I’ve spoken in earlier blog posts about the workshops that I’ve been involved in for two decades that are produced by the Human Awareness Institute. This last weekend Daniel and I were at one of these HAI workshop in the Hunter Valley.
What are they? I could describe them in various ways. The levels of the workshops have different themes, the first one is called ‘Love is a Miracle’. Level 2 is ‘Loving Yourself’ and the next level is ‘Living at Choice’. I would say the common learning in all of the levels is about how to be a more loving and authentic person – how to be someone who is true to herself and lives in her heart.
The heart has several meanings. There’s the muscle which pumps blood through our bodies, and then there’s the emotional centre where we experience sentiments of joy or sadness, grief or happiness. This latter meaning is closer the yogic idea of the heart which links closely to conscious thinking.
It’s said that by carefully observing the region of the heart we can grasp the very origin of thoughts. B.K.S. Iyengar says in his commentary on Patanjali’s Sutra, that a yogi can then tap into the source of his being.
Developing great powers of concentration as we do in the practices of dharana and dhyana, delivers quiet and calm, like a still mountain lake. We can see to the bottom of such a lake because there is not a hint of turbulence.

Hrdaye cittasamvit

Samyama on the heart will definitely reveal the qualities of the mind.*
*Patanjali’s Yogasutras, translation and commentary by T.K.V. Desikachar.