Hatha Yoga vs Meditation

To understand what is meditation, first we need to understand what is Hatha Yoga and Patanjali’s 8 limbed Yoga.

Yoga is derived from the root Sanskrit Word, YUJ which means Union. Yoga is thought to be a set of physical exercises – Asanas and breath control – Pranayama. But, that is only the superficial aspect of this science.

The real goal of Yoga is to bring harmony between mind & body. Also, it prompts the union of Individual Consciousness with the Universal Consciousness.

Patanjali is called “Father of Yoga” and his Yoga is known as Ashtanga Yoga or Eight limbed Yoga.

The Eight Limbs are:

YAMA, NIYAMA, ASANAS, PARANAYAMA, PRATYAHARA, DHARANA, DHYANA, SAMADHI.

There are 5 YAMA, which are External Observances towards society. These are Non-Violence, Non-Stealing, Truthfulness, Celibacy and Non-Aggrandizement.

There are 5 NIYAMA which are Inner Observances towards oneself. These are External and Internal Purity, Contentment, Dedication to Practice of Yoga, Self Study of Scriptures and Devotion to God.

Now, Yama and Niyama are more to do with Religion than a conclusive path towards an individuals Spiritual Well Being. In order to practice these a certain quality of Mind and a sense of harmony within oneself is required.

It is for this reason Hatha Yoga has been developed. The real aim of science of Hatha Yoga is absolute purification of the entire body.

This brings balance of interacting activities and processes between Physical Body, Mind and Energy. The human mechanism is prepared for Meditation practices only when body is completed purified.

Hatha Yoga begins with Shatkarmas or 6 purification techniques. It only involves the third & fourth limb of Ashtanga Yoga, which is ASANAS and PRANYAMA.

Thus, Hatha Yoga practices are preparatory steps for all advanced practices of Yoga. These are Raja Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Tantra or Kriya Yoga.

Pratyahara, Dharana & Dhyana

So, What is meditation? Dhyana, the 7th limb of Ashtanga Yoga, is the Real Meditation. It almost always begins in conjunction with the previous two steps of Pratyahara and Dharana.

Pratyahara is Withdrawal of Senses and Dharana is Focusing on the Object of Concentration. The object could be anything such as Movement of Breadth, Mantra, Mala, Psychic Symbols, Ishta Devata or Yantra & Mandala.

A person becomes Meditative, when one is in complete oneness with the object of concentration.

As Dhyana increases, the external images in the mind do not disturb oneself. Also, one stops hearing external sounds and mind becomes self controlled.

Meditation is not deep sleep but a state where the awareness is far away from the external world.

Samadhi, the 8th limb of Ashtanga Yoga, is the ultimate goal of Yoga. That is, uniting the Individual Consciousness with Universal Consciousness.