Dharana 65 of 112 · verse 84

A Clear Sky, Unmoving

Look into an empty sky and keep the body entirely still.

00:00Ready

10 minutes. Seated or lying down, outdoors, eyes open.

Beginner10 min

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Before you try this

Never look towards the sun, including through cloud.

The practice

Find a clear sky with nothing in it and look into it — not at a cloud, not at a bird, into the openness itself. Keep the body completely still while you do. Let the looking go on long enough that you lose the sense of a surface to focus on.

What it works on

The instruction that you not move yourself is doing real work. The sky supplies limitlessness; the stillness of the body removes the last reference point that would keep you separate from it.

Notes

  • Overcast sky works surprisingly well — an even grey has no features either.
  • Lying down makes the stillness easy and the sky unavoidable.

Practise gently

Shoonyaka offers educational and contemplative material, not medical, psychological or religious authority. Nothing here diagnoses or treats any condition. Stop any practice that leaves you dizzy, frightened or unwell, and treat a strong reaction as a reason to rest rather than to push on.