Obstacles and Solutions - Meditations for Stabilizing the Mind

The Yoga Sutra lists nine obstacles to concentration: illness, dullness, doubt, delusion, misinformation, laziness, sensual indulgence, inability to establish practice and inability to sustain practice. These result in pain, dejection, restlessness of the body and disruption of breathing.

In order to overcome these, he suggests concentration on a single practice. He then makes several suggestions:

YS I.33: Cultivating feelings of love towards those who joyful, compassion for those who suffer, goodwill towards the virtuous and equanimity in the face of evil. These principles help one to overcome some common failings and distractions that can be experienced.

"We generally feel envious when we find people, in whom we are not interested or by whom our self-interest is jeopardized, to be happy; similarly a cruel delight is felt when we find an enemy to be unhappy or in distress. Reputation of a pious person of a different persuasion often excites jealousy and displeasure. When a person in whom we are not interested is found to be leading a sinful life we feel sorry or angry or become cruel towards him. Such feelings of envy, cruel delight, malevolence or anger disturb the mind and prevent its attaining concentration. That is why if by cultivating feelings of amity etc., the mind can be kept pleasant and happy, free from any disturbing element, then it can become one-pointed and tranquil." - HH Aranya

YS I.34: Exhaling and holding the breath. 


"For calming the mind, it should be made to hold on to something. Therefore, practicing breathing only without attempting to settle the mind, would never result in calmness. In fact, if Pranayama is practiced without Dhyana (meditation) the mind instead of becoming calm would get more disturbed. That is why for every effort for control of breath, the mind should be made one-pointed with a particular thought.

The Sastras say that the breath should be attuned to a conception of the void. In other words, when exhaling, it should be supposed that the mind is vacant, has no thought in it. Exhalation with such thought calms the mind; otherwise not. The effort with which breath is exhaled has three steps. First, the effort to exhale it slowly; secondly, the effort to keep the body still and relaxed; and thirdly, the effort to keep the mind vacant or without any thought. This is how the breath is to be exhaled. Then, to remain as far as possible in that vacant state of the mind is Pranayama. In this method there is no effort to take in the breath, which will take place naturally, but it should be watched that the mind continues to remain vacant at that time also." - HH Aranya

YS I.35: Meditation on higher sense perception.

"The subtle perception of smell which one gets when concentrating on the tip of the nose is the higher smell-perception. Similarly, concentration on the tip of the tongue gives supersensuous taste, that on the palate supersensuous colour, that on the tongue supersensuous touch and that at the root of the tongue supersensuous sound. The awakening of these higher perceptions stabilises the mind firmly, removes doubts and forms the gateway to knowledge acquirable through concentration." - Vyaasa

YS I.36: Contemplation on a mind that is sorrow-less and filled with light - ie Buddhi.

“The method of gradually reaching the contemplation of Buddhi-sattva or pure I-sense is first to imagine in the ‘lotus’, ie. core of the heart, called the abode of Brahman, the presence of a limitless uninterrupted expanse of clear effulgence like the sky…

…then imagine that the Self is within that or spread all over it. Such thoughts bring indescribable bliss. The transparent, radiant sense of ego radiating from the heart to infinity is called Visoka Jyotismati or effulgent light free from sorrow.” - HH Aranya


YS I.37: Contemplating on a mind free from desire.

YS I.38: Meditation on dreams or dreamless sleep.

YS I.39: In fact, any suitable object can be used.

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