Dharana on the pleasure of eating and drinking

From the series 'From Dharana to Dhyana,' I will be sharing with you techniques of Dharana (techniques of concentration, contemplation):

Dharana on the pleasure of eating and drinking

जग्धिपानकृतोल्लास -रसानन्दविजृम्भणात् । भावयेद्भरितावस्थां महानन्दस्ततो भवेत् ।।

Translation: If one concentrates on eating and drinking, and on the happiness derived from the joy of taste, from such contemplation of pleasure arises a state of fullness, which then becomes supreme joy, or bliss.

Explanation:

This is a Dharana for gourmets. Here, the state of fullness and supreme bliss is attained through concentration on drawing pleasure from very mindful eating and drinking. We achieve this through the conscious engagement of all our senses while eating, and by observing the process of moving from sense perception toward the Tanmatras.

In yoga tantra, every aspect of life is used as a tool for raising consciousness. Every thought, word, and action is a potential object for Dharana, which, if used in the right way, can bring about superconsciousness and altered states of mind. The very same objective experiences that normally externalize consciousness (through the combination of consciousness + prana + object) can equally be used to internalize consciousness. After all, your thoughts, words, and actions are an inseparable part of your being, of your subtle body. They arise from within you and are the result of the sum total of what you are (physical body, subtle body).

What's more, the senses of taste, hearing, touch, sight, and smell are born from the Tanmatras — the subtle qualities through which the tattwas, or elements, are perceived. Taste is the quality of apas, the water element. Hearing is the quality of akasha, the ether element. Touch is the quality of vayu, the air element. Sight is the quality of agni, the fire tattwa. Smell is the quality of prithvi, the earth element. These five tattwas are the most primordial form of consciousness. By practicing Dharana on any of these qualities, or tanmatras, of a tattwa, one experiences the source from which they evolved.

Tantra makes us aware, in a very particular way, that all of life is sacred and can be used as a means of attaining the divine state. Everything we do in daily life, every action of ours, can serve us as a Dharana, and as a gateway for moving from Dharana to Dhyana.

Explanation from the Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, drawn from the teachings of Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati

Piyush Mittal, Nirmala Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda