Yoga is not a form of meditation. Meditation is a component of the much larger, comprehensive system of Yoga. The physical poses (Asana) commonly called Yoga in the West are preparatory steps, while the true meditative practices are defined by specific, advanced stages of the path.
The Question: Is Yoga Meditation?
The simple answer is no; meditation is an important component of the larger, traditional Yoga system.
Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root Yuj, meaning “union.” It is a complete eight-limbed path, a spiritual discipline designed to unite the mind, body, and spirit.
Meditation is a mental practice of contemplating, training attention, and awareness. This means meditation is one part of Yoga, but Yoga is not just meditation.
The Connection: The 8-Limbed Path of Yoga
The relationship between Yoga and meditation is clearly defined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which outlines the eight limbs, or stages, of the path. This framework shows how the physical practices are designed to lead the practitioner toward the internal state of meditation.
The Preparatory Limbs
These first limbs create the physical and energetic stability required for deep meditation.
- Yama and Niyama: These are the ethical principles and personal observances that calm the mind’s relationship with the world.
- Asana: This is the limb of physical poses. Its traditional purpose is to prepare the body to sit comfortably and motionlessly for long periods.
- Pranayama: This is the limb of breathwork. Its purpose is to control the prana (life force) and prepare the nervous system.
The Meditative Limbs
These final, internal stages define the meditative process itself.
- Pratyahara: This is the withdrawal of the senses (attentional control), acting as the bridge from the external, physical practices to the internal, mental ones.
- Dharana: This is the practice of concentration, the act of holding the mind’s focus on a single object (like the breath or a mantra).
- Dhyana: This is the state of meditation, a sustained and effortless flow of awareness that arises from successful concentration.
- Samadhi: This is the final state of absorption or union, where the distinction between the meditator and the object of meditation dissolves.
How a Part of Yoga Becomes Meditation
The mental practice of Dharana (concentration) is the secret sauce that transforms any other part of Yoga into a meditative practice.
Dharana is the “how-to” of focus. When you apply this one-pointed concentration to a physical pose, it becomes a Moving Meditation. You are not just “doing a pose”; you are concentrating on the alignment, the sensation, and the breath within that pose. The same is true for Pranayama; when you focus intently on the count and sensation of the breath, you are practicing Dharana.
Therefore, Asana by itself is physical exercise. Asana with Dharana is meditation.
Meditative Techniques Offered by Yoga
The Yoga tradition is the source of many of the world’s most famous meditation techniques. These are all, in essence, specific forms of Dharana, preceded by Pratyahara, designed to lead the practitioner into Dhyana or Samadhi. Some of them are:
- Japa Yoga: The repetition of a mantra (a sacred sound), often counted on mala beads.
- Trataka: A yogic gazing practice, fixing the eyes on a single point like a candle flame to build undisturbed focus.
- Yoga Nidra: A guided, systematic relaxation practice (yogic sleep) performed lying down to reach a deep meditative state.
- Antar Mouna: The “inner silence” meditation; a systematic practice of witnessing thoughts without attachment.
- Bhakti Meditation: Meditation through devotion—focusing on a deity, mantra, or feeling of divine love. Sometimes includes chanting (kirtan), visualization, or heartfelt prayer as meditative absorption.
- Chakra Meditation: Focusing the mind on the body’s energy centers (chakras), often visualizing colors, sounds (bija mantras), or symbolic forms to purify and awaken subtle energy.
- Kundalini Meditation: A system of meditation focusing on awakening dormant spiritual energy (Kundalini) through concentration on the spinal column, chakras, and breath. This can also include bandhas (energetic locks) and mudras (gestures).
- Metta Meditation: Though often associated with Buddhism, the cultivation of loving-kindness is a core yogic principle.
Summary
Yoga, therefore, is not meditation, but a complete system that contains meditation as its higher, internal aim. The Eight-Limbed Path of Patanjali clarifies this relationship, framing Asana (poses) and Pranayama (breathwork) as some of the crucial preparatory disciplines. These physical and energetic practices create the stability required to progress to the internal yogic limbs through Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses and internal focus), to Dharana (concentration), and Dhyana (meditation), which finally leads the adept toward Samadhi (the union). The key is that Dharana is the active meditative principle; when applied to Asana, it transforms physical exercise into a Moving Meditation—the same is true with all other practices combined with Dharana. The Yoga tradition, then, provides the complete framework, the preparation, and specific meditative techniques—such as Japa Yoga, Trataka, Chakra and Kundalini Meditation, or Yoga Nidra (among others)—to achieve its final goal of Samadhi, or union.
