Q&A: Yoga and Meditation

Nico asks:

“I’d like yoga to get me into spring since the weather won’t cooperate–Saraswati do you think you need to be fairly strong in yoga practice to be able to properly meditate?“

My reply:

This is a multi answer for a multi question! As I’ve stated before in Yoga and Meditation you can enter deep meditative states while doing physical asanas (which is what I think you are referring to when you say “yoga practice” here). So I don’t necessarily separate the two as some schools do.

However it is true that one of the reasons for asanas is to strengthen the physical and energy body in order to be able to experience meditation. Living the way we do, with constant demands to respond quickly to our environment (especially for city folks!), many of us can’t get to that meditative space easily and then, can’t really stay there or handle that energy.

But there are many who only do sitting meditations, without any asanas at all, more common in India and in Buddhist traditions. It all depends on your past lives!

For bringing on your spring – I do advise asanas or something like walking meditations which integrate the body and the mind. Spring being a time of rapid growth and action, in contrast to the more static energy of a long drawn out winter in the northeast!
-Margaret “saraswati”