Yoga
Yoga is an ‘Art’ as well as ‘Science’. Art - due to its ‘superficial results’ & Science - because it offers practical methods for controlling ‘body and mind’.
This art of right living was perfectly practiced in India thousands of years ago and the foundations of yoga philosophy were written down in The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, approximately 200 AD. The core of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path that forms the structural framework for yoga practice. Upon practicing all eight limbs of the path it becomes self-evident that no one element is elevated over another in a hierarchical order. Each is part of a holistic focus which eventually brings completeness to the individual as they find their connectivity to the divine. Because we are all uniquely individual a person can emphasize one branch and then move on to another as they round out their understanding.
Eight Limbs of Yoga described in Patanjali are:
Yamas: (Universal Morality)
The yamas are broken down into five "wise characteristics". Rather than a list of dos and don'ts, "they tell us that our fundamental nature is compassionate, generous, honest and peaceful". They are as follows:
The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when these five behaviours outlined above become part of a person's daily life. Thus, the yamas are the moral virtues, which if attended to, purify human nature and contribute to health and happiness of society.
Niyama: (Personal Observances)
Niyama means "rules" or "laws." These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the yamas, the five niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied. They represent far more than an attitude. Compared with the yamas, the niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves as we create a code for living soulfully.
Asanas: (Body Postures)
Asana is the practice of physical postures. On a deeper level the practice of asana, which means "staying" or "abiding" in Sanskrit, is used as a tool to calm the mind and move into the inner essence of being. Asana's is the most commonly known aspect of Yoga for those unfamiliar with the other seven limbs of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. The practice of moving the body into postures has widespread benefits; of these the most underlying are improved health, strength, balance and flexibility.
Asanas can be divided into three general types as shown below:
These are cross-legged sitting postures which allow you to sit upright and relaxed for a longer time. They provide a stable seat for meditation. The aim is to train your body so you can sit a long time without moving any part of your body. This is important if you are practicing meditation or pranayama and want to come to a deep concentration.
There are five main meditative postures:
- Padmasana or lotus pose
- Siddhasana or adept's pose
- Swastikasana or locked-ankles pose
- Sukhasana or easy pose
- Vajrasana for people who cannot sit cross-legged
The asanas for relaxation are designed in a way that there is no need to contract any muscle. It is important to practice them exactly so your body can come to a deep relaxation and is not just lying on the floor.
The main relaxation postures are:
- Savasana or corpse pose
- Makrasana or Abdominal relaxation pose
The first asana of this type, savasana, is also used for yoga nidra, the powerful system of deep relaxation, visualization and self transformation.
There are three important phases in the practice of cultural asanas — each of them equally important and should be paid equal attention:
- Getting into the position
- Holding the position
- Releasing the position
This group contains by far the largest amount of asanas. It is said that there are 84 lakhs (8.4 million) yoga postures. Of these, 84 are more important and 12 of them constitute the structure of the Rishikesh sequence sometimes called Sivananda series or Yoga Vidya series.
The cultural asanas can be divided in seven groups:
- Dynamic sequences - such as the Sun Saltuation (Surya Namaskara)
- Inverted postures - such as the headstand (Sirsasana) or the shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)
- Forward bending postures - such as the sitting forward bend (Paschimottanasana)
- Backward bending postures - such as the cobra , locust , or bow poses (Bhujangasana, Sarpasana, Dhanurasana)
- Twisting postures - such as the half spinal twist (Matsyendrasan)
- Side ward bending postures - such as the triangle pose (Trikonasana)
- Standing postures including balancing poses - such as the tree pose (Vrukshasana)
Pranayama: (Breath Control)
Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy (prana) within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. Pranayama forms an important component of yogic practise. Pranayama is a Sanskrit word divided into 2 words:
PRAN + AYAMA
Pran - vital energy or breath
Ayama - extension or expansion
Extension or expansion of vital energy or vital flow within the body is pranyama.
Pranayama is a science which helps to regulate vital energies through the regulation of breathing.
Pranayama involves slow deep inspiration (Puraka), holding breath (Kumbhaka), and complete exhalation (Rechaka).
Eight types of pranayama according to Hatha Yoga Text:
Pratyahara (Control of the Senses)
Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means "nourishment"; pratyahara translates as "to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses". In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. It can then be seen as the practice of non-attachment to sensorial distractions as we constantly return to the path of self realization and achievement of internal peace. It means our senses stop living off the things that stimulate; the senses no longer depend on these stimulants and are not fed by them any more.
Dharna(Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness)
Dharana means "immovable concentration of the mind". The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. "When the body has been tempered by asanas, when the mind has been refined by the fire of pranayama and when the senses have been brought under control by pratyahara, the sadhaka (seeker) reaches the sixth stage, dharana. Here he is concentrated wholly on a single point or on a task in which he is completely engrossed. The mind has to be stilled in order to achieve this state of complete absorption".
Dhyana: (Devotion, Meditation on the Divine)
Dhyana means worship, or profound and abstract religious meditation. It is perfect contemplation. It involves concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. The concept holds that when one focuses their mind in concentration on an object the mind is transformed into the shape of the object. Hence, when one focuses on the divine they become more reflective of it and they know their true nature. "His body, breath, senses, mind, reason and ego are all integrated in the object of his contemplation – the Universal Spirit".
Samadhi: (Union with the Divine)
The final step in the eight-fold path of Yoga is the attainment of Samadhi. Samadhi means "to bring together, to merge". In the state of samadhi the body and senses are at rest, as if asleep, yet the faculty of mind and reason are alert, as if awake; one goes beyond consciousness. During samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this pure identity. The conscious mind drops back into that unconscious oblivion from which it first emerged.