It basically says that we can't and shouldn't try to control our flow of consciousness and our emotions, but we can control our behavior. You can't force yourself to be peaceful or undistracted. But you can easily make yourself sit down and pay attention to your breath.
This is very close to the traditional Iyengar Hatha style Yoga meditation I was taught. When thoughts come, and they will, note that you are having them, and focus again on the breath, the way your chest rises and falls, etc. Back then, we also only did it for short periods, and slowly worked up for longer. I'm not sure if they've touched on this, but in traditional yogic practice, as I was taught (by somebody who studied in India) pranayama (breath work) is considered quite dangerous, and needs to be approached carefully, under a well-trained teacher. If not, you can accidentally send yourself into flashbacks, or trigger illness (migraines, for example). Capable of both great help, and great harm, so needs to be treated cautiously. I know that lots of other yoga schools seem to not see it that way, though.
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Date: 2012-03-19 04:39 am (UTC)This is very close to the traditional Iyengar Hatha style Yoga meditation I was taught. When thoughts come, and they will, note that you are having them, and focus again on the breath, the way your chest rises and falls, etc. Back then, we also only did it for short periods, and slowly worked up for longer. I'm not sure if they've touched on this, but in traditional yogic practice, as I was taught (by somebody who studied in India) pranayama (breath work) is considered quite dangerous, and needs to be approached carefully, under a well-trained teacher. If not, you can accidentally send yourself into flashbacks, or trigger illness (migraines, for example). Capable of both great help, and great harm, so needs to be treated cautiously. I know that lots of other yoga schools seem to not see it that way, though.