Forrest's Library

Samyama

Summary

, 9 min

Samyama as the bundling of the last three of Patanjali's eight steps: dharana, dhyana and samadhi. Pranayama leads to pratyahara, where body and breath drop away. Pure concentration there is dharana; pointed toward the higher self it becomes dhyana, and merging with it is samadhi, shown by an analogy of wading out to a rock.

In this video

Teaches
SamyamaDharanaDhyanaSamadhi
Discusses
PranayamaPratyaharaConcentration
Mentions
PatanjaliEight limbs of yogaHigher SelfStages of sense reversal

Key moments

00:01Matt's question: what is samyama?00:26Samyama as the last three of Patanjali's eight steps01:17A bundle of sticks: the meaning of sam yama02:11Pranayama as conscious life force control02:43Pratyahara: free of the senses, body and breath04:06Dharana: pure concentration without distraction04:47Dhyana: concentration pointed toward the higher self06:05Walking out to the rock: why samadhi follows automatically07:27The three bound together like a domino effect08:26Pure concentration is the kicker; be patient and practice