Monday, September 15, 2014

Dharana, or Concentration

Greetings Sadhakas,

This week in class we are exploring Dharana, or concentration.

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.
                                                              – George Bernard Shaw

All of us have tasted the freedom and happiness that self-forgetfulness brings. In watching a good game of tennis or becoming engrossed in a novel, the satisfaction comes not so much from what we are watching or reading as from the act of absorption itself. For that brief span, our burden of personal thoughts is forgotten. Then we find relief, for what lies beneath that burden is a still, clear state of awareness.

The scientist or the artist absorbed in creative work is happy because she has forgotten herself in what she is doing. But nowhere will you find personalities so joyous, so unabashedly lighthearted, as those who have lost themselves in love for all. That is the joy we glimpse in Saint Francis or Mahatma Gandhi. To look at the lives of men and women like these is to see what joy means.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to notice how the more you can concentrate (Dharana - the 6th limb of Yoga) during your Yoga practice the more relaxed you feel afterwards. Then try and apply this process to your daily life and see what happens.
 
Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

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