[Quick links] [Pause] Many people associate different meanings to the Yogic state called Samadhi. Most people imply a sudden loss of awareness, or an experience of proximity to the divine, and so on.

[Quick links] [Pause] We were discussing the strange and unusual experience that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to go through every now and then. What was it? Let me start with a simple analogy.

[Quick links] [Pause] Samadhi is the final stage of meditation. It is the eighth step of Yoga. As the meditation continues for a prolonged duration, one slips into this state of Samadhi. The question is – “is meditation a necessary precondition to attain samadhi?”.

[Quick links] [Pause] In the past few episodes, I rushed through a selection of meditative practices from various disciplines, both ancient and modern.  I am sure there are many more ways.  In one of my books namely “Meditation – Important things you need to know”, I have hinted that most meditations ultimately lead you to the same destination irrespective of their form and origin. The time taken to reach the destination may differ in each case though.

[Quick links] [Pause] For many people, Kundalini is an inalienable part of Yoga.  They talk about the dormant mystic power Kundalini, an array of energy centers called Chakras spread all over the spine starting from the lower tip of the vertebral column to the top of the skull.

[Quick links] [Pause]   Meditation is the crux of Buddhism. But then what exactly is this meditation is something not very clear.

[Quick links] [Pause] As I discussed a few episodes ago, the ancient Indian scripture namely the Bhagavad Geetha has an entire chapter devoted to Meditation. It is called Dhyana Yoga, chapter 6.

[Quick links] [Pause] Upanishads may be the most ancient of the philosophical texts that deal with meditation and the ultimate realities of the world. They are parts of ancient Indian Vedic scriptures, which the Indians believe to be eternal and authorless.

[Quick links] [Pause] In the previous episodes, we climbed the 4 steps of the Yoga ladder and came up to the step namely Pratyahara. The first 4 steps namely Yama, Niyama, Asana, and Pranayama gradually shaped our mind into a well-focused Mind.

[Quick links] [Pause] A stress-free mind is a boon since it keeps us healthy. Whether we are really interested in the end results of Yoga practice or not, all of us want to live a healthy life. As we discussed a few episodes ago, there are three ways Yoga minimizes stress.