meditation is a practice of svadhyaya (self knowledge)

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Meditation is a practice of svadhyaya (self knowledge) Mind Breath Body (C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

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Meditation is a practice of svadhyaya (self knowledge). Mind. Body. Breath. Reasons to Meditate. What is your reason? Accessing inner stillness Calming the monkey mind Reduce anxiety Improve focus Improve breathing Curiosity Mental healing Seems like a good idea. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Meditationis a practice of svadhyaya (self knowledge)

Mind

Breath

Body

Page 2: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Page 3: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Reasons to MeditateWhat is your reason?Accessing inner stillnessCalming the monkey mindReduce anxietyImprove focusImprove breathingCuriosityMental healingSeems like a good idea

Page 4: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Physical preparation•Where? Find a good spot, light, uncluttered, sit in

comfort, good posture.

•When? Regular time promotes good habits.

•What do I need?: Chair or cushion, music, blanket or shawl, guided tape, breath meditation.

•Note: Good food and exercise prepares the body for meditation. They contribute to good flow of prana (energy)

Page 5: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Mental preparationThinking cannot be stopped! But not minding the mind is

hard.

There is no such thing as being a great or bad meditator

Don’t have any expectations to ‘get results’.

Group meditations are good as we can ‘feed’ of each other’s energy.

The body has needs that can be fulfilled like food, water and rest, but the mind has desires that can never be fulfilled.

Page 6: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Where is our attention?What do we notice?

1.Awareness/mindfulness

2. Attention

3. Focus

4. Mind’s eye/ third eye

Page 7: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

The Breath

Awareness on the breath:

Noticing the breath is a basic meditation

techniqueborrowed from the

Buddhist philosophy

Parasympathetic nervous system responds to the breath: relaxation

Page 8: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

The 5 SensesPratyahara = sense withdrawal

Note: Acknowledgement is important

see

touch

hear

smell

taste

Page 9: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Creating Inner StillnessBeing the witness

Just observe

Mindful

No judgment

No like or dislike

No urges

Page 10: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

The chaotic mind (Monkey Mind)

ChaosFuture

plans

Sensations of body

Memories

fantasies

processingEgo –

inner chatter mood

Thoughts

Like/Dislike

knowledge

Reactive mind

Desires

Emotions

Witnessing the mind

Page 11: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Tendencies of the mind (1)Demands constant entertainment

Is attached to sensory perception and gratification

Is attracted to drama, habitually re-lives traumatic events from the past, causing us to re-experience pain, shame or guilt.

Worries, has anxiety or fear for the future)

It constantly chatters/criticizes (committee of the mind – more later)

Page 12: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Tendencies of the mindThe mind can create ‘untruths’ that we perceive as truths

(think of unreasonable fears eg. of mice, flying, boats etc. We can also re-combine memories into events that may be remembered ‘wrongly’ .

The mind is fluid and quick, subject to constant change. To live with harmoniously, we need practice to detach from its chaos.

Like the body, the mind works habitually, repeating patterns that have been set in place. (Samskara) We need change these habits if they don’t serve us well.

Our moods, which are created by the mind are always changing

Page 13: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

Qualities of awarenessWhat /Where is awareness?Awareness is like the witness, also mindfulnessAlways remains stableNon-judgmentalSometimes we confuse awareness with our ego

or the chatter (the Committee of the Mind)Awareness is connected to the universal truthAwareness is closely connected to our intuition

Page 14: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga

When meditation stills the mind

Chaos

All the components of chaos have been moved into the background of the mind

We are quietly witnessing, observing

Experiencing inner stillness

Bliss

Page 15: Meditation is a practice of  svadhyaya  (self knowledge)

(C) 2013 Inner Sanctum Yoga