What is the Yoga Secret

Most People Don’t Know About

PREPARATION

by Randall Krause

 

It was in the early 1990s, and I was attending a workshop taught by Swami Rama. I walked into one of the public rooms in the Himalayan Institute and encountered the huge figure of Swami Rama, clothed in a maroon robe, surrounded by students. I gathered my courage, walked up to him, and said, “Will you teach me to meditate?”

He turned his face to me and, in his forceful way, bellowed, “Yes!”

I relaxed and felt a smile spread across my inner being.

But then, with a look of concern, he added, “Are you prepared?”

I didn’t know what he meant. So, I said, “I don’t know if I’m prepared, Swamiji.”

A moment passed. “Get prepared, and I will teach you!” he said energetically.

I backed away, turned, and began walking out of the room, with a feeling of confusion spreading through me. As I walked, another man in the room stopped me and said, “You should have told him you are prepared!”

“How could I tell him I’m prepared when I don’t even know what he means?” I responded incredulously.

Now, more than thirty years later, I have an idea of what he might have meant.

Here is a story told by Swamiji on the subject:

Long ago, when I was twenty-seven years of age, I opposed my master. After working hard, I could not attain Samadhi. I told him, “Please give me Samadhi.”

He said, “You are not yet prepared for Samadhi. If I pour a jug of water in a small bowl, it is of no use.” Then he said, “Okay; bring me a bowl.”

I brought a bowl. He said, “Give it to me and close your eyes.”

He made a hole in the bowl, gave it to me, and started pouring milk in it. Nothing would stay in the bowl.

I said, “Hey, what are you doing?”

He replied, “I am teaching you, but your head is like this bowl! If you have holes in your head, you cannot retain anything.”

(From Sadhana, The Path to Enlightenment, Pp. 201-202, by Swami Rama)

Thus, preparation is what plugs the holes in our heads so we can meditate.

What might these holes be?

Once, I heard Swami Veda say that if a person is filled with emotional turbulence, “they are not yet a proper vessel for meditation.” Why? Because, for meditation to happen, the mind must be still and raging emotions imbalance the mind. Have you ever tried meditating when angry or anxious? I have, and it doesn’t work. Instead of being one-pointed, a mind consumed with emotion is like a starburst, going in many directions at the same time.

When Dr. Arya first came to the United States, he anticipated that many people here would be good candidates for meditation. He soon discovered that most of the people he encountered were highly emotional and unable to attain meditation. So, he began teaching people to calm their emotions.

I was one of those he taught. Almost every time I saw him, he would advise me to calm my emotions. He even gave a series of recorded talks on the subject to help people learn to manage their emotions. The recorded series is titled Emotions as Acts of Volition.

Although some people misunderstood his intention and thought he was trying to make them emotionless, that’s not even possible. What he aimed to help people do was experience healthy emotions that come and go, rather than being habitually stuck in a state of emotional agitation.

The main idea is that a large part of preparation is to purify and calm our emotional responses.

Another way to prepare is to seek balance in what Swami Rama called our primitive fountains of food, sleep, sex, and self-preservation. These fountains are powerful desires or needs, and when any of them are imbalanced, our emotions flare up and create obstacles to meditation.

In my experience, eating too little or too much has a profound impact on my mind. If I am hungry, I can’t think clearly and get irritable. If I overeat, I get drowsy and lack motivation. These imbalances similarly affect my ability to meditate.

Consider how you react when you’re hungry, sleep-deprived, or feel threatened. Does that impact your ability to quiet your mind? It does for me.

Sexuality is another powerful influence that can strongly affect one’s mind. Many years ago, I spent time with Swami Hari, known as the Laughing Swami. He was constantly joking and laughing. Swami Hari knew I wasn’t in a relationship and kept urging me to find one. He kept suggesting potential partners for me, but I had my own ideas. One time, out of frustration, I said to him, “Swamiji, maybe I should just renounce, become a monk, and retreat to a cave to meditate.” He burst out laughing and said, “You’d be a monkey of a monk! The whole time in that cave, you’d be thinking of women!” I thought he was right. Later, I found a relationship and my meditation improved.

Balancing our primitive fountains is an essential aspect of preparation indeed.

A third area we can consider for preparation is the Yamas. If I tended to harm others, lie, steal, or do similar acts, then engaging in those behaviors would likely disturb my mind and prevent me from meditating.

When I was younger, I felt overwhelmed by the thought of having to master the Yamas because mastering even one could take a lifetime. But it’s not necessary to master all of the Yamas. A more practical approach is to look at the five Yamas, identify the one that’s most challenging for me, and focus on making progress in that area. For example, if I am good at being truthful and refrain from stealing but tend to act violently, I can work on reducing my violent tendencies. A first step might be to pay close attention and become aware whenever the urge to act violently arises. Once I notice that, I can strive to choose a different response when the urge appears. The same process applies to the other Yamas.

There are other ways to prepare, but the three focuses mentioned in this article are a good place to start.

May you become prepared, so the Guru Spirit takes you to the next step.