Meditation Secrets Revealed

As a yoga and meditation teacher in Berkeley, I have studied many of the modern yoga forms and witness an explosion of styles in the Yoga world. Yoga has evolved, shifted, and changed dramatically in its long history but never has it seen the type of growth and explosion of interest as in the last two decades. As a philosophy and a physical practice, it has spread throughout the globe, far from its original home in India. It has taken the United States by storm and millions of us practice on a regular basis.What is the explanation for this sudden interest?

Did we reach a tipping point when yoga became the new fad, the new cool? Or maybe, people are truly interested in becoming more enlightened and self-aware? What does yoga represent to the people that practice it and did we pay a price for making it mainstream?

Of the people that do yoga, there are two large camps that people may have unknowingly settled into. The first is people who see yoga as a form of physical exercise done with the intention of getting more fit, stronger, and of course more flexible. In this camp there is little room for the spiritual, mystical, and esoteric side of yoga and certainly not much reverence for its long history or its profound and subtle effects on the mind of the practitioner. Out of this camp come strange remixes of yoga poses combined with acrobatics, cardiovascular routines, and strength building exercises.

In the other camp, we find people who are aware of the spiritual side of yoga. These are folks who study the scriptures, know about the history, practice meditation, mantras, breathing exercises, and sanskrit chanting. With this group, spiritual retreats are common and journeys to India and ashrams are talked about as if they are regular and even necessary aspects of life.

Obviously, these two camps are the extremes and many people fall somewhere in between but it amazes me how few people in the first camp realize that there is more to yoga than the downward dog and the headstand. This is extremely unfortunate because yoga is not only a physical practice with a spiritual aspects, it is a complex and multi layered system of developing the human body, mind, and spirit for the journey of self exploration and transcendence of the mind into higher realms of consciousness. This is a bit hard to swallow at first, but its actually pretty simple.

Related Article: Benefits of Hatha Yoga

We have all experienced stress and tension at one point or another in our lives. It is the feeling of our thoughts racing a thousand miles a minute that keeps us up at night. It follows us no matter where we go. And just when that stress becomes unbearable, as we prepare to break – a magical epiphany appears. A resolution to the tension becomes clear. This stress and tension is actually part of the resolution, it is the motivator and the force behind the need to change.

Tension can also form around the unknown future, leading to anxiety and stress. In the grips of fear, the road ahead seems dark and long, yet in this darkness we may find our greatest motivation. The law of tension and resolution will work in creating this tension and inevitably manifest the energy and drive necessary to change, grow, and progress.

Frequently, people see these situations as unpleasant, frightening, and anxiety provoking. We run, we hide. Avoiding even the mundane uncomfortable moments of uncertainty we miss the lessons and opportunities to grow and learn. Instead, we can look ahead and embrace these experiences as a necessary step towards personal growth. Embracing our fears, we become resilient and strong, both mentally and emotionally.

Take a rubber band for example, while it is still and laying on a table it is a plain and static object. But, put to use, this rubber band can be stretched and tightened to perform amazing feats of agility. It can propel objects, spring across rooms, and create momentum energy where there was non before.

Look at your life and find the places where there is tension and stress, and ask yourself, “how can I creatively utilize these moments? Where can I propel my future? Am I avoiding this situation for the wrong reasons?” As a catalyst for growth and change, moments of high tension and uncertainty are most important and even necessary. Treasure them for they are gateways to the future you!

In the science and philosophy of yoga it is said that, “whether pain or pleasure, both are the product of the mind.”  A friend related his sad and inspirational story bringing this axiom to life. He is going through a tough time in his relationship, experiencing much pain and anguish. As I listened and comforted him in his pain, I realized that he is looking at the situation as a means to remain motivated and focused on his life goals.

In Kriya Yoga there is a notion of tapas which literally means to burn or purify. While it is easy to to run away from pain, and the mind tries to do so constantly, what would happen if we were to accept it and learn from it? Performing tapas means to see that pain as a burning fire, consuming our inner impurities and weaknesses, purifying our spirit and making the mind stronger. In doing so, we can practice acceptance welcome these “negative” emotions with open arms and the warm embrace of a long lost friend. Tapas provide us the means to practice mental discipline and self-restrain in situations where that choice is the hardest and most challenging.

Sometimes, a thing can be pleasurable but eventually lead to something painful, however in this practice, we are taking something painful and turning it into something positive and good. This form of yoga can only be achieved in the active state, in our daily lives and through mindful and attentive interactions with the outside world. We pay attention and watch the mind and the emotional states that it creates – through awareness and observation patterns emerge and change happens. As a yoga and meditation teacher in Berkeley, I encourage students to see the deeper lessons in every situation. Through acceptance of pain we can strengthen our practice, bringing yoga into every moment of our lives. This is the path to inner peace.

When we are kids, our mind is in its early stages of development, extremely pliable and relatively unconditioned. For many it is their happiest time. Not because there is a lack of responsibilities, but because the mind has not yet taken control of us. Have you ever observed kids playing? One falls or hits the other, “ouch that hurt.” They cry, and they cry, and soon they get distracted by a fluttering butterfly or a rolling ball and they are off, happy as a bird, completely forgetting that they were crying and upset just a moment ago. That is the power of the mind, or should I say the lack of control of the mind over us at that tender age.

Now let’s go forward in time to a similar situation. We are hurt, we are in pain, a loved one said something hurtful or painful to us and we cry. No ball or butterfly will bring us out of this state. What has changed? We may think to ourselves at this point, “Aha, we are adults now, our lives are much more complicated and we have so many responsibilities. Life is not so simple anymore!” The truth of the matter is that although we do have more responsibilities as adults, this does not mean that life has gotten more complicated. Rather, we have allowed our mind to steering us, and now it says, “I want all emotions: negative, positive, hurtful, and joyful. It does not matter. Give me anything and I will cling to it.” That is the current state for many people. If only we could get that pesky mind to stop for just a moment, how wonderful would that be! How peaceful would we feel!

As we grow up, we begin to identify ourselves with the mind deluding ourselves into thinking that we are our minds. Through meditation and constant self observation we can reach the realization that we are not our mind. We are something different. In yoga it is called the seer. We are the seer and the mind is a pool of water which reflects that seer. Through some blunder we have associated ourselves with the reflection instead of the original image. It is like staring at yourself in the mirror and thinking that the image in the mirror is the real you.

See also: Meditation Techniques: How to Master Your Mind

The first change was in my emotional states. I became much more calm, centered, and at peace with myself and the outside world. Small things that had previously annoyed or given me great anxiety became inconsequential. Instead, of responding with anger or annoyance, I would notice my feelings and be able to examine them before reacting. In this way, I was able to save myself a lot of inner turmoil and pain. Along with the feelings of calm and inner peace, I also began to experience prolonged periods of inner joy and happiness. Simple things like a person saying hello, or a pretty picture, would bring immense pleasure and satisfaction. I believe this is due, in part, to the meditation practice of eliminating stray thoughts along with the ability to stay present. Along the way, two books have been instrumental in my self discovery: The Ptanjali Yoga Sutras and the Tao Te Ching have been my beacons and continue to guide my life, adding their ancient yet profoundly useful wisdom and guidance.

For more information about the Yoga Sutras, see my post Best Books About Meditation and Yoga

With so many books being published on the topics of yoga and meditation, it can be difficult, confusing, and frustrating to know exactly which book to pick, who to believe and which path to follow.

One of my favorite books on the subject is The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Sutra in Sanskrit means strand and the book is a compilation of ancient strands of text that are woven together to form the foundation of yoga philosophy. With over four thousand years of recorded history, yoga is surprisingly scientific and logical in its approach to enlightenment and the achieving of Samadhi – the ultimate meditative state. Unlike many watered-down new age books out there, this is the real deal and I can honestly say that reading and following the wisdom in this book has dramatically transformed my life. I check in with the book from time to time to find out where I am at and how far I have come in my understanding of the sutras. I would encourage anybody interested in yoga, meditation, awareness, stress relief, and inner peace to get this book. There are many meditation practices out there and you can find numerous techniques on this website but ultimately it’s not so much about the road you take, rather it’s your level of dedication and consistent practice that will make the difference. Ultimately, all roads lead to the same place.

I have been interested in Yoga for almost as long as I can remember, for me this was not a question of why, but rather a question of where do I learn and which path do I follow. My own path has lead to a complete transformation of my entire person eventually leading me to become a yoga and meditation teacher in Berkeley. There are many benefits to taking up yoga- the obvious ones being  improved health,  flexibility in the body, and relaxation. These physical benefits come from the traditional practice of Hatha Yoga. This is a no-brainer since almost everyone has seen flexible women and men doing interesting and sometimes strange poses – showing off their flexibility, balance and strength. What most people do not realize is the intense concentration, focus, and mental control that is necessary to correctly perform these poses.

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg because all the other major benefits are under the surface and cannot be seen as easily. By conducting interviews with average people on the street, I am learning that the predominant belief is that meditation and yoga helps relax and calm. While this is true, the same can be said about going for a walk or riding a bicycle. The vast difference between these recreational activities and yoga is that the latter is a complex, ancient, and highly developed system that has been scientifically designed to raise and expand one’s consciousness thereby completely transforming every aspect of life and the way in which we see the world. This is only true if the person doing yoga is willing to immerse in the study of all the different elements, as opposed to just doing the stretches in class and then forgetting about it once the class is over. The transformative power of yoga is tremendous if it is embraced completely.