thoughts. The mind has temporarily relinquished its
attachment to time and space and is immersed in the
eternal, infinite realm of pure awareness. This is the
experience sometimes known as samadhi. With regular
practice, the expansive awareness that you glimpse during
meditation begins to permeate your life outside of medita-
tion. The relaxation you gain while meditating extends
into your activity. The ability to consciously experience
nonlocal and local awareness simultaneously is the
essence of yoga—established in a state of unity conscious-
ness while being fully engaged in the world of forms and
phenomena.
All of the Seven Spiritual Laws are in play during medi-
tation. The process is governed by the Law of Pure
Potentiality, which takes your mind to the domain of all
possibilities beyond thought. Allowing mental activity to
come and go without restriction expresses the principle of
the Law of Giving and Receiving. Not indulging in the
meaning of the thoughts that arise allows you to tran-
scend the Law of Karma. The core principle of meditation
is the Law of Least Effort, for the nonlocal field of aware-
ness is also the domain of least effort. The state of nonlocal
awareness, beyond thought, time, space, and causality,
cannot be accessed through force. You utilize the Law of
Intention and Desire by having the intention to relin-
quish your need to control, resist, or anticipate during the
practice ofmeditation. The Law of Detachment is essen-
tial, for the only way to get to the field of unbounded
awareness is by letting go. Finally, the Law of Dharma is
active because it is the nature of the mind to seek ever-
expanding realms of bliss and wisdom. It is the dharma of
94 The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga