Samyama - the power to understand

Samyama is a concept that features prominently in the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. Patanjali was either one very wise yogi or a series of authors who honed yoga teaching down to a tight and clear philosophical treatise.

Samyama refers to the power of the yogi meditator to study something with great attention, to enter into its character, elements and meaning, and to deeply understand it, including being able to take on some of the characteristics. This could be understanding an element like the Earth, or watching the cycle of our emotions, to understanding how the body works, to being able to understand the flow of life energy through the body.

So who cares?

This morning I had a dream about teaching concentration and the power of the mind. I would not describe myself as ordinary. My life has been pretty eventful and interesting. My mind was I guess like most people - full of instability, moments of anxiety, looking for good sensations, running away from bad ones. In my thirties, before I started meditation, life seemed pretty chaotic and exhausting. My tendency was to see other people as the problem, rather than learning how to master my mind and train it like an athlete trains his body.

Yoga - the physical use of the body to guide the mind - is a great way into the path of transformation. I hear people say - oh I could not do yoga, I've lost flexibility, I can't even touch my toes...At the same time, I've met men of all ages who dare to come to nude male yoga and start the journey. A journey of a thousand kilometres evidently starts with the intention and the first step.

There are three important concepts in classical yoga teaching: dharana (concentration), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and dhyana / jhana (this can mean meditative absorption but it also ties to Buddhist teachings of levels of liberation for the mind, taking us through stages of bliss and joy into a state of great peace).

By learning to concentrate the mind, by finding the effort to guide ourselves into a direction of investigation and transformation, we are also rewarded with physical well-being, mental well-being, new experiences and insights, and ultimately, the possibility of being able to understand and navigate out lives to the greatest benefit.

Happiness is probably what most people are looking for. This can be pursued in various forms of distraction, or it can be found within us. To get there, there are usually things we have to learn to do, things we have to unlearn, things we need to embrace, and things we need to set aside. The degree of difficulty has to do without our own minds. Typically, at least for me, it is normal to both want change and to resist it. There are endless excuses, ways of diverting attention. When the real powers of dharana and pratyahara kick in - opening up the powers of samyana and the way to bliss and jhana - then we know by practical experience that we are on the right path, that it is worth it, and that usually it requires more letting go rather than more pushing yourself into something new. The great peace is indeed already waiting for us. It is a state of mind available to all of us.

On the mat today, remember why you are here, what your intention is, where the balanced effort comes form, and where you'd like it to take you.

Namaste