Six Techniques
Stabilising exercises to cultivate mental calm
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Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.
Over the past several weeks, we have discussed the fundamentals of Yoga metaphysics and psychology, as well as two preliminary methods to bring the mind to a place of calm. The two methods we have discussed thus far are:
Eka-tattva-abhyaas: Focusing on one thing at a time
Brahmavihaaras: The four attitudes - friendliness, compassion, gladness, and equanimity
The state of mind that these two methods create is called chitta-prasaadanam, or mental pleasantness. You may recognise this state from when you feel pleased about something that went well for you, when you get something that you want, or when you see a puppy, a kitten, or a baby.
Thus far in this newsletter, we have been systematically going over the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - a foundational text on meditation.
The text itself is not a treatise on the philosophy of Yoga but rather a practical manual for how to make the mind calm and focused. While some of what we go over in this series will explain the underlying philosophy of Yoga, the intention is to shed light on the practical applications.
With this in mind, this week, we will go over six stabilising exercises that Patanjali explicitly mentions in his Sutras. There are several more such techniques in the Yoga, Trika, and Tantra traditions, and if you are interested in learning more methods than what is mentioned here, feel free to reach out.
Strictly speaking, these exercises are not “meditation”, although they can be used in this way. Rather, they are techniques you can keep in your back pocket whenever you are feeling stressed, worried, anxious, the accompaniments, or any other form of dukkha in your mind. Just like the two methods above, practising these techniques generates a state of chitta-prasaadanam. However, unlike the two methods above, these six are not “all-the-time” practices. Rather, they can be used as and when you feel the need to stabilise your mind.
You can try all of them, but while different methods may suit different people, in different places and times, the suggested approach is to pick one and use that as your go-to. That way you will be able to uncover the subtleties behind the exercise, and benefit from it more than if you were to flit from one to the other.
Technique #1: The breath
प्रच्छर्दनविधारणाभ्यां वा प्राणस्य ॥PrachhardanVidhaaranaabhyaam Va PraanasyaOr [mental calm can come from] retention and exhalation of the breath.
- Yoga Sutras, 1.34
This is one of the simplest, best known, and most widely practised techniques to calm the mind. The mind and the breath are intimately connected. Raggedness or jerkiness of the breath is an indication of the accompaniments in the mind (e.g. anxiety, sadness, dejection, etc.). Conversely, intentionally making the breath smooth and controlled results in mental calm. Something to note - this is not the same as Pranayaam (the fourth limb of Yoga, which we will discuss in more detail in a future article), nor the same as meditation using the breath as a support (the sixth to eighth limbs of Yoga).
Here, the out-breath and retention are specifically mentioned. There is a large body of research that shows (amongst other things) that while the in-breath activates the sympathetic nervous system (resulting in “fight or flight” behaviour), exhaling activates the parasympathetic nervous system (resulting in mental calm). Not only does this calm the mind, but it also results in better decision-making.
Try the following steps and see if it works for you:
Set a timer for 2 minutes (or longer if you wish).
Sit up straight with your torso, neck, and head in alignment (tip: bring your knees below the level of your hips to straighten out your back).
Gently breathe in through your nose for a count of 4 (breath outward, with your diaphragm, rather than upward with your chest).
Optional: Hold the breath for a count of 16.
Slowly exhale through your nose for a count of 8 (breathe inward, rather than downward).
Repeat until the timer goes off.
If you can’t find two minutes to do this exercise, don’t worry.
Another technique is to make the transitions between the in-breath and the out-breath as smooth as possible, trying to completely eliminate the pause between them. If done correctly, the breath should feel like a continuous circle without any gaps. You can even do this right now, while you’re reading this article, or at any other time during the day.
There are several other exercises with the breath that we will go through in more detail in the article(s) on Pranayaam. Additionally, if you’re interested in more research around the breath, here is a great collection, courtesy of James Nestor.
Technique #2: The senses
विषयवती वा प्रवृत्तिरुत्पन्ना मनसः स्थितिनिबन्धिनी ॥Vishayavatee vaa pravrittirUtpannaa manasah sthitiNibandhineeOr [mental calm can come from] holding the manas on the arising of sense perceptions.
- Yoga Sutras, 1.35
There are several interpretations of this sutra in the traditional commentaries, some dealing with focusing on super-sensuous perceptions that the Yogi may experience if they focus on certain points in the body. However, for the purposes of this article, we will go over a more relatable interpretation.
You can try this exercise for yourself:
Close your eyes.
Bring your attention to the sensations in your body - this could be the warm or cool feeling of the air touching your skin, the feeling of the air going in and out of your nose, the feeling of the chair against your body, or the feeling of your phone or laptop against your hand.
If the mind wanders, bring the attention back to the sense of touch.
Notice how you feel.
Optional: For a deeper experience, bring your attention to the subtle sense of touch itself - this is the inner process of sensing, rather than the objects of the senses.
While the steps above use the sense of touch, you can also try this same exercise with any other sense - sight, taste, smell, or sound - or even cycle between them systematically.
Technique #3: The inner luminosity
विषोका वा ज्योतिष्मती ॥Vishokaa va jyotishmateeOr [mental calm can come from focusing on] the pain-free luminosity.
- Yoga Sutras, 1.36
Like the sutra above, this sutra also has had various interpretations over the centuries. We will go over two of them - feel free to try both, or whichever one appeals most to you:
Interpretation #1: Visualisation (simplified):
Close your eyes.
Visualise, inside the centre of your chest, a lotus flower that is facing downwards, with its stem aligned with your spinal column, rooted at the point at which your spine touches your seat.
Breathe normally, and hold this image in your mind.
With every exhale, imagine the lotus flower lifting its head slightly, and with every inhale, it drops back down. The goal is to make the lotus face upwards all the way, by extending your exhales.
Once the lotus is facing upwards completely, visualise a warm, healing, golden light emanating from the centre of the flower, encompassing your entire body, and, if you can, the entire space you are in.
Focus on this healing golden light.
When a thought arises, maintain an attitude that the light is unaffected by the thoughts as sunlight is unaffected by whether it falls on dirt, a puddle, or a flower.
Interpretation #2: Focus on the sense of “I am”:
Close your eyes.
Repeat the phrase “I am” in your mind, or ask the question “Who sees this thought?”
Now try to shift your attention to the one who sees this thought (or rather, the light that You are, that illuminates this thought, and every other thought).
If you are able to find something that is “You”, ask the question, “who sees that?”
Notice how the one who sees the thoughts and images in the mind (aka You) is free and unattached to those thoughts, just as the clear sky is unattached to the clouds that pass through it.
Repeat step 4 onwards.
Technique #4: A mind beyond desire
वीतरागविषयं वा चित्तम्॥VeetRaagaVishayam vaa chittamOr [mental calm can come from focusing on] a mind that has conquered desire.
- Yoga Sutras, 1.37
For this technique, first think of someone, a human - historical or current - who has, in your opinion, conquered desire. Some examples may be Gautama Buddha, Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Guru Nanak, Adi Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sai Baba, the Dalai Lama, Yogananda Paramahamsa, Sri Yukteshwar Giri, St. Francis (or any other Saint), Rabia, or any other Realised Yogi that you are familiar with. In selecting a person, make sure that they are sufficiently human to you. That is, they are not too high on a pedestal, but are approachable enough in your mind.
If, for whatever reason, you are unable to think of a person like this, there are a few verses from the Gita that may help. In this section, Arjuna asks Krishna:
स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव |स्थितधी: किं प्रभाषेत किमासीत व्रजेत किम् ||SthitaPragyasya kaa bhaashaa samaadhisthasya KeshavaSthidadheeh kim pramosheta kimAaseet vrajeta kimWhat, O Keshava (aka Krishna), is the description of the one of steady knowledge, who is stable in Samadhi (aka the perfected Yogi)? How does a person of steady knowledge speak? How do they sit? How do they move?
- Bhagavad Gita, 2.54
Krishna then responds as follows:
श्रीभगवानुवाच |प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् | आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्ट: स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ||दु:खेष्वनुद्विग्नमना: सुखेषु विगतस्पृह: | वीतरागभयक्रोध: स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ||य: सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् | नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ||यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वश: | इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ||विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिन: | रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ||Prajahaati yadaa kaamaanSarvaanPaartha manoGataanAatmanyaIvAatmanaa tushtah sthitaPragyasTadaUchyateDukkheshuAnudvignamanaah sukheshu vigatahSprihahVeetaRaagaBhayaKrodhah SthitaDheerMunirUchyateYah sarvatraAnabhisnehasTatTatPraapya shubhaAshubhamNaAbhinandati na dveshti tasya pragyaa pratishtitaaYadaa samharate chaAyam koormo’AngaaniIva sarvashahIndriyaaniIndriyaArthebhyasTasya pragyaa pratishthitaaVishayaa vinivartante niraahaarasya dehinahRasavarjam raso’apiAsya param drishtvaa nivartateWhen the Yogi, satisfied in the Self, by the Self, completely casts off all the desires of the mind, then they are said to be of steady knowledge (aka Awake, Free, Enlightened, etc.).
Their mind is not distressed in disaster, all longing for pleasure has departed [from their mind]. They are free from attachment, fear, and anger. Such a person is a Muni (sage/silent one), a person of steady knowledge.
The perfected Yogi is one who is without attachment everywhere, and who, meeting with anything - good or bad, neither praises nor dislikes.
The perfected Yogi is one who is able to withdraw their senses from the sense-objects at will, as the tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell.
For the Yogi who is still working towards the goal, they may withdraw themselves from the objects, but they may still long for them. [On the other hand, for the perfected Yogi] having seen the Highest, the longing for sense objects has also ceased.
- Bhagavad Gita, 2.55-59
To summarise, here are the characteristics of a Realised Yogi:
Completely satisfied
Calm mind regardless of the situation
Does not long for pleasure
Free from attachment, in all circumstances
Free from fear
Free from anger
Speaks minimally, only when necessary
Able to withdraw their senses from their objects
No longing for any sense object
Knows that they are not acting, that it is just nature
There are some more characteristics from the 14th chapter of the Gita (14.21-25):
Completely equanimous
Treats pleasure and pain the same
Treats stone and gold the same
Treats friends and foes the same
Unaffected by praise or blame
Unaffected by honor or disgrace
There is no need to memorise these, although that can be helpful. Simply read them and get a feel for the characteristics of this type of person. If you already have a person in mind, make sure that these characteristics apply to them. Write down their name on a sheet of paper or on a note-taking app on your phone.
Ok - let’s try the exercise:
Close your eyes.
Optional: Bring to your mind the image of the person who has gone beyond desire.
Focus on their characteristics and how you would imagine them to behave.
You can try this as a seated exercise, or at any point in your life when you want to calm your mind. If you don’t have a specific person that you can use for this exercise, that is ok - just focus on the characteristics described above. If you do have a specific person in mind, keeping a photograph or statue of them with you is a powerful way to calm the mind (if this appeals to you) - when you feel stressed, simply bring your attention to the image and notice how it makes you feel.
The traditional commentaries state that with regular remembrance of these characteristics, the mind of the Yogi absorbs them and takes them on.
Technique #5: The stream of sleep and dreams
स्वप्ननिद्राज्ञानालंबनं वा ॥SvapnaNidraaGyaanaAalambanam vaaOr [mental calm can come from focusing on] the knowledge of sleep and dreams.
- Yoga Sutras, 1.38
This technique also requires some explanation of basic Vedanta. We will go into this in more detail in future articles, but for now this explanation should be sufficient.
Right now, you are awake. Another way to frame this is that you are the waker, in the waking world.
Later, you will go to bed, and you will dream. Another way to frame this is that you will be the dreamer, experiencing the dream world.
Finally, in the depth of your sleep, you will drift off into deep sleep. Another way to frame this is that you will be the deep sleeper, experiencing nothing at all, or more correctly, there will be neither deep sleeper nor blankness, but rather it will be a uniform blankness where there is neither observer nor observed.
Every day, you cycle through these three states - waking, dreaming, and deep sleep - and you experience all of them. Every time you transition, you let go of the previous state. For example, you may dream that you are a detective solving a murder mystery only to wake up and realise you are a software developer at a startup. You may dream that you are a mountain climber on an expedition, only to wake up and realise that you are a parent of two young children living in a city. Further, when you go into deep sleep, there is no distinction of objects - my deep sleep, your deep sleep, and your friend’s deep sleep are the same uniform blankness, where we have each let go of all the objects of the waking and dream states.
The waking state can be signified by the letter A (अ, pronounced “uh”), the dream state can be signified by the letter U (उ, pronounced as in the word “put”), and the deep sleep state can be signified by the letter M (म, pronounced as in “mmmm”). Together, these letters make up AUM, or Om (ॐ, pronounced ohm - the rules of Sanskrit grammar mean that A + U = O).
Notice, that the first sound, A, comes out of silence, and that the last sound, M, returns back into silence. Additionally, the entire sound, Om, is supported by silence (without silence, the very idea of sound is meaningless). Similarly, You, the Purusha, the Atman, the Witness of the three states, support all the three states - without You, these states are meaningless. They all emerge from you, are sustained by you, and merge back into you. You are in all of them as gold is in different ornaments. Additionally, You are unaffected by them, just as gold is unaffected by the shapes that it takes on. The waking state and the waker, the dream state and the dreamer, and the uniform deep sleep blankness, all appear in You as a wave appears in water, or as a reflection appears in the mirror. Just like the dirt on the reflection of your face in a mirror does not actually dirty your real face, the happenings of the three states do not affect You in any way. You are simply the unattached witness, free from all of them.
If this sounds too esoteric, don’t worry - we will go over it in future articles. Additionally, if you are so inclined, you can find a more detailed explanation in the Mandukya Upanishad.
Now, here are the instructions for the exercise:
Optional: Close your eyes
Focus on the waking world - all the sensations around you right now, including the state of your mind, your identity, etc. Notice how the waker and the waking world arise together.
Now shift your attention to the dream state - this doesn’t mean you should fall asleep, just remember what it was like to be the dreamer in the dream world. Notice how the dreamer and the dream world arise together.
Now shift your attention to the deep sleep state - remember (or imagine) what that was like - a uniform blankness with no sensation of time, space, or objects. Notice how the waking and dream worlds merge into this blankness, and later emerge from this blankness, as though the seeds of your waking and dream states were in that blankness.
Notice how you are the unaffected Awareness that illuminates all the three states.
Repeat steps 2-4.
Optional: For a deeper experience, you can use the letters A, U, and M to signify the three states, and cycle through them mentally as you repeat Om mentally (or out loud, as you wish), noticing how You are the silence in which they all appear.
There is an additional interpretation of this sutra, wherein the Yogi notices the particular objects that appear in the dream state as an indication of their impressions from the waking state. This is not dream analysis - just a method for bringing the mind to a place of calm. For example, if the Yogi has a dream about Shiva, in the waking state they should:
Notice that the dream of Shiva is an indication of their sattvic impressions (aka samskaaras) as a result of their constant thoughts about Shiva in the waking state.
Focus on the memory of the dream to stabilise the mind.
Technique #6: Anything you find pleasant
यथाभिमतध्यानाद् वा ॥YathaaAbhimatDhyaanaad vaaOr [mental calm can come from focusing on] any object that one finds agreeable.
- Yoga Sutras, 1.39
Try to remember a time in your life when you were sitting with a group of friends or family, and suddenly a baby came into the room. What happened? Notice how everyone’s focus is automatically drawn to the baby, and they become the centre of attention.
For different people, depending on their impressions, different objects hold this kind of attention-drawing power.
The idea with this exercise is to find an object that has this kind of power for your mind, which will also result in desirable impressions in the mind. Every vritti results in an impression in the mind, and so it is important to pick an object where the impressions are useful to the goals of Yoga (if your goal is a calm mind, that is).
The exercise is simple:
Pick an object that has this kind of attention-drawing power for you, which will also result in desirable mental impressions.
Bring your attention to the object, and when your attention wanders, gently bring your attention back to it.
Most of us already take advantage of this method. For example, we watch TV, listen to music, play games, meet up with friends, or otherwise focus on tasks or objects that we find interesting or engaging, as a way of managing stress. The difference with this technique is that we carefully consider the impressions that the object will generate, and select an object accordingly. Additionally, if the attention begins to weaken, rather than moving on to another object, we gently bring our attention back to the object we chose.
Some examples of objects to choose are a yantra, an image of your favourite deity, a symbol, a mantra, a flame, a flower, the moon, or even an idea like compassion or love.
To summarise, the six stabilising methods we went over today involve focusing on:
The breath
The senses
The inner luminosity
A mind beyond desire
The knowledge of dreams and deep sleep
Any pleasant object
Until next time:
When you have a few moments to yourself, try one or more of these exercises to see what works best for you. Set a timer on your phone for at least 3 minutes for each exercise you try.
In a moment of stress, sadness, or anxiety, use the technique of your choice to calm the mind, and see how you feel afterwards.
Next time: Clearing the mind: Levels of Intensity of the kleshas