Two birds are sitting on a tree. One is placed at a higher branch and other one at the lower branches.
Bird at the higher branch seems very relaxed and centered on the contrary the other one is very fidgety and unsatisfied; it pricks on fruits of the tree, enjoys the sweet ones and dislikes the unripe ones. Momentary satisfaction is followed by fidgetiness and unsatisfied behavior. At times in between jumping and hopping it also looks at the higher bird and tries to reach closer to it and again gets distracted. This continues for quite some time until the lower bird finds itself coming closer and closer to the higher bird, more it gets closer more centered and satisfied it becomes, jumping and anxious behavior is slowly getting alleviated and as it reaches the same branch as that of the higher bird, it finds that there is no one there. All along there was no one the higher bird was actually a reflection of the quiet mind which was continuously pulling lower bird to the higher levels.
This analogical story of yogis explains a lot about the higher mind which yogis aspire to achieve through the practice of 8 limbs of yoga also known as Ashtanga yoga. All the practices of yoga which also includes yoga asana (yoga posture practice) eventually aim to make higher mind accessible to all of us. This state is always present and accessible and only thing required to experience it is absence of thought turbulences which have been termed as chitta Vritti by yoga master Patanjali. However easier said than done, socially and culturally we have not been trained to inculcate this state of mind and absence of thoughts has been thoroughly misunderstood so far. Thoughts occur in the mental space and take our attention and energy. More we resist this attention more energy we end up giving and thus the cycle continuous that leaves us helpless and not able to understand how to get rid of thought turbulences. Yoga offers a healthy de conditioning through its various techniques and philosophy.
Every time you practice yoga asana take some moments at the end of the practice to get connected to the higher mind by allowing yourself a mental space where you can be relaxed. Accept the thoughts as and when they come and simultaneously recognize that you are essentially a spectator who need not necessarily give power to thoughts by paying attention to them. Thoughts are bound to come and go, neither welcoming nor resisting them, is a quality of the higher mind.
On close introspection you would find that a thought and the mind are essentially separate from the spectator. Higher mind is spectator which enjoys the nectar of being, in yoga language it could be termed as bliss (Ananda) which is one of the attributes of godliness. A yoga student one must aspire to access higher mind by constant and non violent practice.
Online yoga programs and Yoga teacher training in Nepal conducted by salamba yoga aims at creating awareness of these deeper yogi practices. Mantra yoga and japa yoga practices are taught to develop deeper states of concentration and meditation.
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