Dharana 35 of 112 · verse 85

The Sky Absorbed Into the Head

Let all of space be taken up into the head until the two are the same.

Guided practice

00:00Ready

10 minutes. Seated, eyes closed.

Intermediate10 min

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The practice

Sit with a sense of the sky and all the space there is around and above you. Now let that space be absorbed into your own head — not squeezed into it, but recognised as already the same openness. Let the qualities of space become the qualities of what is inside the skull: unlimited, unmarked, holding everything and gripping nothing.

What it works on

The reversal here is deliberate. The other space practices expand outward from the body; this one draws the outside in, and arrives at the same place from the opposite direction.

Notes

  • Some people find this one easier than the outward-expanding practices. Try both and keep whichever works.

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.