Do you want to know what meditation is? If you practice yoga, did you know that yoga postures and meditation are inextricably linked? Meditation is the highest form of yoga. There are common misconceptions around the terms meditation and mindfulness, and dare I say liberation. This is the definition of meditation from the point of the the Eight Limbs of Yoga in the Yoga Sutras, a classic yogic text.
Ashtanga, which refers to the 8 limbs of yoga (ashta – eight, anga – limbs), is the foundational text for anyone who wants to bring more of the benefits of their yoga practice into daily life.
#1 Yamas – Why are you buying the honey in the first place? Who are you going to feed it to? Will it in some way bring joy or harmony to others? Yamas are the social ethics of yoga. Feed others only what you would want to eat yourself.
#2 Niyamas – Take the time to read the label before you buy the honey; for your own good. Buy locally to support your unique geography. The main ingredient in the Niyamas is your own true nature flavored with self-discipline (tapas – the flame of purification). Observe the inner self and be aware of what you put in your body, mind and spirit. You are what you eat.
#3 Asana – In order to get that thick, golden honey out of the jar, you may need to stir it around a bit first. But not so much that the jar breaks. Asana refers to the physical practice of yoga, (what is often mistaken as yoga itself.) Just as the honey dipper moves the viscous liquid with both determination and vigilance, yoga postures are done with alertness and ease. Even if the shape of the glass jar does not change, there is movement on the inside. You are creating stability and freedom in the body that will allow it to sit comfortably in meditation .
#4 Pranayama – Have you noticed how air fills the empty spaces in the honey jar? It is like prana in the body. The jar represents our body of “matter” as we stabilize it in posture. The prana, or life force energy that fills the body in the form of the breath floods and mobilizes those spaces. Pranayama (prana -life force, ayama – to extend or draw out) is using awareness and technique to regulate the physical and energetic breath. You are balancing the flow of prana in the body.
#5 Pratyahara – The honey slowly begins to trickle down. You can hear it, see it, smell it, touch it and maybe even imagine the taste. This is pratyhara, the beginning stage of meditation, which is often confused with meditation itself. Our mind is active, and something stimulates the senses; we turn them inward to cultivate the experience. Think of techniques such as guided imagery, yoga nidra, use of mantra or chanting, and pranayama techniques; or zen-like activities like running or surfing can feel meditative. But we are still doing.
#6 Dharana and #7 Dhyana – The honey comes out at first in spontaneous drips (dharana) and eventually in an even flow (dhyana). Both of these limbs are states of being as opposed to doing. The difference between the two is quantity vs. quality. Dharana gives you small tastes of the bliss of meditation as the mind comes and goes. In a state of Dhyana, your world is nothing but an even flow of honey and you have let go completely into the sukha (sweetness or joy of life).
#8 Samadhi – The full stream of honey is coming out continuously. We are no longer aware of this though. We are the honey (liberation to our Divine being-ness and oneness).
Just as eating local honey brings amazing health benefits to your body, meditation drips sweetness into all aspects of our lives. It is liquid gold for the mind and spirit. You don’t have to be a bee keeper to make 2019 the year to open the honey jar!
Peace and Light,
Megan
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