Meditation is not mysterious, it is a skill to be understood and developed gradually

Early on in my father’s studies with Sri Krishnamacharya, during a class on the topic of meditation, the master once told him: “Consider a photo of an image that you are familiar with. It could be even your own face. If that photo is pasted on a wall, it remains steady. You can look at it continuously without the image wavering. If you can do the same in your own mind, that is dhyana (meditation).”

Through this example, he was making the understanding of meditation very simple.

The word “meditation” still brings an air of mystery to many people. It is as if meditation is not something a “normal” person may do, being something apart from one’s life. Even to those instructed in doing some form of meditation, it can still seem tricky, like walking on ground that one cannot clearly see.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Yoga is often thought of as asana. But the Yoga Sutra is principally a manual on managing the mind. Deep absorptive meditation (samadhi) is the pinnacle of the practice of yoga.

Understanding meditation is about knowing how to manage our awareness and direct it. It is not all that complicated. Doing meditation is a gradual process of developing that skill in directing our awareness. It is a lifelong effort, no doubt. But it does not take your entire life to understand what meditation is about.

What is the process, the content, and the other variables that determine your meditation practice? They can be listed and explained with clarity, and brought into your own experience in application.

In fact, this is what Samkhya and Yoga are fundamentally about. The terms can be difficult to follow, in their original Sanskrit. But since the topic is universal, it can be expressed in clear English as well.

Meditation should not be any more unfamiliar than physical exercise. Because in its essence, meditation is mental exercise. It takes some understanding and guidance to do physical exercise effectively, but we don’t consider it mysterious. We should take the same view of meditation too.

With the right frameworks and explanation, the essentials of meditation are as easy to grasp and implement as a straightforward exercise program.