MEDITATION

BACKGROUND
 The word meditation is derived from the Latin word
meditari, meaning "to think”, “contemplate”, “devise”,
or “ponder".
 In general, most of the time it has been used to
reduce stress, to promote wellness and healing
 In the last 200 years, different meditation techniques
are derived from the traditional yoga texts and
promoted by the Yoga masters and spiritual leaders
 Although the ultimate goal of meditation is same
(calming the mind) the paths are different.
 The first description of meditation occurs in Vedas
which is one of the oldest scripture of Hindu culture
 Meditation was a part of daily life and known to
everyone during Vedic age. Recently, the archeologists
have discovered the sculptures in meditative pose in
the ancient civilization, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
 BACKGROUND
 Specific meditation techniques have been developed for the convenience in the later period.
 Meditation has been expounded in Vedas, Upanisad, Bhagavad Gétä, Pataïjali Yoga Sütra,
Haöha Yoga Pradépikä, and Tantra texts
 Meditation was considered as upäsanä and practiced by everyone during the vedic age.
 The Upanisads emphasis on self-analysis through intellect, and establishing the mind on Self.
 Lord Krisëa in Bhagavad Gétä says, ‘meditate on the Supreme Self by directing all the senses
towards inside using the intellect’.
 MODERN DERIVED MEDITATION
TECHNIQUES AND ITS CLASSIFICATIONS

 All though the goal of meditation is same

(calmness and peace), there are different
ways of reaching it.
 The Vijnäna Bhairava Tanträ presents 112
meditation techniques.
 These include several variants of breath
awareness, concentration on various
centres in the body, non-dual
awareness,chanting, imagination and
visualisation and contemplation through
each of the senses
 Meditation Technique & Meditation
Type
1. Transcendental Meditation (TM) -Dhyäna
2. Vipassana meditation- Dhyäna
3. Om meditation -Dhyäna
4. Ananda Marga Meditation -Dhäraëä
5. Cyclic Meditation (CM) -Dhäraëä
6. Zen Meditation- Dhäraëä
7. Brahmakumaris Raja Yoga Meditation- Dhäraëä
8. Preksha Meditation - Dhäraëä
9. Sudarshana Kriya Meditation- Dhäraëä
10. Sahaja Yoga Meditation- Dhäraëä
11. Yoga Nidra- Dhäraëä
12. Metta meditation (loving-kindness)- Dhäraëä
13. Qigong meditation- Dhäraëä
 Meditation Types
 Transcendental Meditation (TM)
 Transcendental meditation is a form of mantra
meditation which is introduced by Maharsi Mahesh
Yogi.
 Transcendental meditation is practised for 15–20
minutes in the morning and evening, while sitting
comfortably with the eyes closed.
 TM involves mental chanting of a perticular manträ
with awareness.
 During this technique, the individual's awareness
settles down and experiences a unique state of restful
alertness.
 As the body becomes deeply relaxed, the mind
transcends all mental activity to experience the
simplest form of awareness, Transcendental
Consciousness, where consciousness is open to itself.
 Meditation Types
Vipassanä Meditation
 Vipassanä, which means to see things as they really are, is one of the ancient
techniques of meditation. It was discovered by Gautama Buddha more than 2500 years
ago and now popularized by Mr. S. N. Goenka.
 In Vipassanä meditation the meditator, sitting in a comfortable position, initially
observes his own breathing and thereafter, observes sensations and feelings in various
part of the body with an attitude of witness.
 Vipassanä is a way of self transformation through self-observation.
 It focuses on the subtle interconnection between mind and body, which can be
experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the
life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind.
 It is this observation based self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and
body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and
compassion
Meditation Types
 Zen Meditation
 Zazen- Zen meditation is a fundamental part of both the
Soto and Rinzai Sects of Zen Buddhism. The aim in this form
of meditation is the ultimate state of enlightenment called
Satori. This technique involves concentration. There are
three types in this type of meditation. In the first type, the
meditator concentrates on his breathing, counting the
breaths or without counting. In second type of meditation,
the meditator has to solve koans or say non-logical riddles.
In third type of meditation, the meditator just sits and
breathes in a prescribed manner without any aids or
concentrating on his breath.
 Ananda Marga Meditation
 In this technique, the meditator has to repeat a sacred
mantra given by the guru, with intense concentration. This
meditation is practiced and propagated by the Änanda
Märga organization. The technique consists of two important
steps. First, the meditators sit in comfortable relaxed
position and withdraw the attention inwards by ignoring the
external stimuli and paying attention to their breathing.
Meditation Types
 Brahmakumärés Räja Yoga Meditation
 This meditation technique is preached and practiced by Brahmakumärés Éçvaréya Viçvavidyälaya.
 During this meditation, aspirants sit in a comfortable position with their eyes open, and with effortless
gaze fixed on a jyoti (light – representing supreme consciousness).
 At same time, they actively generate positive thoughts about the Universal force pervading all over, as
light and peace.
 Cyclic Meditation
 Cyclic Meditation (CM) is devised by Dr. H. R. Nagendra, the founder, Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana
Samsthana. The concept has taken from Mäëòükya Kärika. Cyclic meditation involves a combination of
gentle yogic stretching performed with awareness and with very slow movements followed by
relaxation.
 This cycle repeats for three times and ends in deep relaxation and silence. The combination of
stimulation and relaxation takes one to the deeper layers of relaxation.
 Om Meditation
 Om meditation involves mental chanting of Om with awareness. The practitioner has to sit in
meditative posture and chant Om mentally with awareness.
 The chanting should be very slow and the silence between the two Omkaras has to be experienced. If
there are any distractions, chanting should be made faster and after some time once again chanting
should be done slowly.Finally, this process leads to a state of Ajapa (no repetition) which is a state of
bliss, deep silence and peace.
 Meditation Types
 Sahaja Yoga Meditation
 The Sahaja Yoga meditation technique is discovered and propagated by
Mataji Nirmala Devi. The process of Sahaja Yoga is spontaneous and
natural.
 It is a technique to awaken the kuëòaliné çakti which lies in the sleeping
state at the base of the spine (muladhara chakra) of each human being.
 Sahaja Yoga is the state of self-realization produced by cleansing of cakräs
and kuëòaliné awakening and is accompanied by the experience of
thoughtless awareness or mental silence.
 Sudarshana Kriya Meditation
 Sudarshana Kriya is developed by Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of art of
living foundation. The Sudarshan Kriya incorporates specific natural
rhythms of breath to release stress and bring the mind to the present
moment. It involves practice of ujjayi followed by bhastrika pranayama.
 After pranayama, one has to chant OM for three times and feel the
vibrations. Finally, chanting of so ham mantra leads to silence and deep
relaxation.
 Meditation Types
 Prekñä Meditation
 This is also an ancient meditation technique practiced in Jainism. Prekñä means to perceive and realize
the subtlest aspects of one’s own self, 'to see the Self'.
 Prekñä is derived from the Saàskåta word "Pra + ikña" which means to observe carefully. Basically, it
sums up the perception of body, psychic centers, breath and observation of mind.
 In Prekñä Dhyäna, no thought is forcefully stopped. Instead, the art of merely observing the thought
process without forming any reaction or attachment is developed. By doing so, thoughts themselves
cease to appear.
 Yoga Nidrä
 Yoga-nidrä (yogic psychic sleep) is a meditative technique, derived from ancient tantra popularized by
Bihar School of Yoga (BSY).
 Yoga-nidrä is described as a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional
relaxation, while maintaining awareness at deeper levels.
 Yoga nidrä is performed in çaväsana and it consists of progressive relaxation and rotation of awareness
all over body, resolve, and visualization of some images of nature and täntric abstract symbols
 Meditation Types
 Qigong Meditation
 Qigong, is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and
meditation.
 With roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts, and philosophy, qigong is traditionally viewed as a
practice to cultivate and balance qi (chi) or what has been translated as "intrinsic life energy".
 Typically a qigong practice involves rhythmic breathing coordinated with slow stylized repetition of
fluid movement, a calm mindful state, and visualization of guiding qi through the body.
 Metta Meditation (loving-kindness meeditation)
 Mettā is loving-kindness, good will, close mental union and active interest in others. It is one of the
ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism, and the first of the four sublime states
(Brahmavihāras).
 This is love without clinging (upādāna). The cultivation of loving-kindness (mettā bhāvanā) is a
popular form of meditation in Buddhism.
 In the Theravadin Buddhist tradition, this practice begins with the meditator cultivating loving-
kindness towards themselves, then their loved ones, friends, teachers, strangers, enemies, and
finally towards all sentient beings.
TYPES OF MIND

 The sage Vyäsa, in his commentary on the Yoga Sütras of Pataïjali,

defines five planes of the mind (i.e. cittabhümi).These are

 kñipta (disturbed)
 müòha (dull)
 vikñipta (distracted),
 ekägra (one-pointed mind)
 niruddha (mastered).
 TYPES OF MIND
 1. Kñipta (disturbed)
 The kñipta mind is disturbed, restless, troubled, wandering. This is the
least desirable of the states of mind, in which the mind is troubled.
 It might be severely disturbed, moderately disturbed, or mildly disturbed.
It might be worried, troubled, or chaotic. It is not merely the distracted
mind (vikñipta), but has the additional feature of a more intense, negative,
and emotional involvement.
 2. Müòha (dull)
 The müòha mind is stupefied, dull, heavy and forgetful. With this state of
mind, there is less of a running here and there of the thought process.
 It is a dull or sleepy state, somewhat like one experiences when depressed,
though we are not here intending to mean only clinical depression. It is
that heavy frame of mind we can get into, when we want to do nothing, to
be lethargic.
 The müòha mind is barely beyond the kñipta, disturbed mind, only in that
the active disturbance has settled down, and the mind might be somewhat
more easily trained from this place.
 Gradually the mind can be taught to be a little bit steady in a positive way,
only occasionally distracted, which is the vikñipta state. Then, the mind
can move on in training to the ekägra and niruddha states.
TYPES OF MIND
 3. Vikñipta (distracted)
 The vikñipta mind is distracted, occasionally steady or focused. This is the state of mind often reported
by meditators when they are wide awake and alert, neither noticeably disturbed nor dull and lethargic.
In this state of mind, one's attention is easily drawn here and there.
 The mind can concentrate for short periods of time, and is then distracted into some attraction or
aversion. Then, the mind is brought back, only to again be distracted.
 Vikñipta is better than kñipta but in this state, there is concentration, because of a preponderance of
the quality of sattva mind. However, it is a combination of sattva and rajas. This vikñipta mind is the
stance one wants to attain through the foundation yoga practices, so that one can then pursue the
onepointedness of ekägra, and the mastery that comes with the state of niruddha.
 4. Ekägra (one-pointed)
 The ekägra mind is one-pointed, focused, concentrated when the mind has attained the ability to be
one-pointed. It is lamp like mind which has its flame-tip in one object alone.
 Because of pure sattva the mind can stay steadily for a decided length of time, in one object alone,
like a lamp placed in a windless place. The real practice of meditation begins with ekägra.
 It means that one can focus on tasks at hand in daily life, practicing karma yoga, the yoga of action, by
being mindful of the mental process and consciously serving others. When the mind is one-pointed,
other internal and external activities are simply not a distraction. When mind is one-pointed, it is fully
in present moment.
 The one-pointed mind is able to do the practices of concentration and meditation.
 TYPES OF MIND
 5. Niruddha (mastered)
 The niruddha mind is highly mastered, controlled, regulated, restrained
(Yoga Sütra 1.2). When the word niruddha is translated as controlled,
regulated, or restrained, it can easily be misunderstood to mean suppression
of thoughts and emotions.
 To suppress thoughts and emotions is not healthy and this is not what is
meant here. Rather, it has to do with that natural process when the mind is
one-pointed and becomes progressively more still as meditation deepens.
 It is not that the thought patterns are not there, or are suppressed, but that
attention moves inward, or beyond the stream of inner impressions. In that
deep stillness, there is a mastery over the process of mind.
 It is that mastery that is meant by niruddha. Niruddha state of mind is the
goal and definition of Yoga. It is the doorway by which we go beyond the
mind. Essentially, it is a state of mastery over the modifications of the mind.
 In this state, it has a capacity to think very deeply with fullest concentration
on one hand and remain quiet for any length of time on the other hand.
 STATES OF MIND

 Caïcalatä (Random thinking)

 Mind always moves from one state to another state. Most of the time, it dwells either on the past or the
future. The haphazard, unconnected, multiple thoughts are experienced most of the time. This
randomness is very nature of mind. This random state of mind is called Caïcalatä state. This has been
mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita and presented in form of conversation between Lord Kåñëa and
Arjuna.
 Lord Krishna mentions abhyäsa (practice) and vairägya (renunciation) as a method to control the mind.
 abhyäsa is the all effort directed towards the attainment of that ultimate state, in which cessation of
modifications of mind happens. He further says in the next sutra, abhyäsa should be uninterrupted and
continuous with devotion
 Vairägya plays an important role in gaining mastery over the mind. Vairägya means the absence of any
attraction towards objects which gives pleasure. Attraction and repulsion is a pair of opposites and
repulsion binds the soul to the objects as much as attraction. The desire in its two expressions of räga
(attachment) and dveça (repulsion) is a tremendous driving and disturbing force which is continuously
creating våttis in the mind. Hence, one has to be free from both attraction and repulsion.
 Caïcalatä state of mind is featured by (i) multiple subjects and multiple thoughts (ii) unconnected
thoughts (iii) turbulent thoughts, and (iv) räjasik in nature
STATES OF MIND
 Ekägratä (Focusing without meditation)
 The word ekägratä refers to concentrated mind. In Saàskåta, ekägratä means concentration, the
channelizing of all thoughts in a single direction.
 Concentration is restraining the mind into smaller and smaller limits. Concentration is the key to success in
all endeavors, spiritual or worldly. Concentration plays a major role in all our day to day activity. To gain
knowledge about any subject, concentration is very much required.
 When sun rays passes through a lens, it can generate a fire. Similarly, when defocused mind is
concentrated on a specific subject, it can achieve the same at ease. That is the power of it. However, the
mind is defocused, wandering, and restless in nature. Most of the time, our mind will be in caïcalatä state.
By practice, one has to train the mind.
 Sitting in a proper place, in an appropriate pose one has to make the mind single pointed. Concentration is
the begining of meditation. The wandering mind has to be controlled and channelised on a single point.
This concetration can be inside our body (on certain special spiritual centers) or outside the body.
 Single pointedness is the very potent nature of the mind. The mind gets stunned by its own silence, or
confused and even mad when it gets dynamised by either the inner forces of its own surging imaginations
or the outward pull exerted by the attachments of the sense organs.
 If these two sources of distractions are blocked, mind becomes single pointed. However, concentration is
not meditation. In concentration, there are multiple connected thoughts and single subject. Concentration
cannot be done for a long duration since this leads to fatigue.
 The caïcala mind has to be brought under control and focused on a single object. The ekägratä done on a
 STATES OF MIND
 Dhäranä (Focused meditation)
 Dhäraëä is the sixth limb (aìga) of añöäìga yoga of sage Pataïjali. The practice of yama,
niyama, äsana, präëäyäma, pratyähära are considered as bahiranga yoga and dhäranä,
dhyäna, samädhi as antaraìga yoga.
 These eight limbs can be practiced independently. However, they also have sequential
relationship and the effective practice of one aìga needs at least partial mastery of those which
precede it.
 Yama and niyama eliminate the disturbances which are caused by uncontrolled emotions and
desires and lay a strong foundation for the practice of yoga.
 Äsana and präëäyäma cultures the body and mind. Pratyähära develops the sense of vairägya
and prepares the sädhakä for the practice of antaraìga yoga.
 The sage Pataïjali defines dhäranä as “fixing the mind in one place”. These are all the special
energy centers in the body and concentrating mind on them would be ideal. One can also do
dhäraëä on outside objects like moon, sun, fire, top of the mountain, deity of God, etc.
 Performing saàyama on them leads to the attainment of divine powers. The mind cannot come
into contact with an external object directly but only through the senses.
 Hence, the word modification (våtti) is used here. When the object is onc’s navel, heart lotus
etc, the outer sense organs are not involved as in the case of outer objects like moon, sun, etc
STATES OF MIND

 Dhäraëä involves intense focusing on the object chosen for meditation. There is an
effort involved while concentrating on the object.
 The concentration here mentioned is not the ordinary one. It is of the highest form and
moving within the limited mental area (or object chosen).
 Mind has to be concentrated on chosen object for meditation. The mind has to be
brought back immediately if it wanders. Every object has innumerable aspects and the
mind can consider these aspects only one by one.
 Else, it may be that the object may involve a process of reasoning consisting of many
steps connected logically with each other and forming an integrated whole. Hence,
there is a movement without really leaving the object of concentration. Sadhaka has to
focus continuously on the object chosen.
 If the continuity breaks, mind has to be brought back immediately. Vague and blurred
impressions should be replaced by sharply defined mental images by increasing the
degree of alertness and power of attention. The mastery in the practice of dharna leads
to dhyäna.
STATES OF MIND

Dhyäna (Effortless meditation)

 A restless mind is like a lake, constantly agitated by the winds of desires,
creating thought-waves of diverse nature. Because of this constant agitation,
our true Self at the bottom of the lake cannot be perceived.
 To subsided all thought-waves, a single thought is consciously cultivated by
the repeated and uninterrupted practice of meditation. Then, the lake (mind)
becomes calm and bottom of lake (ätman) becomes visible.
 Meditation is keeping the mind focused uninterruptedly on a subject for a
certain length of time. It is a mental process by which meditator becomes
one with the object of meditation.
 Meditation is the seventh stage in asöäìga yoga of Pataïjali. He defines
dhyäna as follows:Unintererrupted flow of the mind towards the object of
meditation
 Key features of four mental states

 Caïcalatä Wanderig mind, or random mindDhäraëä Binding the mind on a object of

 1. Multiple thoughts meditation
1. single thought
 2. Multiple subjes 2. intense focus
3. effortful

 Ekägratä Focusing the mind on a single topic

Dhyäna Continuous concentration on a object of
 1. Single subject meditation
1. single thought
 2. Multiple connected thoughts 2. effortlessness
3. slowness
4. wakefulness
5. expansiveness
THANK YOU.