Thinking about Meditation on Yoga Day

Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

In the vast expanse that is yoga, there’s a mountain I believe shines above everything else. Like the Himalayas, for instance, which rise above the surrounding plains and valleys in a way that has been beckoning explorers for ages.

That majestic mountain I’m pointing to is meditation.

For the past seven years that I’ve been meditating (in my modest room or the local park, not in a cave), it has steadily grown as a rock-solid anchor in my life. And while I’ve written a few posts on meditation before, it’s a topic I can return to, again and again.

In my conversations with friends and strangers alike, one question that often pops up is what meditation really is, how to define it, or what all it involves. If you sit still cross-legged, close your eyes and try not to think, are you meditating? How long can you stay in a meditative state? What meditation app would I recommend? And so on.

Just out of curiosity, when I checked the Google Play Store, I was surprised to find that there is a bewildering array of apps one can download for meditation. Maybe there’s a huge market for that and people are willing to make money on one side and pay for learning the ropes of meditation on the other. But thus far, I haven’t felt compelled to try any of these apps out, staying content instead with my own practice, method and quirks.

After seven years, I’m only beginning to feel confident about what meditation is and what it is not. And I continue to grapple with how to capture this wonderful phenomenon beautifully and succinctly in words.

I wouldn’t call them textbook or dictionary definitions but let me share a few thoughts I have had on meditation. Some of these I may have shared before in other posts or tweets, so please pardon me in case it sounds repetitive.

I like to call them meditations on meditation.

Like most good things in life, I believe that meditation is a journey, a process, something that goes on—and not an achievement or destination you can think of in terms of going from A to B. (Except perhaps when you consider attaining Samadhi, the final stage of meditation under Ashtanga Yoga. And that is something only the rarest of yogis are said to be capable of. You can read about about the eight limbs of yoga and some interesting anecdotes in my blog post, “Beyond Asana: Yoga, its Ancient Roots…”)

Hope you’ll enjoy reading and reflecting on these “meditations” as much as I did putting them into words:

~ Meditation is the process of setting yourself free from the prison of your own desires.

~ Meditation is neither slumber nor a sprint; it’s a walk in the garden of spiritual delights.

~ The essence of meditation is to be with yourself for as long as you wish in an inner atmosphere of freedom, trust and tranquility.

~ Meditation takes you away from the torrent of oppressive thoughts into the inexplicable joy of stillness.

~ Meditation is the crucible of the soul.

~ Meditation is the process of churning your soul to receive the milk of divine consciousness.

~ Meditation allows you to dispassionately engage with the whole universe.

~ Meditation is the silent wellspring of wisdom.

~ Meditation is the key to transforming your monkey mind into a monk.

And last but not the least, a favorite of mine:

~ Meditation is an uplifting journey from Trishna to Krishna.

(Trishna means covetous longing or craving. Krishna is one of Hindu God Vishnu’s avatars on earth in some distant past that some call Itihaas or history and others term mythology. For me, the idea of “Trishna to Krishna” implies living a life of longing, and then moving on to join our individual soul with the supreme soul. This notion is embedded into the very word yoga, which is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj” that means “to join”.)

So, happy meditating! I look forward to your views and comments.

Namaskar :)


Disclaimer: While I often refer to and personally like the Hindu philosophy because I find it the most diverse, deep and liberal among all worldviews, I constantly seek to learn from the best of all other belief systems with an open mind.