Samadhi
10 Sep 2019 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
What is Samadhi?
Samadhi in Yoga is the 8th and final stage or step in the system of eight-limbed Ashtanga Yoga. It is explained in the Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali as total absorption in the object of meditation, where the mind becomes completely still. There are various stages of Samadhi each leading to a higher superconscious state of mind.
How to practice Samadhi?
Samadhi cannot be practiced. It happens spontaneously just like meditation. There is no effort involved. One cannot forcefully practice Samadhi. We have to start from the process of Dharana or concentration with effort and in due course of time experience Dhyana or a state of meditation, which occurs spontaneously.
In Dharana (concentration), there is focus and effort and in Dhyana (meditation) there is de-focus, relaxation, and effortlessness. In Samadhi, there is a sudden jump from the state of Dhyana or meditation into a state of total absorption in the object of meditation, where the knower, knowing, and known merge into one conscious reality.
This is effortless. It is an experience of the superconscious state of mind. It can be compared to deep sleep, except that, in deep sleep, we are not conscious, while in Samadhi one is fully conscious.
The liberation of this state comes from transcending the confines of the ego. You are no longer wrapped up in the trappings of like, dislike, judgment, worry, and fear. You become completely absorbed in the present moment, at all times, while remaining in total awareness. This is a pure state of being. As you go through your daily tasks, you are no longer replaying the past or looking into the future. You are immersed in the enjoyment of each moment as a sacred act.
Samadhi brings you freedom from the cycle of karma, which is a result of never-ending desires (vasanas) and memories (sanskaras). What this means is that you will still have desires, such as hugging your children or eating food, but you won’t be a prisoner of the melodramatic cycle that karma brings. As the ego is continually concerned with what’s “me” and “mine,” your higher self knows that there is never a lack of anything because there is no separateness. Therefore, all fear subsides and what is left is pure love.