Importance of Sitting Still

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Sthira sukham asanam ~ Patanjali

Which ever pose helps you to be still and steady with ease can be called as Asana.

If somebody were to ask you, "Can you sit still for an hour doing nothing?", what would be your response? Some people may respond with "Oh! that is easy and I would love that" where as some other may respond with "I cannot sit idle for that long. I would rather do something productive"

Here is a small exercise for you in case you are not habituated to meditation. Take out half an hour and absolutely free yourself. Make sure you block out every appointment, switch off the phone and if required lock yourself in a room.

Promise yourself that you would sit still for 15 minutes and try not to move a single muscle. Try to concentrate on the breathing. I am recommending to concentrate on breathing since this will make this task easier; but it really is up to to you. Purpose here is not to practice meditation, but to sit still and see the effects.

Once you start this exercise you would soon see how difficult it is to sit still even for 5 minutes. You start thinking about various events in the past and also what is likely to happen in future. You will suddenly feel like finishing some urgent task.

Then, if you notice carefully, you would be able to observe the uneasiness in the body also. You may feel itching sensation at various places, or little uncomfortable in the back, or stiffness in the legs. You will soon feel like just moving or straightening the back, or adjusting the neck a little.

The urge to move the body parts is very strong and you will feel see how difficult it is to sit idle. Basically the mind does not wants to allow you to sit idle.

When I first learned about yoga, several years ago, I was skeptical — In my mind it was more of an exercise form, and that too not very impressive since everything happened so slowly; don’t we need to be active for the exercise to be good and gain more benefits, and isn't yoga suitable only for lazy people who pretended to exercise?

Today, I’m happy to say I’m a complete fan of Yoga, practice it and love it and also sit still.

Why Practice Sitting Still
Lot of people associate sitting still with idleness, but it is far from true. Practicing stillness is very important to progress in Yoga. This prepares the body to be stable, mind to calm down and gain strength in the back. This will help in meditation since most of the meditative poses are sitting poses. Sitting or remaining still is a pre-requisite to meditate and sitting poses are the easiest poses to remain still.

Vipassana, which is Buddhist meditation, or any other meditation practice requires you to sit for very long duration of time without moving. When we move, the awareness comes out to outer state from the inner state which disturbs the meditation. Hence it is important to practice keeping the body still.

How to Practice
Start with simple pose which ever is comfortable to you sitting on the floor, like sitting cross legged. Sit for 5 minutes without moving. Then gradually increase the time. When we do this for long time, gradually back will gain good strength and the knees will also have improved tolerance to remain sitted. Constant practice is the only way to do this. keep yourself determined to sit the duration which you have decided. Gradually it will become easy enough for you.

Few Tips

1. You can sit with a wall as support.
2. Sit on a Pillow.
3. Sit in Vajrasana Pose. This is easier to sit on compared to the cross legged poses. Also you can sit in this pose after meals and it will also help in digesting the meal.
4. Sit in Padmasana Pose. This is the pose which is recommended in many books and by many people as the most suitable for meditation.

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Vajrasana
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Benefits of Meditation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Many people perceive meditation to be a practice which suppresses the thoughts and is mainly practiced by saints or spiritual people and difficult to follow for common people. Few other associate meditation with particular religion and thus avoid it. There is also another group of people who think it is wastage of time just sitting there still and doing nothing, while a group of people think this is a difficult practice and requires a lot of hard work and persistence.

I also used to think that meditation is beneficial but difficult to practice -- and it, changed when someone just told me "Meditation is not that difficult as you think.". Once I put this thought in my mind it became easier to meditate. When you start any activity with open and positive mind it becomes easier to progress. Same is the case with meditation.

Meditation is a subject which many researchers mind interesting and there are numerous experiments which are conducted to observe the effects of meditation on the mind and the behavior. Researchers have also found that it is not that difficult to practice and in a relatively short time compared to common perception you can start enjoying the benefits.

I recently came across an article which is based on research on effects of meditation. This research was conducted by department of Psychology at UNC Charlotte, and Bruce J. Diamond from William Patterson University. The reports suggest that including meditation in daily routine even for a short amount of time increases concentration levels within a few days.

Researcher noticed progress and improvement in just 4 days of 20 minutes meditation, which is really remarkable. Interestingly the ability to work better in stressful condition was measured and great results were discovered which can prove to be of great benefit when working at some stressful project or trying to solve some problem.

Here are two reports from the Science Daily.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070625193240.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414184220.htm

Here is a small list of benefits of Meditation.

1. Mind becomes quieter and relaxed state of mind.


2. Increase in focus on a particular task and improved concentration.


3. Increased power of analysis and cognition.


4. Ability to accept criticism.


5. Reduces anxiety and stress.


6. Improved ability to introspect which reduces conflicts and restlessness.

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Reduce Stress with Walking Meditation

I discovered walking meditation during my stay in US around 3 years back. Till that time I was aware on mainly the sitting meditation technique. I joined a mindfulness group meditation in Davenport which is a town located in Iowa and is part of quad cities on the banks of river Mississippi. This group practices walking meditation and I also joined them.

Walking meditation is being practiced since the time of Buddha for last two thousand years and it is still practiced even today. This technique is relaxing and increases the body awareness and reduces stress.

Steps to Practice Walking Meditation

Key thing to keep in mind is that our aim is to increase the awareness and that will only come when we slow down everything, and especially the mind. Mind, breath and body has lot of connection. Moving slowly, slows down the mind hence we should reduce our pace and practice in relaxed manner with respect to body while keeping the mind focused.

1. Select a quiet room or a garden where it is not crowded. It is preferable to be bare feet as that will help you to be more aware of the feet. When we wear shoes, our feet is supported by the shoe surface and we cannot feel the entire feet properly.


2. Stand in a relaxed manner and feel the skin below the feet touching the floor. Observe how the pressure is applied to the different regions of the feet surface touching the ground and how various muscles react when we stand quietly.


3. Start moving. Remember that you should do this very slowly. Start lifting the right feet. You can slow down this by first observing how the heel is lifted then middle region of the feet and finally toes. Observe how the muscles of the other feet are affected and where the pressure is applied on the entire left leg, and especially the lower leg region.


4. After lifting the right leg place in around 1.5 foot forward and observe how the weight is slowly transferred to the right leg.


5. Now stop for 3-4 seconds on the transition and observe the legs muscles.


6. Keep moving forward very slowly and keep observing the lower leg region.


7. Doing this for 10 to 15 minutes will bring you to meditative stage.


8. After 10 to 15 minutes you can slowly come back to original position and slowly sit down. If you want you can continue with sitting meditation or keep observing yourself for some time.

Gradually increase the awareness to the upper body by focusing on the effects of walking on the upper body muscles.

Benefits of Walking Meditation

1. Relaxes and reduces stress.


2. Increase the body balance.


3. Reduces the body stiffness due to sitting in meditative poses for long and at the same time lets you continue the meditation.


4. Increases the endurance and strength of the legs

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Yoga Tip - Rejuvenate and Improve Concentration with Nadi Shodhan

Concentration and stress are related to each other. When you are stressed out you can concentrate on any task. Reducing stress improves the concentration and increases you decision making capacity in day to day tasks. Using a simple Pranayama you get double benefit of reducing the stress and improving the concentration plus other benefits.

Here is how you can improve your concentration with this variation Nadi Shodhan Pranayama. This technique is very simple and here is how you do it and most important part is the practice as usual.

Sit in a quite place and concentrate on the breathing. Start imagining that you are inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils.

Here are the steps.

1. Imagine that the inhalation is from the left nostril.


2. Imagine exhaling from right nostril.


3. Now again imagine that you are now inhaling from right nostril.


4. Finally exhale from the left nostril.

This is one round. Do this for 12 rounds.

Initially it will be difficult but with practice you will see that you will have more controls on both the nostrils. Imagination is very important initially and only concentrate on one nostril at a time even if you are aware that other nostril is being used. Gradually you will gain total control on the nostrils and you will be able to breathe from the respective nostrils at will.

Benefits

1. Rejuvenates and oxygenates the nervous system


2. Improves concentration and control on the breathing.


3. You can meditate easily


4. Balances the energy flow on both the sides of the body and makes you more stable mentally and therefore increases your decision making capacity.


5. Reduces stress.


6. Beneficial in high blood pressure

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Mind Control - Key to Success in Life

BKS Iyengar has written that mind is the king of senses. When mind is conquered the senses are also conquered. It is the mind that drives us to either success of failure. If I want to rephrase it, control over the mind ensures success in any field we choose and lack of control will almost guarantee that we will always struggle with work.

Our mind does not rest for a moment and it keeps on going from one thought to another. In the Indian epic Mahabharata, Yudhishtir the eldest of the Pandava brothers is asked a question. Which is the fastest thing in the world? His response was "Mind is the fastest thing in the universe. In a fraction of a second the mind can travel to other corner of the world." Since the ancient times the sages and philosophers have realized this fact and invented and discovered various techniques to calm it down.

The mind does not wants to calm down. It likes to fluctuate between past and the future. Between the good experiences which please us and the bad experiences which hurt us. If you want to experience this, just try to observe your breathing for 5 minutes. If you get distracted, bring back the attention to the breathing again. You will see how difficult it is to even perform the seemingly simple task of observing the breathing for 5 minutes.

In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, the undisciplined mind acts as our enemy, whereas a trained mind acts as our friend. Again Krishna says in response to how to control the mind "Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed, the mind is difficult to control and is restless; but, by practice, O Son of Kunti, and by dispassion it is restrained." Indeed it is the untamed mind that creates the cravings, which can lead to bad habits, loss of focus and discontentment. Craving for any habit leads to addiction. On the other hand when the mind is controlled it leads to focus in all the work we do. We can accomplish more work in less time and do it well. It also leads to peace and less discord.

How to control the mind?

Although I am writing this article about mind control let me assure you that I am also not a champion in mind control. I constantly struggle with mind control and need to keep on working on this. I try to practice as much as possible. I try to observe my self as much as possible and it is a very difficult job. At the same time it is very important for self development also.


1. Observe the Breath - Meditate
   The next question is how to tame the mind. There are various techniques to calm the mind. One of the techniques is observation of mind, which tends to calm it down over a period of time. Just observing the mind as an observer, see where it goes, and trying to detach self from the wanderings calms us down.
   
   Another way to calm it down is to observe the breath. Breath is the reflection of the state of the mind. More agitated the mind is faster we breathe. This is one of the easiest technique as this does not need any visualization which is difficult in the initial stages. I have written an article earlier about how observing the breath tells us about the current state of mind. Observing the breath for a long period leads to meditation. All the masters have recommend meditation for calming the mind. We need to practice this everyday with determined efforts. Over the period of time meditation will become.



2. Studying
   We also need to study the great masters like Buddha who have written about the mind and how to control it. This will provide better perspective. I feel Vipassana meditation technique is an excellent way to control the mind. Similarly there are hundreds of techniques. We can choose the way that suits our lifestyle the best and the judgment will come when we are aware of the choices.



3. Simple Food
   Eating right kind of food which consists of vegetarian non spicy food keeps the mind less agitated. Food is one of the important part of our life and keeping it simple helps the mind to be calmer. Eating light food is important when we want to practice meditation as it keeps the mind alert.



4. Avoiding wrong inputs
   We are bombarded with all the information from newspapers, TV media and most of the information is negative in nature. When we feed these information to our mind it becomes agitated, stores these information in the brain. The information which is stored in the brain feeds the mind in turn and makes it more agitated. Cutting down on these helps us to calm the mind own.

Ultimately the control of mind comes only from practice and not from any study. Each of us need to practice it. Nobody can do it for us. Calming the mind will lead to more success and peace not only for us for all the people who are associated with us.

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How to Meditate Easily

Lot of people amongst us find it difficult to meditate and I would like to share an easy technique using which most people can meditate easily. I have personally used this technique and found it very effective. The thought of posting this article came during a Kapalbhati Pranayama which I was practicing a few days ago. I have always found that it is very easy to come to meditative state after a good Kapalbhati session.

I had written an article earlier about Kapalbhati Pranayama in which I have explained the procedure and the benefits. In this article I want to discuss how Kapalbhati Pranayama can be used as a meditation technique. Here Kapalbhati Pranayama is used for leading oneself into meditation, therefore I call this technique as "Kapalbhati Meditation Technique". This can be a very useful technique for those of you who are new to meditation.

Usually lot of people find it difficult to meditate and it needs time and practice for progressing in medication. The major problem for most people is how to sit still and calm down the thought process so that they can start meditating. This is where this technique is useful as it calm down the mind very easily. Another advantage of this technique is it gives you the taste of how it feels during meditation. Once you practice this technique for some time you will find it easy to meditate even when you directly start meditating instead of start with this technique.

How to use Kapalbhati Meditation Technique

1. Sit in a quite room in meditation pose like Padmasana and close your eyes.


2. Start the Kapalbhati Pranayama very slowly.


3. Continue till 50 rounds and then stop for a while. Observe your breath. You will notice that it is quite slow.


4. After around 30 seconds start again. Continue another 50 rounds or as much as you would like. Again stop for a while and observe your breath again. It is not necessary to do 50 rounds. You can go at your own pace. Sometimes I only do 30 rounds and stop.


5. Continue this way for 500 to 600 rounds. After the last round stop finally and just continue to observe the breath and also the focus on the tranquil and peace. Keep on sitting in that pose and enjoying yourself. After some time when you feel like coming out of meditation, gradually open your eyes and slowly come out of the pose.

As you progress, with each break you will feel that you are moving deeper into meditative state and the bliss increasing. Key to this technique is doing it really slowly and not put too much force on exhalation.

I have found that maximum benefits can be reaped if you go to around 700 rounds. Later with practice you can then just practice for 200 to 300 rounds then very easily be able to meditate. I would suggest you to try this easy technique and enjoy the results.

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Benefits of Padmasana - Yoga Lotus Pose

Padmasana (Lotus Pose) is one of the poses which is used for meditation. It is the most recommended pose for sitting in meditative poses and Pranayama. At the same time this pose is difficult for most people to achieve as this requires flexibility in the leg muscles. But with practice it is possible to remove the stiffness in the legs and sit in Padmasana. In future I will be writing about preparatory asanas which removes the stiffness and prepares us for this pose.

Padmasana Basics

In Padmasana sole of each foot rests on the opposite thigh as close as possible to the pubic bone. The hands rest on the knees, with the index finger and thumb joining each other in a circle, rest of the fingers straight in Dhyan Mudra.

Padmasana, provides the back natural curve of spine and back does not tire easily because it is easier to keep the back straight. If we sit cross legged without Padmasana, our body is in contact with the floor only with the buttocks and part og the shins resting on the toes. In this way of sitting back is not straight in it natural position and we need to exert pressure on the back to keep it straight. This puts stress on the back and it starts tiring very early. Where as if we practice sitting in Padmasana in correct manner in which the knees start touching the floor, it becomes almost like a tripod which provide 3 points of contact on the floor for our body. Also the two knees and buttocks are at the ground level, and it provides a steady and stable base for the body to be straight.

Benefits of Padmasana

Since the back is straight and spine is in its natural curve position, it is excellent pose for meditation as the body is alert and not stressed. This will prevent yogi from dozing off during the meditation at the same time makes it easier to sit in meditation, which is essential in the long run for the Sadhana.

This asana is very appropriate for Pranayama and it helps to move the flow of Prana from the lower spine to to head as it helps achieve proper spine position required for flow of pranic energy(Life force energy).

Nerves in the lower region of the body is massaged, and it increases the blood flow to the lower region of the body therefore toning lower back and abdomen. This also removes stiffness in knees and ankles.

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