Path of Fire and Light (08/11) Step 6: Commentary on Yoga Meditation

This series of videos is a commentary by Swami Jnaneshvara on the eight steps of Yoga Meditation as described by Swami Rama in his book Path of Fire and Light, Volume 2 (ISBN 0893891126). It was recorded at Swami Rama Center on the campus of the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences near Rishikesh (the location of Sadhana Mandir, Swami Rama's ashram) and Dehradun, India. These videos were made primarily for use by visitors to Swami Rama's ashram, which is beside the Ganges at the foothills of the Himalayas in Rishikesh, India, though I hope that all practitioners of yoga meditation enjoy them.

This particular video is commentary on step 6 of the 8 steps, the subject of which is learning to let go of thoughts arising from the unconscious. This is actually a skill unto itself. To practice letting go, we must practice letting thoughts first come forward. It is easy to fall into the trap of trying to block thoughts from coming forward from the unconscious, but that doesn't really work; many many people have discovered that it doesn't work to try to block or suppress the thinking process of mind. It is far better to cultivate allowing them to come so that we can, in turn, let them go on, which is what they will naturally do, as they are replaced by some other thought coming forward. This skill of letting go of thoughts rests on the foundation of the preceding 5 steps, particularly step 5, which is cultivating sankalpa, or determination to be not disturbed by thoughts coming forward. If you do not have this determination, it is not possible to practice the art of letting the thoughts naturally come and go. This skill of letting go also sets the stage for steps 7 and 8, which are inspecting thoughts and then learning to witness the entire flow of the unconscious coming forward into the conscious mind while remaining undisturbed, unaffected, and uninvolved.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Yoga
• Meditation