mastery of the mind and emotions." You can readily see how great a part concentration plays in reaching this mastery. For as man thinks, so he is. Thus, although we are always being told that it is impossible to change human nature, you, the individual, can indeed change yourself to a very great extent by determining what your thoughts will be. For the mind is wonderfully flexible and will respond to cultivation as fertile soil responds to it. Think peace, and gradually your entire outlook becomes one of serenity and inner calm. Empty your mind of anger, of resentment against your fellow-beings, substitute an attitude of live-and-let-live, and you will be rewarded by a sense of tolerance that will make living with others infinitely easier. Refuse to be ruffled by the thousand-and-one phenomena that yesterday distracted you from your chosen course, and a deep and genuine feeling of equanimity will soon make it easier for you to live with yourself and, of course, with others.