- LIVE ONLINE PROGRAM
January 9 – March 27, 2023
Concentration & Meditation:
The Royal Roads to Perfection
with Rukmini Chaitanya
Rukmini Chaitanya
12 WEEKLY SESSIONS, Mondays, 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET
Zoom Link and Class Recordings
Course Description:
“Those who practice concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientific accuracy and great efficiency. What others do in six hours can be done by one who has concentration within half an hour. Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought and clarifies the ideas. You can achieve anything through concentration. Nothing is impossible to a man who practices regular concentration.“
– Swami Sivananda, “Concentration and Meditation“
Discover the practical tools used for thousands of years by sages to either jump-start or deepen your concentration and meditation practice.
Concentration and meditation form the inner core of the practice of yoga; they are the keys to the door of Inner Illumination. By diving deep into the cultivation of both concentration and a meditation practice, you will progress on the spiritual path quickly and efficiently. Besides the direct spiritual improvements, you will also experience the benefits of higher energy reserves for your daily activities accompanied by a sharper general focus, a happier mindset, and success in your daily work and personal life.
Join this 12 week course with Rukmini Chaitanya to explore the theory and practice of concentration, the necessary prerequisites to both a successful life and a successful meditation practice. If you already have a meditation practice, this course will help you strengthen the foundation of your practice; if you are new or struggling in your meditation practice, this course will give you the tools you need to climb the mountain of meditation with ease.
Students will have the opportunity to receive personal guidance from Rukmini Chaitanya on their studies.
What is the goal of life, if not to seek happiness? If you too are desirous of a state of perpetual happiness and joy, you must cultivate the state of mind that supports it.
The state of mind found in a happy, successful man is one of complete Presence. Happiness, after all, is only found in one place: the present. Concentration and meditation helps us cultivate the ability to be present at all times, in all places, regardless of the external environment. By becoming masters of concentrating the mind, we become lord of our own inner universes. For a mind that is one-pointed, no task is insurmountable and no question unanswerable. This course has its source material taken from the concise manual on the subject matter, Concentration and Meditation by Swami Sivananda.
Fostering a steady and consistent practice of concentration takes time and a thorough understanding of the qualities, strengths, and weaknesses of our minds. This course will give you that background from the point of view of yoga philosophy, answering the questions What is Concentration? and Where to Concentrate? This course will help you discover the ways of the mind, to reduce mind-wandering, and provide you with ample practices to apply to your every daily life so that you can start reaping the benefits of a one-pointed mind immediately.
What this course covers...
- Theory of Concentration — What is concentration? and Where to concentrate? plus aids to concentration, Antarmukha and Bahimrukha Vrittis, the ways of the mind, how to reduce mind-wandering, the story of concentration and Yoga Prasnottari
- Practice of Concentration — Attention, practice of concentration, concentration in every walk of life, the gist of the Yoga of Concentration, concentration on a chair, concentration on Anāhata Sounds, and Trataka or gazing exercises
- Preliminaries for Meditation — What is Meditation? and Why Meditate? plus Brahmamuhurta or the best time for meditation, places for meditation, preparation for meditation, how to meditation, when and where to meditate, qualifications for practicing meditation, aids to meditation, asanas for meditation and regularity in meditation.
- Practice of Meditation — the practical aspect of meditation, real rest in meditation, visualization, seclusion and meditation, common errors in meditation, twenty hints on meditation, exercises in meditation, the state of meditation, and Prasnottari on Meditation.
- Kinds of Meditation — meditation in different paths; preliminary meditation (meditation on a rose, buffalo, Mahatma Gandhiji, 12 virtues Divine Songs and Gita Slokas); Saguna Meditation (meditation on Ishta Devatas, Viral Purusha, Gayatri); Nirvana Meditation (meditation on ideas, vedantic meditation and contemplation, meditation on Om, on Soham, on Mahvakyas, positive and negative meditation)
- Physical Obstacles in Meditation — aimless wandering, cessation of sadhana, diseases, environments, evil company, fault-finding, habit of self-justification, impulses, impure and immoderate food, each of brahmacharya, ojas, lacks of Yama and Niyama, social nature, vulgar pleasures, wealth, Tandri-Alasya-Nidra, and others
- Mental Obstacles in Meditation — Anger, backbiting, depression, doubt (samsaya), dreams, evil thoughts, false Tushti, fear, fickleness, five hindrances to Meditation, force of old samskaras, lower nature, memory, Mona, Rajas and Tamas, Sankalpas, and others
- Higher Obstacles in Meditation — Ambition and desire, moral and spiritual pride, religious hypocrisy name and fame, elementals, visions, Siddhis, Kasha, Laya, Rasasvada, Tushnimbhuta Avastha, Stabdha Avastha, Avyaktam
- Experiences in Meditation — Various experiences in meditation; Anāhata sounds; lights in meditation; mystic experiences of Sadhakas; feeling of seperation; cosmic consciousness; Blissful Experience; Bhuta-Ganas; glimpses of the self, Jyotirmaya Darshan, and more
The specifics of what you'll learn in these 12 weeks...
- What is concentration? "Desa-bandhas-chittasya dharana": — Concentration is fixing the mind on an external object or an internal point.
- The different types of concentration, both gross and subtle forms.
- Where to concentrate? Practical exercises with specified locations for concentration.
- The definitions and relationship between dharana and dhyana, otherwise known as concentration and meditation.
- Instruction, deep explanation, and serious study of practices that will help bolster your concentration. These practices involve Pranayama (or control of breath) and Asana (or steady posture) and should be incorporated into your daily Sadhana for extra benefit to your health, peace of mind, and fostering further and stronger concentration.
- The theory of Antarmukha and Bahirmukha Vrittis or the inward-moving mind (Antarmukha) and the outgoing tendency of the mind due to Rajas (Bahirmukha Vrittis); plus, practical tips on how to cultivate and inward-moving mind and control the outgoing tendency due to Rajas.
- The ways of the mind: how dharana or concentration stops the modifications of the mind; what these modifications are; and the 5 different forms that the Chitta or mind manifests (the Kshipta, Mudha, Vikshepa, Ekagra, and Niruddha).
- How to reduce the wandering of the mind: a toolkit for control of the senses, purification of the body and mind and more so as to foster deeper, easier, and longer-held concentration.
- The benefits of a concentrated and one-pointed mind, including the powers that are acquired when one-pointedness is attained.
- The story of concentration: helpful knowledge regarding the subconscious mind and its functions.
- The practice of concentration: the two types of attention (voluntary and involuntary) and purification of mind through the practice of right conduct, with regular practices in-class to help develop and sharpen your ability to concentrate.
- The appearance of concentration in every walk of life and the gist of yoga of concentration, including its role in the path of a Hatha Yogi: observation of such practices as Mauna (silence), Vairagya (dispassion), and Pratyahara (sense withdrawal).
- Various exercises in concentration: including concentration in a chair, concentration on Anāhata or heart sounds, trataka or gazing, etc.
Additional Information:
- Offered as 12 weekly sessions on Mondays from 1:00 to 2:30 pm ET on the following dates: January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27.
- This program is offered live through Zoom webinar with the availability for students to interact through Q&A with the presenter.
- For enrolled students, a video recording will be available after each class in the event you miss a class or would like to review the content.
- It is possible to register and take the course at any time. You can catch up on any classes you miss with the recordings.5,
Requirements and Recommendations:
- No experience necessary. This program is open to beginners as well as advanced practitioners.
- Viewing Device: Desktop or laptop computer will provide the best experience, although you can also connect via a tablet or smartphone.
- Internet connection: High-speed broadband wired or wireless is best.
- Video: Download Zoom to your computer, or install the Zoom app to your device. For interactive group sessions, a webcam or integrated camera will allow others to feel more connected with you.
- Audio: Headphone speakers are recommended. If you wish to participate vocally, a headset with a microphone will be ideal.
Course Includes:
- 24 hours of on-demand video.
- 10 live 90 minute sessions.
- Live and recorded guided practices.
- Feedback and personal guidance on student’s home practices.
- Availability to ask questions about the studies and practices between classes.
- Course Manual.
Rukmini Chaitanya
Rukmini Chaitanya is a senior staff member of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas, and the personal assistant to Swami Swaroopananda, the Acharya, or spiritual director of the Ashram. She regularly teaches the Bhagavad Gita during the Sivananda Yoga Teacher training as well as other courses on the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, positive thinking, meditation, and yoga philosophy.
Rukmini Chaitanya is known for her enthusiastic and inspiring teaching style as well as for her devotion to the lineage and the scriptures. She is dedicated to each of her students and has an innate desire to share knowledge with them. She brings a great deal of clarity to every topic and is highly appreciated for her capacity to unfold complicated topics and present them in a coherent and pure way.