The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 30-39: Focuses of Meditation

In this episode, we first speak about the obstacles of the mind in the course of practicing yoga. Then we move on to discussing different things we can focus our mind on as alternatives to the Isvara-pranidhana of the previous section.

The obstacles are physical illness, mental difficulties such as depression, doubts, carelessness, laziness, attachment to distractions, misunderstanding the goal of yoga, inability to achieve a base of concentration, and having achieved such a base, being unable to maintain it for longer periods. Some of the things we can focus our mind on to achieve stillness are parts of the body, like the sense organs.

We can focus on the breath, on the mind of an advanced yoga practitioner that inspires us, on spiritual visions we have had in dreams, or lastly, on anything that works for us. The last one may not be the ultimate type of practice, but as always: we have to start somewhere.

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