Experimenting with Meditation & Yoga

Sambit Rath 1411262

Background I have been aware of Yoga since a long time. It is now that I know what does in mean, and

how has it been portrayed in Bhagwat Gita. Being born in a traditional Hindu family I had

been exposed to Yoga and Gita early in my life. But, I did not have time for it and though I

had practiced it a few times I never followed it sincerely.

It is very aptly said that “we don’t find yoga, but yoga finds us”. The onus lies on us to accept

the proposal. I had never accepted yoga as a part of my life. It’s only after I joined MBA I

have taken life seriously and have been a sincere person in the true sense. And, when I was

suggested to perform Yoga and experiment on the same, I was eager to it this time.

Experimentation & Results When I had started Yoga some years ago, the initial days were very difficult and I used to

hate getting up early in the morning to do some Aasanas, I did not understand. But, this

time I was aware of this, and I decided to give it a try. I followed some was “Yoga Asanas”

for a period of one week. I tried out “Bhujangasana” or the cobra pose, I could do this

perfectly. Out of curiosity, I tried “Mayurasana” and I failed miserably. I had grown fat over

a period of years, and it was impossible for me to do the same. I tried “hunter’s bow”,

“boat” and “wheel” poses and suffered cramps. Finally after 2-3 days I could do the “Boat

pose”. I performed the “breathe in and breathe out “or “Pranayam” exercises. I tried out the

“Asanas” and practiced meditation, on a daily basis.

But, again I was wondering “how was I doing something I was not interested in?”

I tried to find this answer by trying to connect myself with the divine. I chanted “Aum” with concentration. Krishna , in chapter 6 of Bhagwat Gita, says that “Yoga is selfless, cleansing, freeing, balancing, inspiring, and joyfully performed: a vision in which one experiences peaceful interconnectedness with all life around them. “1 I could feel the same after 2-3 days. Earlier, I was worried and concerned about so many things. I could feel the vibrations of the chant, all the way up to the divine and blessings being showered on me. Chanting and reducing the levels helped me build up my concentration. Yoga helped me to relax and I could feel, my concentration improving in class. The silence after the chant was a pure bliss.

According, to Krishna , Yoga is impossible for those who have extremes in sleeping and eating. For first two days I faces some problems and changed my eating and sleeping habit. I could not sleep early because of high blood pressure, but doing Yoga was quite effective. I could sleep peacefully at night.

Krishna also goes on to say that doing yoga brings steadiness into mind. I could feel that as well, after 5 days. My mind stopped wandering & wavering and my concentration power increased a lot.

Physically, I became active as well. At least I felt so because my muscles started becoming strong and supple. Earlier, walking one kilometre distance used to cause pain in my body.

1 http://www.yoga4.net/

Now, after seven day I feel that I can jog freely and traces of pain have also vanished. Yoga also improved the functioning of my digestive system. Also, I used to suffer from Sinusitis, i.e. cold and cough because of cold weather of Bangalore. Surprisingly, since one week there are no traces of the same. My immunity seems to have increased. At the end of the day I used to feel drained and exhausted. Now, I feel that I am active and fresh all the time.

The meditation infused in me a feeling of peace. Now, I can meditate even when there is chaos all around me, can study when cultural festivals are going on. In Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna says “Yoga is a heightened sensitivity and awareness of all life around us and within

us, and an outpour of love in reciprocation with life’s wonder and beauty. “2Earlier, I could not find any time to interact with my parents and relatives. In the hectic B-school environment it was very difficult to maintain a good relationship. Even if I did find time, I used to be disturbed. I used to get irritated and used to fight a lot. Hence, I used to neglect the relationships. But, now my mind was calmed, I could strengthen the bonds and make amends.

My mind was constantly bothered about the mistakes done in the past and about what wil happen in the future. It has always oscillated. Hence, I used to neglect the present, and underperform. But, I feel that the oscillation has stopped and I have found peace. Pranayama and Yoga have increased my awareness and have brought my mind back to normalcy. Now, I can analyse things better, my intuition power is getting better. I could relate this to words of Lord Krishna when he defined Yoga as “Yoga is sacrifice that elevates us, motivates us, actively engages us and does so in a manner that is harmonious to all other living beings.”

Conclusion

Lord Krishna defines as “Yoga is a pure, determined force that moves us toward the

mysterious and secret, and connects us with the wonderfulness of existence, of being, and of

all life itself. “3

Yoga is continuous process which needs practice. It develops the body and mind and brings in a lot of health benefits. I have experienced some through my experience. I will keep on practicing and experimenting with yoga in future and hopefully will be able to reap more benefits out of it.

2 http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/02/krishnas-10-definitions-of-yoga-in-the-bhagavad-gita/ 3 http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/02/krishnas-10-definitions-of-yoga-in-the-bhagavad-gita/