There are 2 broad concepts that encapsulates every concept and technique that we engage with upon our journey of yogic meditation. Samyoga and Viyoga are ultimately the two essential parts of any system of meditation within the yoga tradition and well worth consideration by any aspirant.
Samyoga is ultimately merging into a realisation of the totality, Sama Sama as it is described in Bahasa Indonesia, we are all but one, all is the same. The pathway of Samyoga encapsulates numerous techniques and practices;
3 Practices of Samyoga;
Focussed awareness meditation / concentration practices - mantra meditation / ajapa japa, trataka / candle gazing, breath awareness.
Practice of Sankalpa - aligning our manifest energy with our deepest needs, our highest purpose, creating a personal vision statement that aligns our intention and actions with our dharma / our noble destiny.
Meditation upon the Oneness - a joyful experience that should be at the heart of any journey of meditation - through an exploration of the duality we can ultimately melt into the profound acceptance of the ultimate reality, I am This, I am That, all things are ultimately an expression of the same undying primordial source.
Through an exploration of the Duality, we can come to an experience of the Totality
ViYoga is ultimately a practice of becoming aware of that which does not serve us, observing and then moving beyond the distractions, acknowledging and transcending the limiting thoughts and behaviours. Viyoga encompasses techniques that focus upon the temporary things, such us thought and feelings, and support us to uncouple from them, so that we might connect more fully with the Supreme Reality which is undying.
4 Practices of Viyoga;
Working through our process of identifying & healing ancestral trauma supports this process, observing ourselves & the world around us through the lens of trauma - acknowledging our own wounds and how they effect our karma is an essential process on the path of healing.
Meditation on the field of samskara & varsana - similar to understanding trauma, but from a more yogic perspective, cultivating viveka/ discernment, vairagya / detachment & vidya / wisdom.
Talk therapy, counselling and Cognitive Behaviour therapy are invaluable tools in the process of ViYoga.
Antar Mouna, mindfulness meditation is the special sauce that makes if all work - through a commitment to meditation we can cultivate the spaciousness in our mind, which gives liberation from the vrittis and ultimately our ability to experience Samyoga.
A simple example of this is through the practice of Antar Mouna we begin by listening attentively to Sounds in the world around us, giving the soundwaves our complete focus for a period of time, cultivating the disposition of the Witness - we then turn that same mindset towards our inner world observing the patterns of our thoughts in the same way we listen to the sounds, witnessing them as fluctuations of energy rather than a definition of who we are.
The final stage of this meditation is the move into Samyoga, we see the sounds, feeling and thoughts more like waves moving upon the surface of the ocean, observing the profound stillness at the depths of that same ocean, and acknowledging that all things are in fact the same, an experience of that same source, Sama Sama, Samyoga.
In simple terms, Viyyoga could be referred to as that which we are moving away from and Samyoga as that which we are Moving towards. This is the school of Non Dual Tantra - whereby we meditate on the Duality (Viyoga), so that we might come to the experience of the Totality (Samyoga). These concepts are essential navigational aids in your jouney of Yogic Meditation.
