Samadhi, The Eighth Limb of Yoga

The final stage of yoga, samadhi, or spiritual illumination, is the goal of the yogi’s quest. At the peak of meditation, the aspirant passes into the state of samadhi, where the thought of duality no longer exists, consciousness becomes one with the experienced object, and the mind becomes still and one-pointed. The yogi’s body and senses are at rest as if he is asleep. His faculties of mind and reason are alert as if he is awake, yet he has gone beyond consciousness into bliss. The person in samadhi has no sense of ‘I’ as if being separate from the Eternal. When in the state of samadhi, the yogi has attained true Yoga where there is only the experience of consciousness, the truth and indescribable joy.

Pantanjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, states that it is no of use to attempt meditation without mastering concentration. Without these first two, it is impossible to progress to samadhi, a state of liberation from reality into a subtle and highly spiritual experience.

It is important to note that Patanjali’s system for reaching enlightenment is in itself an acknowledgement that even if enlightenment has been achieved, once the work is abandoned, enlightenment will slip away. This is our guidance to practice all eight limbs of yoga with devotional regularity.

Namaste.