Meditation is the ultimate aim of yoga

Meditation is the path to happiness. As Patanjali says in his Yoga Sutras (now 4,000 years' old!): yoga is the settling of the fluctuations of the mind (citta vritti yoga nirodha).

Meditation allows us to be still and live fully in life without being tossed this way and that by every mood, whim and fancy of our mind. It allows us to know a place of silence and strength within, that does not change and is not affected by the turbulence that may be going on around us.

At face value, meditation is simple: we sit and clear our minds. But how hard it is to do this! The mind is a mad monkey, running amok amongst the trees. It is only when we sit to meditate, that we begin to realise how busy our minds are. So, we need some support for our mind to help us meditate (like a person with a limp needs a crutch to support them). These supports may take the form of: breath awareness; sound awareness; mantra (words); body awareness; observing thoughts; walking meditation etc.

In meditation, posture is paramount. This is why a strong asana (posture) practice is so important. Ultimately the asana work moulds our bodies into strength, suppleness and flexibility to allow us to maintain the meditation postures with relaxation.

GUIDELINES FOR A GOOD MEDITATION POSTURE

Sit up straight

It is important to keep your back, neck and head in a straight line and keep the spine upright. This aids optimum breathing and energy circulation. The head is balanced over our spine, as if a string is attached to the crown of the head and gently pulling it upwards.

Back, neck and shoulders relaxed

The areas of the upper back, shoulders, neck are where tension often manifests. This tension makes our posture worse. As we meditate we find that this tension dissolves and dissipates. But in the early days, and before we have developed posture through yoga asanas, we may need to seek support from a wall or a chair.

Sit still

We need to keep still as this helps us to observe our mind. We can also see how our body reacts to activity in the mind and vice versa.

Our hands rest in our knees or in our lap

We can adopt mudras (hand positions) such as chin or dhiyana mudra, but the result is that the arms and hands can relax.

The face is relaxed

It is amazing how much tension we hold in the jaw. The lips should be gently touching, the teeth apart and the tip of the tongue resting lightly on the upper pallet just behind the top front teeth. Relax the jaw. Relax the eyes and the forehead.

Keep the eyes closed

Closed eyes help you direct your attention inwards. However, if you wish to keep your eyes open, maintain a soft gaze, ideally looking at a blank wall to reduce visual distractions.