What Tool do you Use?

 
Hello and Happy Monday,

I first want to thank all the veterans and their families for your service. The sacrifice for our freedom does not go unnoticed. 

Today is day 3 of the first week of Yoga Teacher Training. Yesterday we covered most of the History and Philosophy portion of the training. We spoke about Dharana, concentration or focus, and what that meant to us. 

Dharana is the step before meditation, what we need to do in order to meditate. Yesterday in YTT, we spoke about Dharana becoming a ritual, lighting a candle and gazing into the flame, lighting incense and watching the smoke or smelling it, or playing music or a singing bowl and listing to the vibration of sound. Do you do any of these things before you meditate? All of these are helpful ways to start the process of concentration, but over time this is a practice that we can let go of. If we are practicing yoga then we are always trying to practice non-attachment (aparigraha) which means that it's wonderful to use tools (candle, incense) to focus, and after time, the habit of concentration will become easier and maybe we won't need those things to get us there. 

Please share with me - what helps you concentrate? What helps you to keep focus? Is there a mantra? A photo, a quote? What tool do you use?

With Love, 
Jess