Mental calmness by breathing exercises

Pathanjali Yoga Sutras: Samadhi pada

Sutra 34: 'Prachchardhan - vidharanabhyaam vaa pranaasyah'

The mind may also be calmed by expulsion and retention of the breath.

Explanation:

The word used here by Pathanjali is Prana. Prana actually means energy - the vital energy which we draw into ourselves from the surrounding universe. Since this energy is obtained primarily by breathing, we may translate prana as 'breath' in this particular context.

Later on, we shall learn more about the system of breathing exercises to which Pathanjali refers. It is known as Pranayama. But, without going into details, it is necessary to make two general observations here.

First, we must note that Pathanjali sees control of the mind as a psychological problem. In this he agrees with modern scientific thought. Studies of breathing have shown that the method of respiration affects the whole organism. Calmness can actually be induced by deep steady inhalations and exhalations. Mental disturbances and despondency are accompanied ( as Pathanjali notes in sutra 31 of this chapter) by irregular breathing; rapid, shallow and uncontrolled.

Secondly, it must never be forgotten that Pranayama is merely a physical means to a spiritual end. Many uninformed people imagine that yoga is nothing but a system of breathing exercises and complicated postures -- "holding your breath and standing on your head". When they speak of "yoga" they really mean Hatha yoga, which is the correct name for this system of exercises, as originally practiced in ancient India. Hatha yoga was designed to prepare the aspirant for spiritual experience by perfecting his body; but it has been condemned by spiritual teachers because it tends, in practice, to concentrate the mind upon the body itself. In the West, it is to be found in a completely degenerated form, as a cult of physical beauty and prolonged youth. As such it may be effective, certainly, but also dangerous. Overindulgence in breathing exercises, just for the sake of agreeable "Oxygen-jag" which they produce, may lead to hallucinations and possibly, insanity. And even at best, an excessive preoccupation with our physical appearance and well-being is obviously a distraction, causing us to forget, in silly vanity, our proper purpose.

--Swami Prabhavanada.

How we should be with others?

Pathanjali's Yoga Sutras: Samadhi pada

Sutra 33) 'Maithri -karunaa muditha upekshanaam sukha dukha punya apunya vishayanam bhavanaath ashchitta prashadanam'

Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indiffrence toward the wicked.

Explanation:

In order to achieve concentration, we must calm and purify our minds. Pathanjali now tells us how to do this. He prescribes the mental attitude we should take toward our neighbors in this world. If we meet someone who is happy in his way of life, we are inclined to envy him and be jealous of his success. We must learn to rejoice in it, as we take pleasure in the happiness of a friend. If someone is unhappy, we should feel sorry for him, instead of despising him or criticizing him for bringing misfortunes upon himself. The virtue of others is apt to irritate us, because we take it as a reflection upon our own shortcomings. We are tempted to sneer at it and suggest that it is only hypocrisy. On the contrary, we should delight in it and see it as an inspiration to ourselves to do better. As for the wicked, we must remember Christ's words: "Be not overcome of evil". If someone harms us or hates us, our first instinct is to answer him with hatred and injury. We may succeed in injuring him, but we shall be injuring ourselves much more, and our hatred will throw our own minds into confusion. So we must practice indifference toward the hurts we receive from others with awareness. We must go behind the wickedness of the wicked and try to understand what makes them treat us in that way. Very often we shall discover that we ourselves are partly to blame for their attitude.There may be provocation on both sides.

Our proper approach toward our fellow human beings is summed up in one of the first of the Hindu monastic vows:"The bees seek honey. I will shun the habit of the flies and follow that of the bees. I will refrain from finding faults in others and look only for the good which is in them". That is a vow which we should all take and try to live up to.

- Swami Prabhavananda.

Single mindedness

Pathanjali's Yoga Sutras: Samadhi pada

Sutra 32: 'Tatprathishedhaartham ekatva abhyaasah'

They (Obstacles to knowledge) can be removed by the practice of concentration upon a single truth.

Explanation:

God has many aspects, and so there are innumerable approaches to him. Pathanjali will deal with some of them, later, in detail. This sutra simply stresses the importance of single-mindedness. When the aspirant has chosen his ideal form of the Godhead and his way of approaching it, he must host fast to that. Some people are apt to be too catholic in their attitude to religion; they try a little of this cult, a little of that, and fail to follow any one path through to the goal where all are united. Sri Ramakrishna compared them to the man who digs a number of shallow wells, but never goes deep enough to find water anywhere.

In order to achieve this concentration, we must calm and purify our minds. Pathanjali tells us how to do this. We will know about this in next sutra.

Concentration practices mentioned in Yoga Sutras 34-39, Samadhi pada

Sutra 34: "prachchhardana vidharanabhyam va pranayama"

"The mind is also calmed by regulating the breath, particularly attending to exhalation and the natural stilling of breath that comes from such practice."

Awareness of breath: One of the finest methods there is to stabilize and calm the mind is breath awareness. First, be aware of the transitions between the breaths, and allow them to be smooth, without an abrupt transition, and without pausing between breaths. Consciously practice seeing how delicately smooth you can make the transitions. Allow the breath to be quiet, and to have no jerkiness.

Elongation of exhalation: Second, after establishing sound and steady awareness of the breath, allow the exhalation to gradually elongate, such that the amount of time spent exhaling is longer than the amount of time inhaling. The air will move outward more slowly with exhalation than with inhalation. Gradually allow the ratio to be two to one, where the exhalation is approximately twice as long as the inhalation. Pranayama is often translated as breath control. The rootayama actually means lengthening. Thus, pranayama more specifically meanslengthening the life force.

Not rechaka, puraka, and kumbhaka: There are other breathing practices that include rechaka (exhalation), puraka (inhalation) and kumbhaka (intentional holding of the breath). These practices are not the intent here in this sutra, particularly not the practice of breath retention. Though these may be useful practices at some stage of practice, they are not the subject of this sutra in relation to stabilizing the mind and making it tranquil.

Sutra 35: "vishayavati va pravritti utpanna manasah sthiti nibandhani"

"The inner concentration on the process of sensory experiencing, done in a way that leads towards higher, subtle sense perception; this also leads to stability and tranquility of the mind."

Meditation on the means of sensing: This practice is on becoming aware of the inner process of sensation (not merely the objects), using the five cognitive senses (indriyas) of smelling, tasting, seeing, touching, and hearing. It does not mean pursuing the object that you are experiencing, such as the sound you are hearing or the image you are seeing. Rather, it means trying to become aware of sensing itself. Initially, the sensing is at a more surface or gross level. Ultimately, the intent of the practice is to witness the higher or subtler inner senses.

Sutra 36: "vishoka va jyotishmati"

"Or concentration on a painless inner state of lucidness and luminosity also brings stability and tranquility."

The ancient yogis believed that there was an actual centre of spiritual consciousness, called "the lotus of the heart ", situated between the abdomen and the thorax, which could be revealed in deep meditation. They claimed that it had the form of a lotus and that it shone with an inner light.

It was said to be " beyond sorrow", since those who saw it were filled with an extraordinary sense of peace and joy.

The easiest way to practice this is to place your attention in the space between the breasts, the heart center. Simply imagine that there is a glowing luminosity there, about the size of the palm of your hand. Whether or not you literally see with your inner eye is not important; the practice works either way. Maintain an inner attitude that it does not matter what other thoughts, images, impressions or memories might arise in the mind field; you will hold that stance that these will not disturb or distract you. Stay only with that glowing inner luminosity in the heart.

Sutra 37: "vita raga vishayam va chittam"

"Or contemplating on having a mind that is free from desires, the mind gets stabilized and tranquil."

Imagine a mind free from desire: One way to do this practice is to think of some great sage, yogi, or spiritual person you respect. Simply imagine what their mind would be like if they were sitting quietly for meditation. Then, pretend that your own mind is as quiet as you think his or hers would be. It is a trick of your own mind to imagine in this way, but it is an extremely useful practice for stabilizing your own mind.

Imagine your own mind free from desire: Another method is to imagine what your own mind would be like if it were temporarily free from any desires, wants, wishes, attractions, aversions, or expectations. It is like a game you are playing with yourself, wherein you see if you can pretend that your mind is in this tranquil state. With a little practice, this works amazingly well.

Sutra 38: "svapna nidra jnana alambanam va"

"Or by focusing on the nature of the stream in the dream state or the nature of the state of dreamless sleep, the mind becomes stabilized and tranquil."

Focusing on the stream of the dream state or the nature of dreamless sleep will stabilize the mind and make it stable. It is extremely important to note that this is not meaning dreaming or dream analysis. To learn to allow these streams to flow, and to witness that stream is very calming. To witness the stream is a stabilizing influence, not a deep meditation or samadhi beyond the mind.

Sutra 39: "yatha abhimata dhyanat va"

"Or by contemplating or concentrating on whatever object or principle one may like, or towards which one has a predisposition, the mind becomes stable and tranquil."

Meditate on the object of your predisposition: This sutra is making it very clear that the key principle in the stabilizing of the mind and the removal of obstacles is one-pointedness. Obviously, saying that one may focus on any object or principle that one feels predisposed towards is a broad statement. Wisdom should guide the choice of object for concentration.

Mantra: One of the finest means of focusing, training and stabilizing the mind is through mantra.

Virtually everybody already knows this principle of focusing on something enjoyable as a means of stabilizing the mind. However, the relative usefulness of the object chosen is a very different matter. Watching television, playing a game, listening to music, having a conversation, or many other activities may concentrate the mind enough to partially let go of the mental chatter from the activities of the day. While the principle of one-pointedness is in all of these, and may have some benefit, the meditator will learn to choose more refined objects to stabilize the mind for meditation. Remember, in this section and sutra we are talking about stabilizing and clearing the mind, not about deep meditation itself. This level of one-pointedness provides the stable foundation for the subtler meditation practices.

At the same time, however- as has been remarked in sutra 32, - we must limit ourselves to one way of seeking and keep to that ; otherwise we shall waste all our energies in mere spiritual "window shopping." We must never forget, though the Reality is everywhere, we can only make contact with it in our own hearts. As the great saint Kabir says in one of his most famous poems.

I laugh when I hear that the fish

in the water is thirsty.

You wander restlessly from forest

to forest while the Reality

is within your own dwelling.

The truth is here! Go where you will--

to Benaras or to Mathura;

until you have found God

in you own soul, the whole world

will seem meaningless to you.

Power of mind... attained through concentration(Samadhi)

Pathanjali Yoga Sutra Samadhi Pada,

Sutra 35: 'Vishayavathi va pravrytthih utpanna manasah sthithi nibandhini'

"The concentration on subtle sense perception called Visayavati cause steadiness of mind."

Explanation:

Because most of us are naturally sceptical, despite our affirmed "beliefs", we need to be reassured that the powers of mind over matter really exist. Despite countless, well-documented experiments, carried out under the strictest laboratory conditions, we still smile apologetically when we speak of telepathy and precognition. If we have studied the subject at all, we cannot exactly disbelieve that such things are possible, but still -- they haven't happened to us. Until they do, the mind harbors its little germ of doubt.

Pathanjali therefore recommends that we shall try to develop some "subtle sense perceptions" for ourselves. We are told that if a man concentrates on the tip of his nose he will smell wonderful perfumes. If concentration is fixed on the tip of the tongue, a supernormal sense of taste will result; if on the palate, a supernormal sense of color; if on the middle of the tongue, a supernormal sense of touch; if on the root of the tongue, a supernormal sense of hearing.

Such powers of no value in themselves, but they at least serve to prove what can be done with the mind, just as acrobatic tricks in a gymnasium prove how powerful and flexible a trained human body can become. Thus we begin to understand that everything is possible to those who can concentrate, and so we are encouraged to persevere, to break through the barriers of ordinary sense-perception and press forward fearlessly in our search for inner knowledge. The mental strength gained through these exercises in concentration can be used for the most practical purposes of all; to unite ourselves with the Atman.

- Swami Prabhavananda.