When is the last time you were able to sink into the zone? That place where you’re not trying to be in the moment, you just are. For some people, this state of mind occurs when they are being active, doing something like running, surfing, dancing, or listening to music. In yoga, we call this involuntary dhyana.
Wouldn’t it be freeing to make this happen voluntarily, without engaging in any physical activity? That is meditation.
One of the primary intentions in yoga and meditation is to center your mind and become grounded in the present moment. In our daily lives, it’s easy to become mired in the past and controlled by memories, patterns, and fears. Also, in our Western culture, the focus on the future, on doing, on achieving, on getting somewhere or buying something, pulls us out of the now.
When you first start a meditation practice, you may discover you actually have the attention span of a hummingbird. Students confess how they find meditation to be the ultimate challenge. When we finally sit still, we realize how we tend to have fleeting, often repetitive thoughts, sailing through our minds. Our brains can feel like we have a pack of wild monkeys bouncing off windowless walls. It’s a hilarious and often humbling experience to truly turn your focus inward and listen.
Distraction is easy. Focus is a challenge, but it is worth the effort.
Don’t we all want to feel more centered and clear? In our busy world, tuning out distractions and focusing on one single thing can feel unattainable. When you can sink into sustained attention, you are fully present and truly at the height of your personal power and light. Presence can equal freedom because you’ve released any attachment to future results and accepted what IS right now.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are considered the seminal text in yoga. Yoga is defined in Yoga Sutra 1.2: Chitta vritti nirodaha: Yoga is the ability to direct the mind without distraction or interruption. Or, put another way, quiet that pack of wild monkeys. It sounds simple, right? Simple yes, but not easy. Discipline, commitment, and patience are essential tools in developing a meditation habit.
With dedicated practice, you learn to tune out disruptions and simply focus on what’s happening minute-by-minute and breath-by-breath. True awareness and clarity arise when you are absorbed in the moment. Try one of our four meditation classes this week and embrace the present.
