February Theme - Moksha - Liberation

Yoga teaches us that its ultimate destination is not actually a destination but freedom from one. 

Samadhi may be the 8th and final limb of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga System, but our yoga practice ultimately is a tool for Moksha, liberation.  

Some yogis say Samadhi still implies a state of duality, but is a necessary step toward Moksha. It is in moksha that we are finally freed of duality, and the cycle of birth and death. We are then liberated from human experience to reunite with Brahman. 

One of several paths toward this liberation is Patanjali’s 8-fold path, which is to be practiced non-sequentially. Withdrawing from the senses, we can enter into a deep state of concentration, then meditation, eventually bliss, sustained bliss, and finally moksha.

We can use different visualization techniques in the earlier part of our meditation practice to experience a sense of freedom from the mind and body. One such practice is to chant So-Hum as you meditate. Imagine your body disintegrating into the space all around you, leaving you with just your breath and awareness, as you breathe in So, breathe out Hum. Eventually, the breath becomes so subtle, you are left with just awareness, your So-Hum gradually becoming one sound of Ohm.