Are you Aware of Your Senses? YS I -35

Are you aware of your sense perceptions? You might answer an emphatic yes! You can see, hear, smell, taste or touch very well. But are you fully aware? How many times have you missed seeing something with your eyes wide open? Or how many times have you not heard something even though it was loud, or you were in the same area where the sound emanated from?

I have noticed that if for example I am writing this post and have the radio on, I might not really hear what was on the radio. My focus was so intent on this process of writing that I did not fully hear it. Or another example is that we can walk or drive a street all the time and never notice the details of the setting we are passing by.

Pantanjali's Yoga Sutra I-35 gives the example of using subtle sense perception to steady the mind. Yoga Sutra I-35 VISAYAVATI VA PRAVRTTIR UTPANNA MANASH STHITI NIBANDHANI - Or the concentration on subtle sense perceptions can cause steadiness of mind.

This sutra gives us the other side of sense awareness. Swami Satchidananda says of this sutra that "At certain points during the initial practice of concentration, various extraordinary sense perceptions occur." He says this process could be helpful in making the mind steady. He gives an example of concentrating on the nose, keeping the mind on the nose. With one pointedness, after a certain amount of time passing, you will experience an extraordinary smell. If you do experience it, then you have proof that the mind was one pointed. Swami Satchidananda gives another example with concentration on the tip of the tongue. If practiced deep enough you will get a taste without eating anything. Basically these experiences will give you confidence regarding concentration.

So we can use our awareness of our senses to heighten our concentration and bring one-pointedness. If this sounds interesting to you, try it out for yourself. There is nothing like direct experience to help us to understand our Self!