Yogic Meditation
"Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind. When that is accomplished, the seer abides in its own true nature."
– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:2-3
The term Yoga has a variety of meanings within Hindu religious thought. In the context of the Yogic Tradition, Yoga refers primarily to a meditative practice of concentration which leads to the stilling of the mind. During Yogic Meditation, one choses a proper object of concentration (most popularly, as in Vedanta, the symbol om), then “fixes the mind” on this object, until a final state is achieved. Traditionally understood through the philosophical system of Sankhya, the resulting state is conceived of as pure consciousness – purusa – resting in itself.
Meditation in the Yoga Sutras
Yogic Meditation is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the first chapter of his Sutras, after stating that the states of mind can be stilled by “practice and dispassion,” Patanjali goes on to define practice:
“From these, practice is the effort to be fixed in concentrating the mind.” (1.13)
Later in the chapter, Patanjali specifies that the mind should be fixed on one object and elaborates on possible objects of concentration.
“Practice of fixing the mind on one object should be performed in order to eliminate these disturbances [of mind].” (1.32)
“[The syllable om]’s repetition and the contemplation of its meaning should be performed. From this comes the realization of the inner consciousness and freedom from all disturbances.” (1.28-29)
“Or stability of mind is gained by exhaling and retaining the breath.” (1.34)
“Or else, focus on a sense object arises, and this causes steadiness of mind.” (1.35)
“Or the mind becomes steady when it has one who is free from desire as its object.” (1.37)
“Or steadiness of mind is obtained from meditation upon anything of one’s inclination.” (1.39)
Edwin Bryant, the foremost western authority on the Yogic Tradition, comments as follows:
"Sutra 1.32 indicated that the obstacles to yoga can be overcome by fixing or concentrating the mind on an object, and the next few sutras outline various options and methods for accomplishing this. Patanjali has already presented Isvara as an object of concentration in the form of recitation of the sound om, and by placing Isvara first on the list of options and dedicating so many sutras to him, Patanjali has clearly prioritized an Isvara-centered form of meditation. The following sutras up to 1.39 all also contain the particle va, or. Thus they are all alternative and optional techniques for fixing the mind and, as with the Isvara verses, are to be read as referring back to 1.32, that practice on one object eliminates the distractions to yoga. One or more of them might be more suitable to a particular person, time, and places, says Sankara, hence the options."
Yogic meditation is thus a concentration practice. The most common object of concentration is Isvara (“God’) represented by the repetition of the symbol om, but other objects may be used, depending on the inclination of the meditator.
Most broadly, “yoga” can be thought of as an end state, that of the stilled mind. Any practice which leads to the stilling of the mind could conceivably be considered a yogic practice.
Interpretations
Yoga is traditionally interpreted through the philosophical system of Sankhya. Although Sankhya and Yoga would eventually develop into independent philosophical traditions (each is now considered one of the six darsanas – orthodox schools – of Hinduism), at the time of the Yoga Sutras this distinction did not exist. Thus Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras share the philosophical outlook of Sankhya.
Purusa Resting in Itself
The system of Sankhya is fundamentally dualistic, and divides all that exists into two classes: Prakrti – the matrix of the material world, and Purusa – pure consciousness or awareness. In contrast to the typical Western dualistic conception of mind/matter, the dualism of Yoga and Sankhya ascribes all that is not pure consciousness into the category of prakrti (roughly “matter”). In this division, the functions/fluctuations of the mind itself are considered part of the physical matrix of which purusa is aware.
Interpreted through this metaphysic, the end state of Yoga can be conceived of as the separation of purusa from its immersion in prakrti. The school of Sankhya attempts to attain this goal through reasoning (roughly equivalent to the jnana –”knowledge” – yoga of Vedanta) while the Yogic school attempts to attain the goal through meditative practice. Patanjali’s “Seer abiding in its own true nature” is therefore traditionally interpreted as purusa resting in awareness of itself.
Samadhi Without Seed
Another description used in the Yoga Sutras for the end state of Yoga is Samadhi without seed. Samadhi is a somewhat generic term for “meditative absorption” used in the eastern traditions. Although the term is often used as a stand-alone description of “the stilled mind,” it is also sometimes further classified into “types of samadhi.” This has the tendency to lead to (seemingly overly) esoteric descriptions of meditative states, both in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. In the Yoga Sutras, scholars identify seven total types of samdhi spoken of by Patanjali. Some of these types of meditative experiences contain “seeds,” or external references to prakrti in the mind. An example of samadhi with seed would be an intense focus on an object leading to a state in which only “the object itself shines forth” (i.e. it is the pure and unmixed object of awareness). An analogy used in the Sutras for this state is a transparent jewel which reflects only what is placed before it. This meditative state still has reference to something external to consciousness itself. In the final state of samadhi – variously referred to as nirbija-samadhi (samadhi “without seed”)or asamprajnata-samadhi (“abstract samadhi”) – there is no external reference. Consciousness is purely aware of itself.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The following are excerpts from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and several well-known Commentaries.
The Seer Abides in Its Own True Nature
“Now the teachings of yoga are presented. Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind. When that is accomplished, the seer abides in its own true nature.”
– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1
Practice and Dispassion, Established Over a Prolonged Period of Time
“The states of mind are stilled by practice and dispassion. From these, practice is the effort to be fixed in concentrating the mind. Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time. Dispassion is the controlled consciousness of one who is without craving for sense objects...”
– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1
OM, Objects of Meditation
“[The syllable om]’s repetition and the contemplation of it’s meaning should be performed. From this comes the realization of the inner consciousness and freedom from all disturbances. Or stability of mind is gained by exhaling and retaining the breath. Or else, focus on a sense object arises, and this causes steadiness of mind. Or the mind becomes steady when it has one who is free from desire as its object. Or steadiness of mind is obtained from meditation upon anything of one’s inclination.”
– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1
Seedless Samadhi
“The above-mentioned samapatti states are known as samadhi meditative absorption ‘with seed.’ Upon attaining the clarity of nirvicara-samadhi, there is lucidity of the inner self. In that state, there is truth-bearing wisdom... The samskaras born out of that truth-bearing wisdom obstruct other samskaras from emerging. Upon the cessation of even those truth-bearing samskaras, nirbija-samadhi, seedless meditative absorption, ensues.”
– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
“The eight limbs are abstentions, observances, posture, breath control, disengagement of the senses, concentration, meditation, and absorption.”
– Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2
The Final Goal of Yoga
"According to Patanjali's definition in the second sutra, yoga is the cessation of the activities or permutations (vrttis) of the citta. The vrttis refer to any sequence of thought, ideas, mental imaging, or cognitive act performed by the mind, intellect, or ego as defined above – in short, any state of mind whatsoever. It cannot be overstressed that the mind is merely a physical substance that selects, organizes, analyzes, and molds itself into the physical forms of sense data presented to it; in and of itself it is not aware of them. Sense impressions or thoughts are imprints in that mental substance, just as a clay pot is a product made from the substance of clay, or waves are permutations of the sea. The essential point for understanding yoga is that all forms or activities of the mind are products of prakrti, matter, and completely distinct from the soul or true self, purusa, pure awareness or consciousness.
The citta can profitably be compared to the software, and the body to the hardware. Neither is conscious; they are rather forms of gross matter, even as the former can do very intelligent activities. Both software and hardware are useless without the presence of a conscious observer. Only purusa is truly alive, that is, aware or conscious. When uncoupled from the mind, the soul, purusa, in its pure state, that is, in its own constitutional, autonomous condition – untainted by being misidentified with the physical coverings of the body and mind – is free of content and changeless; it does not constantly ramble and flit from one thing to another the way the mind does. To realize pure awareness as an entity distinct and autonomous from the mind (and, of course, the body), thought must be stilled and consciousness extracted from its embroilment with the mind and its incessant thinking nature. Only then can the soul be realized as an entity completely distinct from the mind (a distinction such cliches as "self-realization" attempt to express), and the process to achieve this realization is yoga...
Through grace or the sheer power of concentration, the mind can attain an inactive state where all thoughts remain only in potential but not active form. In other words, through meditation one can cultivate an inactive state of mind where one is not cognizant of anything. This does not mean to say that consciousness becomes extinguished, Patanjali hastens to inform us (as does the entire Upanishadic/Vedantic tradition); consciousness is eternal and absolute. Therefore, once there are no more thoughts or objects on its horizons or sphere of awareness, consciousness has no alternative but to become conscious of itself. In other words, consciousness can either be object-aware or subject aware (loosely speaking). The point is that it has no option in terms of being aware on some level, since awareness is eternal and inextinguishable. By stilling thought, meditation removes all objects of awareness. Awareness can therefore now be aware only of itself. It can now bypass or transcend all objects of thought, disassociate from even the pure sattvic citta, and become aware of its own source, the actual soul itself, purusa. This is self-realization (to use a neo-Vedantic term), the ultimate state of awareness, the state of consciousness in which nothing can be discerned except the pure self, asamprajnata-samadhi. This is the final goal of yoga and thus of human existence."
– Edwin Bryant Commentary on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, liii-lvii
Vyasa Introduction to the Yoga Sutras
“Atha denotes Adhikara, the commencement of a topic. The treatise on the Teaching of Yoga is to be understood to be begun here. Yoga here stands for Samadhi, Communion; and this Communion stands for that character of the Mind which pervades over all its various states. The states of Mind are: (1) Fickle, (2) Dull, (3) Distracted, (4) One-Pointed, and (5) Inhibited. When the Mind is in the distracted state, the Communion that may appear becomes subordinated to the distraction; and such Communion is not what is Yoga. That Communion however which appears in the one-pointed state of mind, illumines the true nature of things, destroys afflictions, loosens the karmic bonds, and brings one face to face with Inhibition proper, such Communion is called Concrete (Samprajnata) Yoga. This Yoga is attended by perception, conception, joy, and self-consciousness...The entire subjugation of all the functions of the Mind, including even these latter, constitutes what is called Abstract (Asamprajnata) Yoga.”
– Vyasa Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:1
Resources
Edwin Bryant (Translator and Commentator), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. New York: North Point Press, 2009.
Sri Swami Satchidananda (Translator and Commentator), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Buckingham: Integral Yoga, 2012.
Ganganatha Jha (Translator), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Vyasa Commentary. Madras: Asian Humanities Press, 1934.
Swami Vivekananda, Raja Yoga. Public Domain, 1896.
Pramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 2007.
Stephen Cope, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self. New York: Bantam, 2018.
Audio/Video
Edwin Bryant on the Yoga Sutras (also can be found on this site’s Blogcast)
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
For local Yogic Meditation groups and teaching, see the Integral Yoga Institute Center Directory. Most local yoga studios also have teaching and/or meditation offerings based on their unique lineage.
