Before you skim past this section
because the idea of meditation sounds
too far out there for you, let me tell you
a little secret. If you’ve been practicing
the poses or working on ujjayi breathing,
you’ve practiced meditation.
As you might remember from the beginning of this book,
yoga was broken down into eight different principles. One
of these areas was meditation, or dhyana. This was the last
limb in Patanjali’s ashtanga before one would reach samadhi,
or the highest state of being where the mind and body are
fully merged.
Everything you’ve worked on up until this point has
been leading you here, and now it’s time to begin a medita-
tion practice. This does not mean that you have to run off to
some foreign land and commit to a vow of silence; in fact,
it can be quite the opposite. You can practice meditation
through walking or doing the poses. A more traditional med-
itation involves sitting comfortably and closing your eyes
for a few minutes or an hour. Like other aspects of yoga, in
meditation you are looking for what works for you.