Dhyana — the still mind
Meditation
The tradition's own practices, from the first deep breath to the candle flame — each explained simply, guided gently, and honest about safety.
Everything here is traditional practice, explained honestly — not medical advice. If you are pregnant or live with a heart, blood-pressure, eye or seizure condition, read each practice's caution first, and let your doctor and a real teacher outrank this page.
New to these words?
- Dhyana
- Meditation — giving the mind one quiet thing to rest on, like the breath, a flame or a mantra.
- Pranayama
- Breathing practices — guiding the breath slow and steady, because a calm breath makes a calm mind.
- Prana
- The life-energy the tradition says rides on the breath — what pranayama practices are caring for.
- Kumbhaka
- Gently holding the breath in or out for a moment — an advanced step, learned from a teacher.
- Shatkarma
- Hatha yoga's six cleansing practices; trataka (candle gazing) and kapalbhati are two of them.
- Trataka
- Steady, soft gazing at one point — usually a flame — until the mind goes as still as the eyes.
- Mudra
- A hand gesture with meaning — like chin mudra, resting thumb and index fingertip together while meditating.
- Sadhana
- Your regular spiritual practice — the jaap, meditation, yoga and puja you actually do, day after day.
Breath — Pranayama
The breath is the one handle on the mind everyone is already holding. These practices — from the simple long breath to the humming bee — slow it, even it, and let the mind settle behind it.
Deep Belly Breathing
दीर्घ श्वास
The first practice of all: slow, full breaths that settle the whole body.
Sama Vritti — the Even Breath
समवृत्ति प्राणायाम
Four counts in, four held, four out, four empty — a perfectly square, steadying breath.
Bhramari — the Humming Bee
भ्रामरी प्राणायाम
Breathe out as a soft hum and feel the sound vibrate through your whole head.
Sheetali — the Cooling Breath
शीतली प्राणायाम
Sip the air over a curled tongue and feel it cool you from the inside — a Dubai summer's friend.
Sheetkari — the Hissing Cool Breath
शीतकारी
Sheetali's sister for tongues that don't curl — sip cool air over the teeth with a soft hiss.
Nadi Shodhana (Anulom Vilom)
नाड़ी शोधन
Alternate-nostril breathing — India's most beloved pranayama, balancing left and right.
Ujjayi — the Ocean Breath
उज्जायी प्राणायाम
A soft whisper in the throat turns each breath into a wave you can hear.
Surya Bhedana — the Sun-Piercing Breath
सूर्य भेदन
In through the right nostril, out through the left — the breath of warmth, appetite and drive.
Chandra Bhedana — the Moon-Piercing Breath
चन्द्र भेदन
In through the left nostril, out through the right — the breath of coolness, softness and sleep.
Kapalbhati — the Shining Skull
कपालभाति
Short, brisk exhales pumped from the belly — a strong cleansing kriya, learned properly in person.
Bhastrika — the Bellows Breath
भस्त्रिका
Equal, vigorous in-and-out strokes that stoke the inner fire — the strongest breath we teach.
Gaze — Trataka
Steady the eyes and the mind steadies with them. Trataka, the candle-gazing purification of hatha yoga, is concentration you can practise tonight with one flame.
Bindu Trataka — Gazing at the Dot
बिन्दु त्राटक
All of trataka's stillness with none of the flame — a black dot on the wall, and you.
Chandra Trataka — Moon Gazing
चन्द्र त्राटक
On full-moon nights the sky hangs a lamp for you — gaze, soften, and let the mind turn to silver.
Trataka — Candle Gazing
त्राटक
One flame, one gaze — the ancient practice of steadying the mind through the eyes.
Nasikagra Drishti — Nose-Tip Gazing
नासिकाग्र दृष्टि
The gaze rests on the tip of your own nose — the concentration point you carry everywhere.
Sound — Mantra
Sound carrying stillness: chanting Om with its three parts, and So'ham — the mantra the breath is already whispering.
Om Dhyana — Chanting AUM
ॐ ध्यान
One syllable, three sounds, and the silence after — the meditation the Upanishads begin from.
Likhita Japa — Written Japa
लिखित जप
Write the name instead of counting it — a whole notebook slowly filling with Rama or Om.
Chankramana — Walking Japa
चंक्रमण जप
Steps and syllables lock together — walking meditation the Indian way, done with any mala mantra.
So'ham — the Breath's Own Mantra
सोऽहम्
Listen closely: the in-breath whispers "so", the out-breath "ham". You have chanted all your life.
Nama Smarana — Remembering the Name
नाम स्मरण
Beyond counting: the name running under the day like a river under a bridge.
Ishta Dhyana — Meditating on Your Beloved Form
इष्ट ध्यान
Build your beloved deity in the heart, detail by detail, until the form holds the whole mind.
Stillness
The practices of complete rest — lying down, wide awake inside, letting the body be carried.
Yoga Nidra — Yogic Sleep
योग निद्रा
Lie down, stay awake, and let attention walk slowly through the whole body.
Kaya Sthairyam — Perfect Body Stillness
काय स्थैर्यम्
One simple vow for ten minutes: the body will not move. Watch what the mind does next.
Shanmukhi Mudra — Closing the Six Gates
षण्मुखी मुद्रा
Fingers gently close ears, eyes and lips — the world steps out, and the inner sounds step in.
Antar Mauna — Inner Silence
अन्तर् मौन
Stop fighting thoughts — sit back and watch them arrive, perform, and leave on their own.
Chidakasha Dharana — the Inner Sky
चिदाकाश धारणा
Close your eyes: that dark screen before you is a sky. Watch it the way you'd watch night.
Sakshi Bhava — the Witness Attitude
साक्षी भाव
Vedanta's master key: you are not the storm — you are the sky it crosses.
The body's side of stillness
Meditation sits best in a body that has moved. Surya Namaskar, gentle routines and pose-by-pose guides live in the yoga section.
Go to Yoga →