Mind Control Practicality

In yoga practice, from the stage of pratyahar sensual energy withdrawal, the challenge is mind control. Many begin this by thinking that there can be total or absolute control of the mental operations and expressions. For example, one may chant a Sanskrit mantra, or focus on some part of the mind or body, even some form or location outside the body.

There are so many methods which are advocated by teachers. Suppose someone got total mind control. A question arises as to the duration of that hold on the mind. How long did it last?

I suggest the following.

Study the mental operations to know how the mind mechanism functions. There are two methods for this. The most popular one concerns hearing about the mind from an advanced yogi. He/She may or may not have a physical body. In either case, one learns about the operations and parts of the mind, then one goes into the mind, does interiorization, to find if one’s mind operates in the way described by the teacher.

The other method is where one does not have a description given by a successful yogi. One is inspired by an invisible person, or energy, to observe the mental operations with the intention of using the experience to better monitor the mind. The objective is to get the cooperation of the mind.

Once one has a schematic of the operations of the mind, where one understands all or some of its parts and how they involuntarily interact, one may study how to influence the mind to be cooperative. However, one may find that the mind is designed for less than full submission. Then, the practical objective is to acquire the maximum cooperation from the mind.