When we sit down to meditate, are we really meditating or simply practicing concentration? Do we start by repeating a mantra and notice our mind wandering to what we will make for dinner? Do we bring it back to the mantra and a few seconds later start thinking about how our leg is going numb in our meditation posture? Do we get impatient with ourselves, stand up and tell ourselves we will never learn to meditate? Have we ever thought that learning to meditate is harder than training to be an Olympic athlete? Don’t despair. All it takes is patience and practice – lots of practice.
Dharana is the Sanskrit term for concentrating on a place, object or idea. Sometimes it’s easier to concentrate on an object in front of you instead of an abstract thought, so let’s start there. Tradak is Sanskrit for gazing at an object.
When I was learning to meditate, I began by gazing at the flame of a candle. I watched the flame flicker from side to side with the air currents, noticed the blue and orange colors dance around the wick, and watched the wax melt into a liquid pool. All the while I sat in a comfortable position with a slow even breath. Each day I would practice gazing into the flame until I was able to close my eyes and picture the flame in front me. If I would lose my concentration, I would open my eyes and once again gaze into the flame.
Patanjali says “Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness.” So if we find our minds wandering all the time, give the practice of Tradak a try. It doesn’t have to be a candle flame we can gaze on any object. Practice Dharana until the mind gets trained to sit there quietly. And when it does, then we are meditating.
Namaste
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