YOGA TEACHES DIFFERENT BEFINNINGS

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

Keeping it from these gymnastics is the very essence of the problem.

During Deep Relaxation, you will remember, it was important to discipline your thinking in order to keep your mind from stimulating and tensing your muscles. In Deep Concentration, the same initial effort is called for, but with a difference: whereas in relaxation the mind must be made as nearly blank as possible, in Deep Concentration it is made to dwell closely, steadily, on one thing and one alone.

The various schools of Yoga teach various beginnings, but they almost invariably start by suggesting concentration on some part of the body. Thus Raja Yoga advises focusing on Trikute, the seat of the mind, which is said to be either the top of the head or the space between the eyes. Other schools recommend focusing on the tip of the nose, the navel or the Muladhara Chakra (see pages 53-55), the space directly below the last vertebra at the base of the spine. An excellent way to begin practice is to seat yourself in a comfortable position—tailor fashion on the floor is recommended, but not absolutely necessary—and look steadily at an object directly in your line of vision. Next shut your eyes and try to visualize the object clearly in the space between your eyebrows. You will find in very short order that the picture fades from your mental vision. When this happens open your eyes, refresh the impression, and try again. At first you may have considerable difficulty in keeping the mental picture clear. Not only will it tend to fade, but you will be tempted to substitute other pictures in quick succession. External stimuli—sounds, sensations, memories—will be another constant distraction. You will have to be quite stern with yourself. But the effort will be well worth making, for if you persist you will find it progressively easier to shut out unbidden interruptions and with practice you will be able to ignore them completely for as long as it suits you.

The Hindee, whose goals are so vastly different from ours, strive through concentration and meditation for the state of Samadhi, or super-consciousness, which as you already know may best be described as that state where the Self ceases to exist and becomes absorbed in the Absolute. This is a practice definitely not to be attempted without the guidance of a Guru, for such deep and intense concentration may result in a sort of spiritual intoxication nothing short of an unbalanced state of mind. Useless, excessive dreaminess may also result from overdoing the exercise. For the Westerner the goal of Deep Concentration is a far more practical one; you can learn so to harness and discipline your thinking that you will soon be bringing increased efficiency to your daily tasks, be they problems on your job, in your household, or in some creative field of your choosing.