Inner Peace Wellness
Meditation
All Yoga prepares one for meditation. The yamas and niyamas prepare one’s life circumstances to accommodate spiritual practice. The postures prepare the body to sit comfortably. The breathing practices calm the emotions and the mind. With drawing the senses focuses the attention internally and concentration trains the mind to become one-pointed. All of these lead to the mental state of meditation. Here there is perfectly unchanging equanimity.
Meditation is known as part of the Royal Road (Raja Yoga). There are many forms of practice, nevertheless they all aim to train the mind to become fully focused in the present moment. This Present Moment Awareness is devoid of thoughts from the past and the future; it rests in the eternal now, which is the only real moment, the past and future being fantasy.
Mastering the mind is an essential element of both happiness and spiritual development. Without meditation it is impossible to know/experience the True Self. Without knowing your Authentic Self suffering continues. Thus meditation leads to freedom from suffering.
This beautiful image is by Teka Luttrell at soulconnection.net
Thanks Teka.