Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra says Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha. This means the cessation in the fluctuations of the mind and stoppage of thinking of both negative and positive thoughts.
But a mind that is distracted, bombarded and traumatised by so many thoughts, is it possible to achieve this? Traumas of the past, anxieties of the future…Let alone getting over the fluctuation of the mind, is it even possible to concentrate on reading something or watching something for more than a minute without being distracted these days?
Patanjali also points to the path to enable us to achieve no-mind. The eight limbs of Yoga are an excellent method to reach this state, if not the state itself, it may get us to a more sorted mind and thinking pattern.
The five Yama – the five precepts – Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Aparigraha and Bhramacharya keeps us away from unnecessary greed, violence and over use of our senses.
Niyama – Saucha, Santosha, Tapa, Swadhaya, Ishwar Pranidhana encourages us to look within and clean our thoughts and body and purify them.
Asana and Pranayama help us balance both our body and mind.
Pratyahara helps us restrict our senses and point them inward. This helps our mind to be stable. This is very similar to getting our mind conditioned for focusing on the desired goal.
Dharna helps us to concentrate on a single aim, goal or object. This works like goal-setting and steers the mind in one direction.
Dhyana helps us to focus on this object for long periods of time, this helps in developing the consistency to holding on to that aspect of our mind which we need to. Heard of 10000 hours as the success mantra or repetition? Exactly that.
Even if we are unable to achieve the complete cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, we will at least be able to achieve something close to what we constantly think and work on – a good career, relationships etc and will be able to overcome the negativities which plague our mind.
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