Dhyana: The 7th Limb of Yoga

What is Dhyana?
Dhyana is the 7th limb of yoga, building upon asana (physical posture), pranayama (breath
control), pratyahara (control of the senses, moving the focus to the inside), and dharana
(concentration). The word dhyana comes from the Sanskrit word dhyai, which means “to
think of.”

Dhyana involves concentration and meditation on a point of focus with the intention of
knowing the truth about it. This deeper concentration of the mind is the instrument of self-
knowledge where one can separate illusion from reality, and eventually, reach the ultimate
goal of yoga: samadhi (bliss, or union with the source).

Dhyana in Practice

For the regular yoga practitioner like you and me, this may sound very high and mighty.
We are practicing yoga to feel good, to learn more about ourselves, and to find moments
of peace during otherwise hectic days. Finding a permanent state of bliss sounds,
perhaps, a bit out of our league.

But let’s not get discouraged; Yoga is here to show us the way and to give clues and
guidelines. We can each take from it what is relevant for us today.

According to the Yoga Sutra, the purpose of meditation is to interrupt the fluctuations of the
normal mental activity such as sensory knowledge, memory, and imagination. Out of
these, memory is the hardest one to quiet, as it incessantly feeds us glimpses from the
past along with an endless stream of thoughts and feelings.

Like any other limb in yoga, meditation is a systematic process in itself, which takes
practice (and patience!) to learn. It’s like taming a puppy that would much rather run
around than sit still. You will need to train your mind to come back to you when you tell it to
and to sit still, even if for just a few seconds at a time.

How to Start with Meditation

In dhyana, we focus the mind on a particular object and practice becoming absorbed in it.
You can pick any object that feels relevant for you today. It could be a body part, a chakra,
a person, or a beautiful flower you can focus on.

Then, prepare for the physical part of meditation, which is the solid foundation. When you
start, ideally you have just done some asana practice so that your body feels comfortable
to be completely still for a while.

Find yourself a comfortable position, whether sitting up or supported by a wall. Don’t get
caught up in the physical posture–anything that you can hold comfortably for a long time
will do. Make sure you have some quiet and that there will be no interruptions. Start with
just 5 to 10 minutes at a time, until you become more used to it.

The Benefits of Dhyana

Meditation has benefits for both the body and the mind. It will release stress from the body,
your mind will feel calmer, and you will feel more at ease in your life. We can find more
peace of mind in our daily business by acknowledging the space between external events
and our reaction to them.

As we listen to ourselves more and sit in silence, we become more aware of who we

actually are. And this, of course, is a wonderful and beautiful goal.

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Dhyana student becomes free from hunger, thirst, sleep and sex as well as desire which is
alerted conciousness.

Meditation is practice of quieting the mind using a mantra or focul point ( Dharana ).
you bringing awareness within the practice is PRATHYAHARA.

State between practice of meditation and Dhyana can be called glimpsing of the soul.
( ATMA DARSHAN ).

ATMAN = HIGHER SELF/SOUL.

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Dhyana is like deep sleep but with a difference. The serenity of deep sleep comes as a
result of unconciously forgetting ones identity and individuality, whereas meditation brings
serenity which is alerted conciousness.

SATTVIC = diet based on ayurveda and yoga literature.

TAMASIC = Food that harms mind and body.
RAJASIC = Food that neither is negative or positive.
Tamas – quality of laziness, darkness, ignorance and inertia
Rajas – quality of activity, energy, agitation and excitation
Sattvas – quality of goodness, balance, purity and peacefulness
 SHIV DHYANA MANTRA
OM SRI GANESHA NAMAHA,
OM SRI SHANKARA NAMAHA,
OM SHIVAM,
OM SHAKTIM OM,
OM MAHADEVA MAHESHVARAYA NAMAHA,
OM SRI SHIVA GURUJI ARUNESHVARAYA NAMAHA.

Dhyana – 1

BE WITH THE BREATH. MEDITATION FOR SELF-REALIZATION

PROCEDURE:
1. Sit in the Dhyan Mudra. The tip of the index finger and the tip of the thumb touch each other. The other
fingers and arms are stretched. With a straigt backbone put the back of the hands on the knees.
2. Put the attention on the third eye between and slightly above the eye brows. Close the eyes and fix your
gaze
on the third eye.
3. Breathe naturally through the nostrils. Inhaling and exhaling should be of the same length. Be still.
Observe the breath, forget everything and be still. Observe how the breath comes in and goes out. Be aware
of your breath, how it flows through your body, in and out. When inhaling, move with your breath into
yourself.
When exhaling, move with the breath, be in the breath.
EXPLANATION:
The name of this meditation is one name of Shiva (Om Sthiraya Namaha) and means “being still“ (Sanskrit:
sthira), sitting still with the body, still in the mind, being thoughtless and in the soul.
The thumb is the finger of the self which touches the index finger, the finger of the planet Jupiter, which is the
planet of Guru. In this meditation your Self is connected with your inner guide and Guru.
Putting the attention between the eye brows on the third eye clears and cleans the mind and it becomes
thoughtless.
Be witness of the breath, how it goes in and out. Get to know yourself with the divine breath as an awakening
gift. When you pratice the meditation with awareness of the breath, suddenly, one day illumination will dawn.
This is a simple technique, to know yourself, to know the truth, to know that which is never born nor dies, the
eternal element which always IS.
 Dhyana-2
PROCEDURE:
1. The tips of the thumb and the middle finger touch each other, the other fingers are stretched. Put the back
of the hands on the knees. Close your eyes and put your attention on the third eye. Observe the breath.
2. Inhale through the nostrils and then see the breathless pause.
3.Exhale through the nostrils. Observe the distance between the two breaths.
Be still, be in the consciousness, be aware of the turning point between the breaths. For a moment there is
no breath. In this moment you are not breathing, you are not in the world. The silence between the two
breaths is of a short length.
EXPLANATION:
When the finger tips of the thumb, the finger of the self, and the middle finger, the finger of Saturn, work and
the world touch each other, enter into the silence and realize the divine in yourself, beyond the I-Me-Mine.
When the breath stops, the noise of the world stops. Enter into the silence and listen to the voice of your
soul.
Enter into the realms beyond the world. Breathing, dying when exhaling and being reborn when exhaling.

Dhyana-3
3.2.2
HAM SA HEART MEDITATION
PROCEDURE:
1. The tips of the thumb and the ring finger of the right and the left hand respectively touch each other. Put
the
by the right hand formed tip on the heart centre (at the level of the heart chakra, next to the physical heart)
on the sternum with the by the left hand formed tip on top of it.
2. The elbows are directed towards your sides with the forearms directed downwards. (shoulders and upper
body are relaxed). The tips formed by the right and left hand form a channel to the heart chakra.
3. While inhaling, imagine how the breath goes through this line, which is formed by the finger tips and how a
stream of light is entering and think “So”. Hold the breath.
4. Put your hands on the level of the shoulders (ring finger and thumbs are still touching each other) while
directing the palms of the hands towards the front.
5. While exhaling through the mouth from the throat, put the hands forward in a dynamic movement while
thinking “Ham”. Hold the breath until the hands and fingers are repositioned at the heart centre. Repeat.
EXPLANATION:
The ringer finger is the finger of the Sun and the thumb represents the self. This Shiva Dhyan Yoga
meditation
opens up your heart chakra. It fills you with divine light and energy and helps you to discharge negativity and
darkness from your aura and from your mind.
So Ham is a Mantra in Sanskrit and means “That I am”. This meditation leads to enlightenment, to the
realization of “that”, which is your true inner self.
 Dhyana-4

ENERGIZING & UPLIFTING OM-MEDITATION

PROCEDURE:
1. Touch the tips of the thumbs with the small fingers of the left and the right hand respectively. Put the tips
of the joined thumb and small finger of the left hand into the navel and the ones of the right hand on the heart
centre. The other fingers are stretched.
2. Breathe in through the nostrils. Hold the breath and lift your hands and arms in a circular movement
upwards until both of the tips touch each other above the sahasrara (crown chakra) while stretching the arms
upwards. Put the hand palms on each other.
3. When exhaling chant AUM out of the heart centre.
4. Hold the breath while repositioning the tips of the thumb and small finger in the navel and at the heart
centre.
EXPLANATION:
The thumb, the finger of the self, connects with the small finger (planet Mercury), which symbolizes one’s
intellect and intelligence. Putting the tips of the thumb and the small finger of the left hand jointly into the
navel centres the practicioner and connects him to mother earth. At the same time the heart centre is opened
by putting the tips of the thumb and the small finger of the right hand to the heart centre (at level of the heart
chakra on the sternum).
The practicioner of this technique can experience an upliftment of consciousness and an energizing effect on
body and mind. Self-realization becomes possible. This Shiva Dhyan Yoga technique is a highway to
self-realization, opening all the chakras(anahat/heart chakra, vishuddha/throat chakra, agya/third eye
chakra and sahasrar/crown chakra) and aligning and purifying the lower chakras (muladhar/root chakra,
swadhistan/hara chakra, manipur/navel chakra)
 CROWN CHAKRA – SPIRITUALITY
THIRD EYE – AWARENESS
THROAT – COMMUNICATION
HEART – LOVE/HEART
SOLAR – WISDOM
SACRUM – SEXUALITY/CREATIVITY
ROOT – BASIC TRUST

Thank you for attending the Dhyana workshop.

Freedom, peace & love

Anil Melwin Machado