Gita 6.13

Dhyana Yoga

समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः । सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ॥१३॥

samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann acalaṁ sthiraḥ | samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaś cānavalokayan ||13||

In essence: The body becomes a temple when spine aligns with sky - stability without is the gateway to stability within.

A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply

Sadhak-Guru Dialogue

Sadhak: "Guruji, I understand meditation is about the mind - why does Krishna suddenly start talking about body posture? Isn't the body just a container? Why does it matter how I sit?"

Guru: "Tell me - have you ever tried to think clearly while running? Or to feel calm while your body was trembling with cold?"

Sadhak: "No, that would be difficult. But sitting still - I can sit still and still have a turbulent mind. So how does posture really help?"

Guru: "You observe correctly that stillness of body doesn't guarantee stillness of mind. But consider the reverse: can deep mental stillness exist with a restless body? Try this experiment - sit completely still for five minutes and watch your mind. Then fidget constantly for five minutes and watch your mind. What do you notice?"

Sadhak: "When I'm still physically, the mind eventually settles somewhat. When I'm moving around, it stays agitated. But I find it so hard to sit still! My back hurts, my legs go numb, I feel the urge to scratch or adjust."

Guru: "This is why Krishna specifies 'sama' - aligned, balanced. Most discomfort in sitting arises from misalignment. When the spine is properly erect but not rigid, when weight is distributed evenly, when the body finds its natural equilibrium - then stillness becomes effortless. The instruction is not 'force yourself to be still despite pain' but 'find the alignment where stillness is natural.'"

Sadhak: "And this business about gazing at the nose-tip - that seems very artificial. How can I meditate while cross-eyed?"

Guru: "The instruction is not to cross your eyes painfully! The nose-tip gaze is one technique - soft, unfocused, eyes partially closed, gaze gently directed downward. But the essential point is 'disas ca anavalokayan' - not looking around. What happens when your eyes dart about?"

Sadhak: "The mind follows. I see something, I think about it, I see something else, more thoughts arise. The visual world feeds the thought stream constantly."

Guru: "Exactly. The eyes are the main feeding tube for mental agitation. By fixing the gaze gently at one point - whether nose-tip, the space between eyebrows, or simply closed with awareness at the heart - you cut off this endless visual feeding. The gaze technique is like closing a door through which noise was entering."

Sadhak: "So the posture instructions are not arbitrary - they each serve a specific purpose in creating conditions for stillness?"

Guru: "Each instruction removes an obstacle. Erect spine: removes energy blockages and physical discomfort. Aligned head: prevents drowsiness (head dropping) and fantasy (head lifting). Fixed gaze: prevents visual wandering. Unmoving body: prevents the body-mind feedback loop of restlessness. Krishna is not being prescriptive for the sake of rules - he is describing the architecture of stillness. Different traditions vary details, but these core principles appear universally because they reflect the actual psychophysical conditions required for deep meditation."

Sadhak: "I see now. The body is not irrelevant to meditation - it is the vessel in which meditation happens. Prepare the vessel properly, and what it contains can settle naturally."

Guru: "Well said. And note that Krishna uses 'dharayan' - 'holding' or 'maintaining.' This is an active but not effortful process. You are not forcing the body into stillness but holding it in alignment with gentle attention. When you catch yourself slumping or shifting, you gently return to alignment. Over time, this becomes natural - the body learns to hold itself. Then external stillness becomes the foundation for internal stillness."

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🌅 Daily Practice

🌅 Morning

Practice 'Alignment Check' before your main meditation. Stand against a wall with heels, buttocks, shoulders, and back of head touching the wall. Feel what proper spinal alignment is - this straight line from base of spine to crown of head. Now maintain this alignment while slowly stepping away from the wall and sitting down in your meditation position. Notice: does your alignment change when you sit? Most people immediately slump or over-arch. Spend 2-3 minutes simply finding 'sama' - equal, balanced alignment in seated position. Imagine a string attached to the crown of your head gently pulling upward. Let the chin be slightly tucked (not jutting forward or pressed down). Check that shoulders are relaxed, not hunched. Only when alignment feels natural, proceed to your regular meditation practice. The body should feel like it could maintain this position indefinitely without strain.

☀️ Daytime

Practice 'Posture Awareness Moments' 3-4 times during the day. Set reminders if needed. When the reminder comes, freeze in whatever position you're in and observe: Is your spine aligned? Head balanced? Are you hunched, twisted, leaning? Without judgment, gently correct to alignment - feet flat, spine erect, shoulders relaxed, head balanced. Take three breaths in this corrected posture. Notice how physical alignment immediately affects mental state - there's typically a subtle increase in clarity and presence when posture is corrected. This practice serves two purposes: it develops body awareness that transfers to meditation, and it shows you how often you unconsciously fall into misalignment. By repeatedly returning to alignment throughout the day, you train the body to hold 'sama' naturally.

🌙 Evening

Practice 'Stillness Training' for 10 minutes. Sit in your meditation position with good alignment. Set a timer. Your only task: remain completely still - no scratching, no adjusting, no fidgeting. Eyes softly closed or with gentle downward gaze. When the urge to move arises (and it will), observe it without acting. Notice: urges come in waves - they peak and subside if you don't act on them. Notice where restlessness manifests - perhaps an itch, a desire to shift weight, a need to swallow or adjust. Simply observe these impulses arise and pass. If you absolutely must move, do so extremely slowly and consciously, then return to stillness. This training develops the capacity for 'acala' - unmoving presence. Most people discover that 80% of their movements are unnecessary - habitual responses to discomfort that passes on its own. As stillness capacity develops, meditation deepens naturally.

Common Questions

I have physical limitations - back problems, injuries, inability to sit cross-legged. Does this mean I cannot meditate properly according to this verse?

The essence of the instruction is 'sama' - alignment, balance - not any particular posture. The spine should be erect, but this can be achieved in a chair, on a meditation bench, or even lying down with proper support if necessary. Traditional floor sitting is ideal because it provides stability without props, but the principles transfer: whatever position allows your spine to be erect without strain, your body to remain still comfortably, and your alertness to be maintained - that is your correct meditation posture. Many great meditators have physical limitations and adapt accordingly. Ramana Maharshi, in his later years, often taught while reclining due to health issues. The posture serves the meditation, not vice versa. Find what works for your body while maintaining the core principle of stable, erect, comfortable alignment.

The instruction says 'not looking around' - but in my meditation practice, I use open-eye gazing or I keep my eyes partially open. Is this wrong?

The instruction 'anavalokayan' means not looking around distractedly, not that eyes must be closed. Many traditions practice with eyes partially open - Zen meditation typically keeps eyes half-open gazing downward; Tibetan practices often use open eyes. The key is that the gaze is fixed and soft, not darting about sampling the visual field. Closed eyes can lead to drowsiness or excessive internal imagery for some practitioners; partially open eyes maintain alertness while preventing distraction. The nose-tip gaze Krishna describes is one technique among several valid approaches. What matters is that visual attention is withdrawn from external variety and focused or softened at a single point. Find what works for you while honoring the principle: the eyes should not be feeding the mind with new objects of attention.

This sounds like a very body-focused, technical approach to meditation. Isn't real meditation about transcending the body entirely? Why so much emphasis on physical details?

This is a common spiritual misunderstanding - the idea that the body is merely an obstacle to be ignored or transcended. In practice, ignoring the body creates more problems: discomfort interrupts meditation, poor posture creates energy imbalances, physical tension perpetuates mental tension. The body must be properly positioned not because it is important ultimately, but precisely so it can be forgotten. Think of it like a musical instrument: a well-tuned instrument can be played without fighting it, and the musician can focus on the music; an out-of-tune instrument constantly demands attention. By establishing correct posture, you tune the body-instrument so that it can recede from awareness. Krishna gives body instructions precisely so the meditator can move beyond body-consciousness - but this transcendence happens through proper preparation, not through premature neglect. Masters who seem to transcend body concerns have typically spent years establishing the physical foundation.

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