Sunday, September 9, 2012

8th Limb of Yoga- Samadhi
(enlightenment, absorbtion, liberation, steady mind)

"As a tethered bird grows tired of flying
About in vain to find a place of rest
And settles down at last on its own perch,
So the mind, tired of wandering about
Hither and thither, settles down at last
In the Self, dear one, to which it is bound."
- Chandogya Upanishad, Eknath Easwaran translation

Ideally everything we do, every yoga pose, comes from a settled place.

There is a part of us that's always settled.

All of the yoga practices create a sense of settling and it builds over time.

Liberation is freedom from residues. -Buddha

Samadhi is complete absorption; it is knowing that we are part of the great ocean of consciousness and feeling no separateness from it.

It is a steady mind.  A person with a steady mind is quiet inside.

In our yoga poses we establish steadiness first in our foundation- that part of us which is touching the ground.  Root down through your heels, press out through the base of your index fingers and thumbs.