Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Concentration and Awareness - great Tedx talk by Dandapani




Given below is a link to a great TedX talk on 'concentration'.

We are what we think - our life is a manifestation of where our energy is flowing.  The science of yoga holds this to be paramount, which is why yoga exercises are more than mere physical postures, they are exercises in controlling the mind, in making the energy flow in a desired direction, to focus within, to be aware, and to merge with all your senses into what you are doing. Yoga exercises done with this kind of awareness are a transformational experience.

Swami Satyananda of the Bihar School of Yoga in his excellent book on Kriya Yoga when he talks about meditation,  says it is impossible for people to meditate nowadays since they are never relaxed. To achieve perfect relaxation is an art in itself, and the primary pre-requisite for it is Awareness. Awareness, or absorption in any one thing, with your  mind and all your senses, leads to concentration; concentration in turn leads to a meditative state, which need not wait for you sit in the lotus position and chant some esoteric mantras - meditation can be a state which you can aim to achieve in your every activity, every moment of the day. Meditation is also something that you cannot 'do', you prepare the right conditions and just slip into it, like you slip into sleep. And extreme relaxation, which is a result of focused awareness, is the foundation to our health and well-being.

The video below is a good primer on the first step 'Awareness'.





Dinesh Gopalan