2.47 By lessening the natural tendency for restlessness and by meditating on the infinite, āsana is mastered.
The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, translation by Swami Satchidananda
The question of “meditating on the infinite” in āsana practice has continued to occupy my mind this week. I’ve been reflecting on how I teach the āsanas. When I think about what I say in class, most of it has to do with bringing greater awareness to the body and breath. “Notice the feeling of your feet on the ground… inhaling, lift through the crown of your head, lengthen the spine… feel your in-breath expanding the side ribs…” But the body is finite, not infinite. Have I been meditating on the finite in my āsana practice all this time?
And meditating on the breath? Well, this comes closer, I think, to meditating on the infinite. After all, where does our breath come from? It is a gift from the infinite. Breathing is, in a way, drawing the infinite into the body. The great yoga master and teacher, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, describes the breath like this:
Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.
So yes, meditating on the breath in our yoga postures can be a meditation on the infinite if we understand the breath in this way – if we understand the breath as a holding within it God’s will for us to live and the vital energy, or prāṇa, that nourishes, cleanses, and mobilizes the body.
But how to put all these ideas together in a simple way, in a practical way, to advance our āsana practice? The question really comes down to: What should we focus the mind on during āsana practice?
These musings led me to draw this in my notebook:
And this drawing led me to write out the following: The mind can do one of three things.
- It can loop around within itself, chattering, questioning, comparing, judging, planning, remembering, imagining, etc.
- It can seek and receive information from the body, including the senses.
- It can seek and receive information and energy from the world of Spirit.
The mind’s default setting, for many of us, is #1: the mind is busy sorting, organizing, remembering, planning, and so on. The beauty of āsana practice is that, quite easily, we can switch into mode #2: awareness of the body. As we focus the mind on the body and its sensations, we suddenly find ourselves residing in the present moment, in the now. I inhale, and I know I am inhaling. I exhale, and I know I am exhaling. I lift my arm, and I feel the stretch through my side. My mind is right here, right now, calm and clear.
But the Yoga Sūtras suggest that we can go a step farther. We can also turn the mind towards the infinite as we practice our āsanas. We can create an exchange of energy with the infinite. Using the mind, we can open our bodies to the infinite. Through the various postures, we can invite the infinite into every corner of the body, nourishing, cleansing, revitalizing our bodies.
The mind becomes a channel, a bridge, between body and soul. How? Through intention. Remembering our intention to connect body, mind and soul. Keeping this intention alive, ever-present in the mind, as we practice. Using the breath and mantra to draw the infinite, to draw prāṇa, into the spaces we call our body.
The mind can disperse or block our energy. But it can also open us up to infinite energy, infinite awareness, infinite love and peace. In the words of the Bhagavad Gītā,
6.6 For one who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends. For one who has failed to do so, it remains the greatest enemy.
Let’s put our minds to good use!
On this note, I am planning a 3-week “Introduction to Meditation” session starting in September, at the Meredith Centre in Chelsea. Wednesday September 4, 11, and 18, 7:30-8:45pm. Stay tuned for more details. In the meanwhile, feel free to e-mail me with any questions.
Special dates in July
Wednesday, July 10 & 17, 7:30-8:45pm: Hatha Yoga @ La Grange in Wakefield – I will be subbing for my friend Lori Morrison. You’re welcome to join us. The drop-in rate is $17.50.
Saturday, July 27, 4:00-5:15pm – Kirtan @ Vraie Nature Yoga in Chelsea – Free, and open to all!