7:30am Meditation
Lesson (10 min) – sutras III.9 to 13; continued discussing the three phases or levels of meditation: focus, prolonged focus, and absorption. The latter is effectively a self-induced trance: like dreaming, though you’re aware that you’re controlling the content of your thoughts, so much so, that you’re simultaneously unaware of anything else: where you are, what day or time it is, even what you’re doing!– until something brings you out of it like a doorbell or phone.
We read from Swmaij.com about the three states of transition between the three levels of meditation. He uses the analogy of attending a concert:
As you wait for the concert to start, your mind is naturally scattered: chasing sensations, drawn to sounds of conversations, smells of food and perfume, sights of people.
- As the concert begins, you experience the first transition: from a scattered state of mind to a focused one (dharana) as you turn your attention to the stage. Satchidananda says in dharana, you experience the end of desire.
- As you begin to enjoy the performance, you experience the second transition: your focused state of mind becomes prolonged (dhyana) as the performance holds your attention. Satchidananda says in dhyana, you experience the end of sorrow.
- After prolonged focus (dhyana), you experience the third transition: you become absorbed in the concert to the exclusion of everything else (absorption = samadhi). Satchidananda says in samadhi, you experience the end of fear.
Seated conscious abdominal breathing (15 min)
Seated concentration (5 min)
Seated stretches (5 min)
9:00am Practice
Standing stretches (5 min)
Tadasana (5 min) https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/mountain-pose
Gigong monk’s boat (15 min) mindful standing synchronization of movement, breath, and thought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icS_WezFlJE
Sun salutation (15 min) mindful flowing sequence of seven different classic yoga poses, again synchronizing movement, breath, and thought https://www.yogajournal.com/videos/salute-the-sun-modified
Utthita Trikonasana (10 min) 2x each side; hold each pose 90 seconds https://www.yogajournal.com/videos/extended-triangle-pose
Seated conscious abdominal breathing (5 min)
Seated concentration (5 min)
