Posted on 24/02/2020 by Debbie Avani

Developing a Steady Mind


Developing a Steady Mind

“Silence is the root of everything. If you spiral into its void a hundred voices will thunder messages you long to hear.” ~ Rumi

Autumn is a time of change and flux – Vata (or the wind) begins to blow and we can often feel ungrounded and anxious. It is easy to feel overwhelmed as the last bursts of energy from Spring and Summer bubble to the surface. It’s also easy to feel torn and confused as our natural creative urges want to fly and be – but our body and deeper self cries out to slow down, rest and root!

Kaya Sthairyam

The perfect practice to counteract these feelings of wobble and flux is Kaya Sthairyam in Sanskrit Kaya means “body” and Sthairyam means “steadiness”.

So our practice is to create a sense or feeling of steadiness throughout the whole body. We visualize the body as a tree – sending roots deep into the earth – feeling into this support and becoming motionless by gently affirming our intention to remain still.

This meditation technique is the foundation of all other meditation practices – so it’s a great place to start if you are new to meditation or simply wish to re-focus and maybe lessen the intensity of the Autumn winds and their effect on the mind!

How do we Practice?

When practicing Kaya Sthairyam we focus on the body intently – so it is important to try your best not to move during the meditation. You cannot move a finger, bat an eyelid, or even swallow without disrupting the experience. We practice in this way because of the interrelation between the body and the mind – it has been found that when the body becomes steady and still, the mind follows suit.

In the initial stage of Kaya Sthairyam the body should be comfortable and relaxed in the meditation posture – so do sit in a chair or if on the floor take as much support as you need to allow the body to be comfortable to begin with. Later on, as immobility develops, the physical awareness will gradually subside as awareness of stillness increases. At this time the concentration is shifted from the body to the natural breath, so that the mind still has a focus. Ultimately, the awareness of the breath will also subside so that there is only awareness itself.

Try this simple meditation by downloading the audio from my website by following this LINK


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