How to meditate – The Patanjali Muni Way

The best method is to first create a rhythmic breathing pattern that is not irregular; then focus between the eyes with eyes closed; later shift the meditation point to the mind; when concentrating on mind, aspiring yogis will feel many changes coming to their body and spirit; the yogi should not give up; the plane of consciousness changes as the yogi continues meditating; finally, the Supreme Truth is revealed to the yogi. This is how to meditate according to Muni Patanjali.

We’ve already discussed Chitta and Vritti in yoga. Just to recap, Chitta (the material that creates a mind) is like a lake full of water, the bottom of the lake is your real self, and the water represents vrittis (ripples or disturbances). You can say that vrittis are disturbances that arise in lake due to external or internal factors. There are only two ways to be able to see the bottom of the lake – that is, your inner self:

1. The water should be pure and not muddy
2. The water is calm – that is, no ripples or waves etc are being produced

They mean a bit more than they appear. First is cleanliness. It refers to the purity of thoughts. It is not easy, but it is not impossible either. The second is to calm the mind. This too seems impossible but is perfectly attainable. You just need to practice with persistence.

I used the word persistence because it will seem impossible initially. Only after practicing for a few weeks, will you see some improvement. Once you reach there, the path ahead is easier. The initial phase is where many of us give up – looking for alternatives. But the thing is the same across all schools of yoga or rather, meditation.

How to do meditation?

Let’s talk about purification of the mind. The method of yoga is devised in a form that first you come across control over breathing, and thereby, purification of the thoughts. Then, slowly but steadily, you can control your thoughts so that the mind is calm. When the mind is calm, the yogi starts receiving knowledge about the Ultimate. It comes naturally, as does breathing. From there, perfection is not beyond. In the process of reaching out to the Ultimate, you may experience certain unexplainable things. These things show that you are on the right path. However, I know of people who got afraid by these things and left yoga completely.

The goal of yoga can be accomplished in different stages. You may mix them up but for most, there are the following stages.

1. Finding a place to practice
2. Posture
3. Breathe Control
4. Concentration and Meditation or Samaadhi

How to meditate – Finding a place for yoga

There are some guidelines as to how to practice meditation. One should find a secluded place for practicing yoga. It can be a separate room in a house or a particular corner of a room. The area must be clean and devoid of anything impure. It is best to light camphor and incense sticks before practicing so that the smell helps in guiding the spirit towards calmness.

In short, it should be a pleasant experience so that you yearn to practice more. If the experience is unpleasant, it becomes hard for aspiring yogis to practice. If it indeed becomes difficult, look for a different place and keep it pure and calm to help you practice yoga.

Sitting Postures for Meditation

If you are a beginner, the first few days of yoga practice are going to be tough. You have to figure out a posture that allows you to sit for long without numbing your legs. Ideally, padmasana is prescribed for yoga but it can be difficult for some. The main idea is to keep the brain, neck, and spinal cord straight. However, sitting stiff in that position for long can give you a sore back or neck.

For the first few days, take breaks practicing a single posture for meditation, while trying to control your breath so that you do not feel sore and numb. At the same time, try to find a posture that allows you to sit in one place for long – keeping the spine, neck, and head in a straight line. It is okay to stretch out at regular intervals to avoid numbness/soreness.

This pose (image 1) is known as Padmasana (lotus posture). It allows a person to sit in the same posture for a long time. Look at the positioning of your feet. The left foot is placed on the right thigh and the right foot is on the left thigh. In the case of Padmasana, both knees touch the ground, thereby dispersing body weight properly.

However, some people may not be that flexible. Also, the above asana is not good for people with knee and ankle problems. It is not recommended for pregnant women either. If you are not comfortable with the above posture, try the Sukhasana (Happy posture). It is shown in the image below.

In this posture (image 2), people’s feet are below the thighs as shown in the above figure. The left foot is below the right thigh and the right foot is below the left thigh. This posture is easier, so you can begin with it. You may have to shift weight from one leg to another as sitting in this pose for longer durations may cause discomfort. Also, blood circulation to the legs is affected so take care of releasing the stress by moving and adjusting your feet at regular intervals.

The third posture I picked up is from the different postures they use while offering namaaz. This third position can be used when your body is not flexible much. It looks like the image below

This is the easiest for sitting down for the people who have flexibility issues. In this pose, the feet are behind buttocks. Each buttock rests on the corresponding leg. It helps you sit longer but affects the blood circulation in legs, nonetheless. In this case, the body weight is transferred entirely to hind legs, so it might be more convenient for older people.

The Padmasana pose (image 1) is better as it allows you to sit for hours – once you are comfortable with it. Initially, when practicing the posture first mentioned, you might have to shift your feet, neck etc. to maintain equilibrium. Once you are at ease, the pose allows you to sit as such for hours. That is the posture recommended by many, including me. You can start with posture 3 or posture 2 and eventually get to posture 1 (padmasana) by practicing a bit of it every day.

Meditation Step by Step – Taking Control of Breath

While trying to be comfortable with posture, you should focus on your breathing process. Breathing is called Prana (life). There are different ways to breathe in and out. Some people breathe by expanding their stomach so that the lungs get sucked in and air goes inside. Others draw in breath so that the lungs expand upwards and the stomach goes in, towards the spine. This is the method mentioned by many yoga methods for breathing

Try to practice the second method where you employ your stomach to breathe in and out. This will take time and depends upon several conditions. It cannot be learned in a day or two. It will take at least a week if you practice for – say, an hour every day! That’s just an approximation. You may learn it sooner or it might take longer, depending upon your abilities.

In the initial phase, just breath by pulling your stomach inside and release. In the process, your lungs will expand inside the diaphragm towards up and fill in with air. Once you master this, and it comes automatically, you have to practice rhythmic breathing. Here, you breathe in, hold the breath for a while, and then release the breath suddenly. There is no timing prescribed, but you can use two seconds for breathing in, hold breath for a second, and release it as fast as you can. You can increase the timing later.

The more you practice, the pure your senses will become. The more you breathe properly, the more you purify your senses. In the initial days of yoga, you’ll find too much disturbance. You will be losing concentration again and again. Do not think about concentration while trying to control and train your breathing. You can do it later. First make sure you get the rhythmic breathing pattern. Then move to concentration.

Concentration in Meditation

Concentration can be frustrating. Most people give up here. This is the most difficult part for beginners because the mind is pretty active – reminding you of things, planning things, and doing everything to make you lose focus on yoga. It can be pretty frustrating, and some may simply go – ‘I can’t do it; my brain won’t allow it’. But remember that the aim of yoga is to control the mind and brain to the extent where you perceive not only calmness but also are fed with cosmic knowledge.

Concentration will not come in a day or two. Neither in a week. It might take several weeks before you are able to concentrate. The question here is “what to concentrate on”.

An idea is to concentrate at the midpoint between your eyes with your eyes closed. You just have to keep trying to concentrate and focus on that middle point while keeping the brain muscles at ease. In the beginning, when you try to concentrate between the eyes, you will notice that the brain muscles are stressed/tense. You have to go back and release them before concentrating again on the point between your eyes. This will take some time but will surely come if you do not give up.

It is of no use trying to fight thoughts either. The more you fight them, the more powerful they become. These are Vrittis – disturbances that try to deviate you from the path of yoga. Try to ignore them. Keep coming back to the midpoint between your eyes. You will then see that the thoughts go away on their own and you are able to concentrate better.

How to meditate?

Once you are able to concentrate with relaxed brain and almost zero thoughts, you should connect yourself to the Supreme. You will have to continue concentrating until the mind stops wandering. When the mind stops creating its own disturbances, you will be connected to the constant stream of knowledge that was blocked all your life. The mind starts receiving knowledge about the divine and unseen. You feel connected to God.

You become wiser and know what to do. If you continue further, you may also be able to become one with God so that you can see the truth – from past or future – just like that. You do not have to reason. Reasoning is an attribute of the mind.

Do not mistake calmness for dullness. Dullness is having no thoughts because there is something lacking. Calmness is because you are able to remove all thoughts.

Meditation is union of soul and body with God. Meditation is being able to receive divine knowledge without having to read books. Nothing can displace your mood once you reach here. You can keep your brain calm at all times and thus become a loved one of God, as pointed out in the “Bhagavad Gita.”

The above explains how to meditate – the basics, according to Muni Patanjali. Let us know in comments if you have any doubts or anything to add.

Download the Yoga Sutras in English PDF

You can also download Muni Patanjali Yoga Sutras English PDF. It is a summary of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali in PDF form that you can consult whenever you want.

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