The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

chapter six
╭ The Practice of Meditation
T his is surely one of the most intriguing
chapters of the Gita, for here we are given a detailed explanation
of meditation addressed to the layperson. The same
meditation techniques are given in more esoteric writings,
such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, but the Gita does it more
simply, without any unnecessary mystery or complexity.
This chapter also explores the question, “Who is the true
yogi?” This word yogi may bring to mind images of amazing
people who do strange contortions with their bodies. Yogis
are still thought of as standing on their heads or reclining on
a bed of nails. It is true that there are many practitioners of a
kind of yoga that involves physical exercises and postures; and
there are those who have achieved remarkable feats like lying
on beds of nails, or even being buried alive and surviving.
But this physical side of yoga (called hatha yoga, “the yoga of
force”) is not what is meant in the Gita. In fact, though physical
techniques have a place, the Gita regards undue emphasis
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