Yoga Meditation

Yoga and meditation are actually two distinct disciplines, though a proper yoga session always concludes with meditation. Yoga practitioners know it as “sivasana” (pronounced shi-va-sa-na).

Most westerners are not aware of the origins of yoga. The term “yoga” actually refers to an entire philosophy, a way of life. The part of yoga that we know in the west is a very tiny and non-representative part of the system called “asana.” Asana simply means “pose” or “posture.”

The original Vedic meditators spent long periods of time in meditative states. In order to prepare their bodies for meditation, they came up with a system for stretching the body, getting it ready to sit in silence for up to several hours at a time. This system became known as asana (one of the eight limbs of yoga), which is what westerners refer to as “yoga.”

If you’ve attended a traditional yoga class, it’s very likely that the session ended with a period of silence, or meditation. Your instructor probably had you lie down in sivasana and go through a period of progressive relaxation, followed by your meditation.

This silent period is what could be called yoga meditation. It’s the body’s assimilation of the postures you’ve just gone through. Without it, your yoga practice is not as effective because the body and mind really use that time to absorb all the benefits of yoga.

When you practice traditional yoga, you are harmonizing the mind, body, and spirit. You coordinate your movements with your breath. The breath represents the spirit, and the mind is focused on moving the body into specific asanas. This creates the union of mind, body, and spirit. Yoga does, in fact, mean “union.”

In this sense, the entire process of yoga is a bit meditative when done with focused intent. It can be considered a form of movement meditation, which will be discussed in a future post.

If you attend a yoga class that does not have a period dedicated to sivasana, or meditation, you’ve attended a very non-traditional and, potentially, less effective class. When I teach yoga, I like to allow for approximately 8-10 minutes of sivasana. Some teachers would find that slightly short, some would find it aggravatingly long. To me, this brief period allows the body an appropriate amount of time to absorb the benefits of the practice.

Unfortunately, there are many different types of yoga being created in the west. Without sivasana, these are merely exercise routines. I’m certainly not against any form of yoga or exercise. On the contrary, I’m a huge proponent of physical fitness. I suppose I’m just a bit of a purist in that I believe all yoga must end with meditation in order to be considered true yoga (asana).

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