Samadhi is the final step in Ashtanga Yoga. When we
succeed in becoming so absorbed in something that our mind becomes
completely one with it, we are in a state of Samadhi. Samadhi means "to
bring together, to merge." In Samadhi our personal identity-name,
profession, family history, social security number, driver's license
number etc.-completely disappears. In the moment of Samadhi none of that
exists anymore. Nothing separates us from the object of our choice;
instead we blend and become one with it.
During Samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without
differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this
pure identity. The conscious mind drops back into that unconscious
oblivion from which it first emerged. The final stage terminates at the
instant the soul is freed. The absolute and eternal freedom of an
isolated soul is beyond all stages and beyond all time and place. Once
freed, it does not return to bondage.
Thus, Samadhi refers to the union of the contemplating being with the
object of contemplation. Here, the object of the meditation and the
meditator become one. This is like the unity of process; it is like the
union of function and structure. The polarity of viewer and viewed, like
the polarity of opposites, is no longer relevant; the mind does not
distinguish between self and non-self, or between the object
contemplated and the process of contemplation. There are various stages
of Samadhi, depending upon whether one is identified with the object
while yet conscious of the object, or whether one has transcended the
object of meditation and is resting in the experience of being, without
conceptual support or without support of any aspect of Consciousness.
Pratyahara, Dhahrana, Dhyana, and Samadhi cannot be practiced. A person
cannot simply sit down and say, "Right now I am going to do
Dhahrana." All the person can do is to create the right conditions
to help bring about a state of Dhahrana; For example, he or she can
practice asanas and Pranayama that, according to the Yoga Sutra, create
favorable conditions for the mind to enter these states. In order to
experience Dhahrana and Dhyana, the mind must first be in a particular
condition. Allow the many things that are going on in the mind to settle
so that it becomes quiet. If the mind is too busy responding to external
stimuli, it cannot enter into a state of Dhahrana. Forcing Dhahrana when
your mind is not ready for it can get you into trouble. For this reason
the Yoga Sutra suggests the practice of asanas and pranayama as
preparation for Dhahrana, because these influence mental activities and
create space in the crowded schedule of the mind. Once Dhahrana has
occurred, Dhyana and Samadhi can follow.
