First of all lets make it clear that you can not do mediation, you can only be meditative!
We consider every act as something which we can do, what I mean by doing is that after you complete the act you get an output/result. It is kind of a causal: cause and effect relationship in every act we do. We do everything in expectation of an output.
But meditation/yoga is a practice of connection to non-causality. Like music, where there is nothing to achieve at the end of the play, you just enjoy it as it plays, without any expectation of an outcome.
So, meditation is a practice of making your mind focused in this moment, without the continuous streams of thoughts going in our mind. It is a practice of just being aware, being conscious of what is.
Now, since our mind is habituated to the voice in our head, we need to employ methods to reach the state of being meditative.
"Pranayama" or focused breathing: In this you become aware to the involuntary process of inhaling and exhaling. Remember you just have to be aware of the breathing process and not do the forced breathing. This is an indirect way of focusing your mind in to now by shifting your attention to an involuntary process.
Power of now: As Eckhart tolle says, all you need to do is to become aware of now, and just be in the present moment. If a thoughts appear in your mind just be aware of it, do not try to stop/fight it.
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Below are some of the most popular Blogs on the topic which will interest you:
Ramana Maharshi on Advaita with a 14 step self enquiry
Two fundamental concepts LILA ( the game ) and MAYA ( the illusion )
Advaita Vedanta - God and Soul (Isvara and Atman)
Atman its bondage and freedom - Swami Vivekananda on Advaita
Atman - Swami Vivekananda on Advaita
Realisation - Swami Vivekananda on Advaita
We consider every act as something which we can do, what I mean by doing is that after you complete the act you get an output/result. It is kind of a causal: cause and effect relationship in every act we do. We do everything in expectation of an output.
But meditation/yoga is a practice of connection to non-causality. Like music, where there is nothing to achieve at the end of the play, you just enjoy it as it plays, without any expectation of an outcome.
So, meditation is a practice of making your mind focused in this moment, without the continuous streams of thoughts going in our mind. It is a practice of just being aware, being conscious of what is.
Now, since our mind is habituated to the voice in our head, we need to employ methods to reach the state of being meditative.
"Pranayama" or focused breathing: In this you become aware to the involuntary process of inhaling and exhaling. Remember you just have to be aware of the breathing process and not do the forced breathing. This is an indirect way of focusing your mind in to now by shifting your attention to an involuntary process.
Power of now: As Eckhart tolle says, all you need to do is to become aware of now, and just be in the present moment. If a thoughts appear in your mind just be aware of it, do not try to stop/fight it.
Then there is comprehensive classical 4 paths of yoga (Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, Raja yoga):
Now a days when we here about Yoga, it is almost always about the physical postures of yoga being used to
alleviate health problems, reduce stress, as a complete exercise program and
physical therapy routine. While the truth is that these physical postures are just a means to be meditative and attain "Moksha" or "Enlightenment", so we are now forced to call it Moksha Yoga in order to distinguish it from usual physical exercise. The physical and mental benefits are more like side effects to Yoga practice that is not what we are trying to achieve by practicing Yoga.
Yoga literally means realization in direct experience of the pre-existing union between the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness. This is expressed in Hinduism as the Atman is one with Brahman or "Aham Brahmasmi". It is not about the union of body and mind as generally perceived.
There are four paths to practice yoga:
Jnana Yoga:
Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge, wisdom, introspection and
contemplation. It involves deep exploration of the nature our being
by systematically exploring and setting aside false identities. You can relate this to Power of now from Eckhart tolle.
Bhakti Yoga:
Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion, emotion, love, compassion, and
service to God and others. All actions are done in the context of
remembering the Divine. You can relate this to any religious practice (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism).
Karma Yoga:
Karma Yoga is the path of action, service to others, mindfulness,
and remembering the levels of our being while fulfilling our actions
or karma in the world. Yes you can be meditative while doing your daily chorus or work.
Raja Yoga:
Raja Yoga is a comprehensive method that emphasizes meditation,
while encompassing the whole of Yoga. It directly deals with the
encountering and transcending thoughts of the mind.
While there are four paths to Yoga but they are not mutually exclusive and at some or other point in life we go through all of them. This also encompasses the usual Yoga practice which we know of as a physical exercise along with Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha,
and Tantra Yoga.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below are some of the most popular Blogs on the topic which will interest you:
Ramana Maharshi on Advaita with a 14 step self enquiry
Two fundamental concepts LILA ( the game ) and MAYA ( the illusion )
Advaita Vedanta - God and Soul (Isvara and Atman)
Atman its bondage and freedom - Swami Vivekananda on Advaita
Atman - Swami Vivekananda on Advaita
Realisation - Swami Vivekananda on Advaita
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