Samyama Practice

Meditation is the process of bringing the attention inward to stillness, inner silence, pure bliss consciousness, the witness state, samadhi. All of these describe aspects of the same thing. As we meditate each day and then go out and be active, our nervous system becomes naturally accustomed to sustaining and radiating inner silence. Our daily life then becomes calmer from the inside. We are less overwhelmed by external events. This is the rise of the first stage of enlightenment, which is inner silence present in our life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Once we have some inner silence, even just a little, we have the opportunity to begin to operate from that level of infinite potential in us. All that exists is manifested from that, and we, being that, are capable of manifesting from that infinite reservoir of life within us. So, with being anchored in the infinite, we can begin to move toward realizing our transformation to enlightenment.

In meditation we use a mantra, watching our breath or thoughts to systematically allow the mind to dive deep into pure bliss consciousness. The nervous system also goes into silence with the mind, and our metabolism slows down.

Samyama
With samyama, we begin to go the other way. After our meditation, we rest for a minute or two and we transition into samyama.

We begin with an easy state of not thinking, just resting in our silence. If thoughts are coming, we just let them go. In samyama we start by being in silence. This is the starting point.

Now we are ready to begin the practice. Here is how we do it.

With samyama, we are initiating meaning in silence. We do it in a simple, easy, systematic way. First we create an impulse of meaning in silence, and then we let it go in silence.

Let's begin with "Love." It is a good place to start with samyama. In samyama we start with the heart chakra.

In silence pick up just once, the feeling of the word "Love". Don't deliberately make a clear pronunciation, or mental images of this or that scene or situation that represent Love to you. Just have a remembrance of Love, and then go into silence.

Don't contemplate Love or analyze it during samyama. Don't think about it at all. Just come to it once in a subtle way, and then let go into silence.

Having thought "Love" once remain in silence for about fifteen seconds. If any thoughts come, let them go. Don't look at the clock. With a little practice your inner clock will tell you with good enough accuracy when fifteen seconds is up, then pick up on the meaning of "Love" again, and let it go again into your silence for about fifteen seconds again.

That is two repetitions of samyama – twice picking up Love at its subtlest level of thought, and twice letting it go into inner silence.

What is the effect of this? What will happen?

To the extent we are picking up meaning on the border of inner silence (the subtlest level of thought), and then letting go into our silence, the effect will be very powerful. Inner silence is like an amplifier of the subtle thought. It is the only amplifier of thought. It is the source of thought. Usually our thoughts come out of silence stimulated by all that is lodged in our subconscious mind. So many habitual patterns are lodged in our obstructed subconscious mind, and these are what distort and weaken the flow of divine energy coming out from inner silence into our everyday life.

With meditation we are clearing out the obstructions in the subconscious mind and developing a clear awareness of our inner silence.

With samyama we are acting directly within our inner silence to produce an outflow of positive effects that purify our nervous system and surroundings in powerful ways.

During samyama may feel movement of energy moving out from our silence, which can be experienced physically, mentally or emotionally. Or perhaps we won't feel anything until much later in being more loving and compassionate for no obvious external reason.

We are changing from the inside. This is what samyama is – moving intentions from the divine level of silence in us out into external manifestation.

Samyama is what prayer is when it is taken to its deepest level of communion with the divine inside us. Effective prayer is based on the principles of samyama that we are discussing here.

Each thought/meaning we use in samyama is called a "sutra." In Sanskrit, sutra means, "to tie together, or to stitch." The English medical word, "suture" comes from sutra.

In samyama, sutras are bits of meaning we give to unbounded pure bliss consciousness expressing into everyday life. Through samyama we "tie together" our inner and outer life. So, sutras are bits of yoga we can consciously cultivate in ourselves through samyama practice.

In the third chapter, or book, of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras on super-normal powers, many sutras are given for many different things. All this information is not for obtaining instant results or powers. If it were, it would not be doing anyone a favor in terms of gaining enlightenment. All those powers would be a great distraction to yoga if they were so easily obtained.

Fortunately, samyama is a self-regulating practice, which means inner silence (samadhi) is the prerequisite for success in. If there is inner silence, there will also be moral responsibility and conduct (yama and niyama), due to the connectedness of all the limbs of yoga.

Samyama is having inner silence (samadhi) and the ability to pick up a thought (focus/dharana) and let it go inward (meditation/dhyana). Then the results of samyama come out from inner the silence

It should be understood that the experience of any powers we have as a result of samyama are only to be used for the benefit of humanity and not for personal gain. In addition, it is vital not to become attached to the experience and its manifestation.

As with all advanced yoga practices, the real benefits from samyama are to be found in long term daily practice of a particular routine of sutras. If we keep changing sutras around every day or week, and are irregular in our practice, the results will not be realized.

Samyama is a continuation of our meditation practice. First we are going in with meditation, and then we are coming out with samyama.

For this purpose, a balanced series of nine sutras are mentioned. The suggestion is for each one to be practiced for two cycles, two times with about fifteen seconds in silence for each sutra.

The sutras are:
Love, Radiance, Unity, Health, Strength, Abundance, Wisdom, Inner Bliss, Akasha (ether) or Lightness of Air

For example, "Inner Bliss" is a single sutra followed by fifteen seconds of silence. It is for pratyahara, introversion of senses. "Akasha – Lightness of Air" is also a single sutra, followed by fifteen seconds in silence.

The meanings for the sutras can be translated to your own understanding, except for "Akasha, "which is a Sanskrit word meaning of "subtlest ether, inner space.

Samyama is a kundalini technique that brings much energy up through the nervous system. It is not uncommon to experience physical symptoms such as panting (automatic bastrika pranayama) and "hopping" during samyama with the lightness sutra.

 If this happens, make sure you are sitting on a soft surface. There can be various symptoms manifested with the other sutras as well. We are moving the infinite inner silence within us, so the manifestations coming out can be very real and noticeable. Patanjali calls these manifestations "super-normal powers," or "siddhis."

For those who are full with bhakti for enlightenment, samyama repetitions can be increased to four for each sutra, and then ten minutes with a preferred sutra at the end (default is the lightness sutra). This is about twenty minutes of samyama practice. Make sure to take plenty of rest when coming out of your routine of practices, especially when doing samyama.

Lying down for five or ten minutes at the end is good. As always, use self-pacing in your practices. Mental techniques such as meditation and samyama are very powerful, to overdo them is to court uncomfortable energy flows. We each will find our comfortable limit through prudent self-pacing.

Samyama greatly strengthens our presence in the silence of pure bliss consciousness. It promotes the integration of the inner and outer aspects of our nervous system. Samyama stimulates the nervous system to purify and open it to stages of enlightenment, as well as enhancing our inner silence (first stage) in everyday life. Samyama makes the overall power of our desires much stronger. When we want to accomplish something that is in tune with the divine flow, resistance will be much less and obstacles will seem to melt away.

For those who live in the silence of pure bliss consciousness and develop the habit of functioning naturally from that infinite level of life, a constant stream of "small miracles" becomes commonplace.

Do samyama practice after your meditation for a few months and see for yourself. Samyama is more than a sitting practice. It is a way of thinking and doing in our everyday life as we travel on the road to enlightenment.

The teacher is in us.