Cyrus Ryan's Blog - Posts Tagged "yoga"

In the Vedas, the root philosophy of ancient India, there was a discipline called ‘neti- neti’, which means,” not this, not that”. When you connect with your center of awareness which is like a center of gravity then you can see the steady stream of thoughts that constantly arise flowing across the horizon of your awareness, you see your feelings arise reacting to the thoughts. Then from this awakening point of conscious tension you can say, I am not my thoughts or feelings, – ‘not this, not that’. Then try to feel that you are a “point of light within the greater light”, let it become a momentary reality for you. This is just the beginning. It is the doorway to the Path. This is when you pull back into your ‘real self’, the unconditioned self the “Essential Nature”. In Yoga this is ‘pratyahara’ the first inner yoga of the Astanga Yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Pratyahara, or centering has to be accomplished first, creating a center of gravity, a point where your awareness is focused, a point of tension. The next step is dharana or concentration before reaching dhyana or meditation as outlined in the Yoga Sutras. Meditation in the real sense is not just sitting still in ‘padma asana’ watching your breath or visualizing rainbows. Esoteric meditation is an intense, active effort.