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Traditionally, the eight limbs have been taken in sequence. The
rationale has been that people have to learn to behave themselves and
prepare through strict codes of conduct before they can begin doing
more direct spiritual practices. Once they know how to behave
rightly, they can begin with the body (asanas), and, later, work
their way in through the breath (pranayama), and, finally, be ready
for concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and pure bliss
consciousness (samadhi). With a traditional approach like this it can
be a long road to hoe, especially if a guru (in the flesh) holds his
disciples to the highest standards of performance each step along the
way. Even Patanjali had this sequence of practice in mind when he
wrote the yoga sutras.

That part of it (going through the eight limbs in sequence over a
long period of time) doesn't work very well. This has become widely
recognized in the yoga community, and Patanjali must have known it
too. Maybe in his time it wasn't so easy to be jump-starting people
with advanced yoga practices like deep meditation and spinal
breathing the way we can do it today.

Over the years different teachers have jumped directly into the eight
limbs in different places. Some start with asanas and others with
pranayama. Some focus first on devotion and then jump to meditation,
or something else. Some jump straight into meditation, and then work
their way back through the limbs. As you know, these lessons are of
the latter approach. We start with deep meditation, and then head
into pranayama, physical techniques, and so on, keeping a good
awareness of the role of bhakti/desire all the way through.

One thing everyone who does yoga has found is that the limbs of yoga
are connected, meaning, if we start in one limb, the others will be
affected, and, as we purify and open, we will eventually be drawn
into all of the limbs. It is common for new meditators to become
voracious spiritual readers (svadhyaya), lean toward a purer diet
(saucha), and feel more sensitive about the wellbeing of others
(ahimsa). In fact the best way to achieve progress in yama and niyama
is by going straight to samadhi with deep meditation. Then harmonious
behavior comes naturally from inside, rather than having to be
enforced from outside. These things are indicators of the
connectedness of yoga. It occurs on all levels of practice. Sometimes
it is called "Grace," because spiritual blessings seem to come out of
nowhere. In truth, such blessing are being telegraphed through us via
spiritual conductivity rising in our nervous system from something we
did somewhere on the eight-limbed tree of yoga. Even the sincere
thought, "Is there something more than this?" is a powerful yoga
practice, and it is found in the niyama limb – it is surrender,
bhakti. As you know from the lessons, this conductivity in the
nervous system becomes "ecstatic" when kundalini begins to move. When
that happens we are really getting connected through the limbs of
yoga - here, there, and everywhere.

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Originally posted by machart

My experience so far is that the body needs to have the ability to sit still with minimum distraction to get the maximum benefit of meditation...so I'm still working on that in my practice.

i.e. quieting the body = quieting the mind

Mac

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Mac said: With DM (in my case distracted meditation instead of deep meditation) it is much more subtle and seemingly difficult to master... you just sit there trying to focus on “i am” with a billion other competing thoughts…but I’ll keep practicing. Does anyone ever really get to the point where you can go 20 min with the only thought being “i am”?

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http://www.aypsite.org/13.html
Once you have gotten comfortable, slowly close your eyes. You will notice thoughts, streams of thoughts. That is fine. Just observe them without minding them. After about a minute, gently introduce the thought …I AM… and begin to repeat it easily and effortlessly in your mind. If your mind wanders off into other thoughts, you will eventually realize this has happened. Don't be concerned about it. It is natural. When you realize you are not repeating the mantra, gently go back to it. This is all you have to do. Easily repeat the mantra silently inside. When you realize you are not thinking it, then easily come back to it. The goal is not to stay on it. The goal is to follow the simple procedure of thinking the mantra, losing it, and coming back to it when you find you have lost it. Do not resist if the mantra tends to become less distinct. Thinking the mantra does not have to be with clear pronunciation. I AM can be experienced at many levels in your mind and nervous system. When you come back to it, come back to a level that is comfortable, not straining for either a clear or fuzzy pronunciation.

Do this procedure for twenty minutes, and, then, with your eyes
closed, take a few minutes to rest before you get up.

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