The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 3)

Dhyana: Meditation

The seventh limb of yoga is Dhyana, and it, like the others, builds off of the limbs that came before. The traditional concept of meditation is of a sort of unmoving, quiet, sustained level of concentration. A mental stillness accompanied by physical stillness. Dhyana, though, is not that kind of meditation. It may seem counterintuitive at first, but in yoga we practice a moving form of meditation. Building on the Dharana, the action of inner awareness, your yoga practice creates an expansive and intricate, dynamic object on which to build a sustained meditation; the mind learns to project itself onto the vista of the body.

In this way, your body becomes an expression of the complexity and versatility of your mind. You learn to immerse yourself within a single task, and bring all the abilities of your mind to bear on this one, sustained action. And that, as closely as I can put it, is the true achievement of yoga.

Samadhi: Serenity

The eighth limb of yoga, unlike limbs three through seven, doesn’t really lay any foundation for further development. Samadhi, or as I call it ‘Serenity’, is more like the point where you breast the tape at the end of the race. It’s the reification of your yoga practice’s (viz., the sustained coordinated action of the mind and body working together) cumulative benefits.

By practicing yoga, you learn to endure stress, while keeping your mind calm at the same time. You learn to focus your mind, taking it in many directions at once without losing focus. You bring your body into a state of complete control, while putting it to use from its core to its extremities. Yoga makes you happier, healthier, stronger, and more flexible.

And it’s fun. There’s a whole great community of people involved in the practice, and the variety of asanas, as well as styles of practice, is sure to provide you with a lifetime of opportunities for growth and exploration.