Ashtanga Yoga

 Ashtanga Yoga [अष्टाङ्गयोग]  Eight Limbs of Yoga

The eight fold process to attain purification of body, mind, soul and achieve union with supreme.

1. Yama [यम] Ethical Discipline

Abstaining from harming others by controlling body, mind, speech and actions [by self restraint].

The five commandments of yama 

1.1. Ahimsaa [अहिंसा ] Non Violence

Ahimsaa is the total absence of any form of hurt or injury to any living being either through thought, words, deeds, etc.. In other words love for entire creation is ahimsaa.

1.2. Satya [सत्य ] Truth

Being truthful in mind and speech, to retain in mind just as seen, heard, inferred and to speak it in the same way accordingly.

1.3. Asteya [अस्तेय] Non-stealing

Not to steal anything and not to be greedy to possess other's wealth, or without earning etc..

1.4. Brahmacharya [ब्रह्मचर्य ] Chastity

To keep one's sense organs, including the organs of procreation, under control and not to be tempted by the lustful enjoyments through thought, words and deeds; And engage in the study and practice of dharma [cosmic law of nature & ethical precepts].

1.5. Aparigraha [अपरिग्रह] Non-covetousness

Avoidance of hoarding wealth, riches, useless things and any materials of enjoyment due to greed.

2. Niyama [नियम] Rules of Conduct

Principles for our own daily lives. Obedience to rules of conduct.

2.1. Shaucha [शौच] Cleanliness

Maintain purity and hygiene of body and mind. Shaucha of body maintained by regular bath, removing toxins from body by asanas, aerating lungs and oxygenating blood by pranayama, and nourishing by balanced nutritious food.

Maintain shaucha of mind by rejecting disturbing emotions like desire [काम kaama], anger [क्रोध krodha], greed [लोभ lobha], delusion [मोह moha], arrogance [मदा madaa], jealousy [मात्सर्य maatsarya], selfishness [स्वार्थ svaartha], unlawful action [अन्याय anyaaya], cruelty [अमानत्व amaanatva] and ego [अहङ्कार ahankaara].

2.2. Santosha [संतोष] Contentment

Satisfaction with and enjoying whatever is attained by fair means.

2.3. Tapas [तपस्] Penance/Austerity

Practice of keeping the mind detached, under control; and experience pleasure and pain, heat and cold, hunger and thirst with equanimity.

2.4. Swadhyaya [स्वाध्याय] Self Study

Study of spiritual books to gain knowledge of reality and spend time in satsang [company of wise people] , with sages and good people and exchange ideas with them.

2.5. Eshwara pranidhaana [ईश्वर प्रणिधान] Regular prayers

Remember Devine [God] and surrender everything to the divine.

Yama is to universal application, niyama is to individual discipline.

3. Aasana [आसन] Posture

Aasanas are helpful in the control of mind and vital elements of body. This removes our physical sufferings, keep our body free from disease. By these, one can control the external and internal organs in the body, and improve concentration of the chitha [mind].

4. Praanaayaama [प्राणायाम] Breath Control

श्वासप्रश्वासयोः गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः  [Yoga sootra 2-49]

shwaasaprashwaasayoh gativichedah praanayamah

Praanaayaama, for a beginner to understand, is controlling the normal breathing cycle.

Praanaayaama influences oxygenation of blood, entire nervous system and helps reduce worldly desires and improves concentration of mind.

In other words, praanaayaama is mastering and enlivening the life force.

According to Upanishads:
Breath control is - Shwaasaayaama [श्वसायाम]

The five physiological system of activity of manifested life are:

    1. Praana [प्राण] - perceptions and reception of things into the subjective life [breath of life].

    2. Apaana [अपान] - rejection of things and responses [also means that of the five vital airs which goes downwards and out at the anus].

    3. Vyaana [व्यान] - the digestive system.

    4. Samaana [समान] - the circulatory system.

    5. Udaana [उदान] - the capacity to lift ourselves from our present state of understanding to a nobler and better peak of thought on the mount of knowledge.

Praanaayaama [प्राणायाम] is - control of praana, that is control of all the five expressions of life in a living being.

5. Pratyaahaara [प्रत्याहार] Inner reflection

The withdrawal of the senses from their respective outside objects and projecting them inwards is pratyaahaara. This requires very strong determination and repression of the senses. Practicing pratyaahaara brings the senses under control, mind of the practitioner not disturbed by the worldly objects.

6. Dhaarana [धारणा] Concention

Fixing one's mind on an external object, like heart, nose or a deity is dhaarana. Here one is concentrated wholly on a single point or on a task in which he is completely engrossed.

7. Dhyaana [ध्यान] Meditation

Meditating with constant attention on the object of concentration. Dhyana purifies the mind of rajas and tamas gunas and lightens the mind with sattva guna.

8. Samaadhi [समाधि] Liberation, enlightenment

State of super-consciousness and perfect calm.

Four Paths of Yoga

The four yogas are the four paths which lead to freedom from the cycle of re-birth and death. That means spiritual freedom, which is seeking union with the divine. Human beings are separated from divine, the supreme self by 'vasanas'. Vasanas manifest as thoughts and desires. To become one with devine you have to eradicate your desires, thoughts and vasanas through yoga.

Yoga [योग] is unification of body, mind, sole and spirit; and getting connected with the super consciousness. All people engage themselves in action, thinking, feeling and inaction doing nothing, in varying proportions according to their attitude. The four paths of yoga are akin with the above four characteristics. Action is karma yoga [कर्म योग], thinking and gaining knowledge is jnana yoga [ज्ञान योग], feeling, love of devotion is bhakti yoga [भक्ति योग] and doing nothing is raja yoga [राजा योग]. But be cautious, you may interpret these things inappropriately. So now let us look at each of these in the right perspective.

1. Karma Yoga [कर्मयोग] Path of Action

Performing action, that is work or business, without attachment or expectation of outcome is Karma Yoga. It is selfless service to the right good cause, with right feeling and right attitude. It is a way of enjoying work by doing it effortlessly. It releases accumulated karma without building up new karma.

2. Jnana Yoga [ज्ञानयोग] Path of Knowledge

A systematic way of tutoring the mind about the realities of life, by thinking in the right manner, and gaining true knowledge or more correctly wisdom, find and understand the truth, true nature of reality and self, leading to awareness. And also leading to enlightenment through process of discrimination between real and unreal. This will strip off the garb of ignorance and the mind goes to its natural state of coherence and rest.

3. Bhakti Yoga [भक्तियोग] Path of Devotion

Worship God with love and devotion. It is a systematic method of engaging the mind in the practice of divine love. This attitude of love softens our emotions and tranquillizes our mind.

4. Raja Yoga [राजयोग] Path of Meditation

Raja Yoga is about psychic control, is a systematic process of culturing the mind, introspection and contemplation. Your perception of the Devine-self is obscured by the disturbances in the mind. Through Raja Yoga you make your mind and body still and pure, then fuzziness clears to reveal your true nature of divine-self.

This is based on Ashtanga Yoga [अष्टाङ्गयोग] Eight limbed yoga, which will be explained little later.

One must follow the path for which one is best suited. But in this age special emphasis should be laid on Karma Yoga.

"Reality can be reached by silencing all our thoughts and feelings." - Upanishads

As we start calming down the mind, we move from gross to subtle state of the mind. The intellect also gets subtle and sharp. The laws of the inner world gets unraveled.

"Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy or knowledge - by one or more, or all of these - and be free." -Swami Vivekananda