Eight limbs of Yoga or Astanga Yoga of Maharshi Patanjali
Yama: Yamas are universal moral commandments or ethical or social disciplines. Patanjali described about five Yamas. They are
Niyama: Niyamas are the rules of conduct that apply to individual discipline. The five Niyamas Listed by Patanjali are
Āsana: Study and comfortable posture is āsana. Āsanas bring steadiness, mental equilibrium and prevents fickleness of mind. Āanas have evolved over the centuries so as to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. They secure a fine physique, which is strong and elastic and they keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. By practicing āsanas one develops agility, balance, endurance and great vitality. By mastering the āsanas dualities of life like gain and loss, victory and defeat, fame and shame, body and mind will vanish.
Prānāyāma: Prāna means breath, life, vitality, energy. Ayama means length, expansion, control, restraint. Thus Prānāyāma is science of breath control. The Yogi’s life is not measured by the number of his days but by the number of his breaths. Breath is the bridge between mind and body, and thus by controlling the breath one brings the mind under control. By mastering Prānāyāma the desires and craving diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration.
Prāna Vayu is classified in five main categories. They are
Pratyāhāra: Pratyāhāra is the withdrawal or restraining of the senses. Senses always dwell in the sense objects. Sense objects are the main obstruction for the human progress in all aspects. Sense objects are more powerful then the senses and the mind is more powerful than the sense objects. So by gaining the control over the mind we can control the senses.
People driven by their desires, prefer temporary comforts and miss the very purpose of life. The Yogi feels joy in what he is within him. He knows how to restrain and therefore lives in peace.
Dhārana: The next step to Pratyāhāra is Dhārana or concentration. Dhārana is holding the mind to a definite object. During this Yogi is concentrated wholly in a single thought or a task in which he is completely engrossed. Without concentration one can achieve nothing. Concentration is essential for every person whatever his profession may be. When the rays of the sun are concentrated on a single point they can ignite fire. Swami Vivekananda says that a concentrated mind is really a search-light that show the way forward.
Dhyāna: The seventh step is Dhyāna or meditation. It has been used in India for several thousand years. The ascetics and yogīs of India spent hundreds of years developing various meditation techniques. Meditation is a state of intense concentration.
Two analogies are often used to explain what dhyana or meditation is. In the first analogy oil is being poured in an uninterrupted flow from a container into another. Here oil symbolizes the mind and the bowl the object of thought. If the mind is made to flow in an uninterrupted manner to its object of thought for a prolonged period of time, it is meditation.
The second analogy is that of an unwavering candle flame burning steadily in a windless place. In this analogy the flame is the mind. The wind represents disturbance. The mind, free from disturbances is in a state of meditation; it is engaged in one-pointed thinking only. However, the object in one-pointed thinking has to be holy.
Samādhi: The eighth and last step is Samādhi. All other steps are intended to bring us scientifically to the super-consciousness state or Samādhi. When the mind has been trained to remain fixed on a certain internal or external location, there comes to it the power of flowing in an unbroken current , as it were, towards that point. This state is called Dhyāna. When one has so intensified the power of Dhyāna as to be able to reject the external part of perception and remain meditating only on the internal part, that state is samadhi. This is ultimate Blissful state.
Yama: Yamas are universal moral commandments or ethical or social disciplines. Patanjali described about five Yamas. They are
- Ahimsa —Non-violence
- Satya---Truth
- Asteya—Non-stealing
- Brahmacharya—Continence or Celibacy
- Aparigraha –Non-Possessiveness
Niyama: Niyamas are the rules of conduct that apply to individual discipline. The five Niyamas Listed by Patanjali are
- Śaucha—Purity
- santosha—Contentment
- Tapas -----Austerity
- Svādhyāya ----- Study of Scriptures
- Iśvara pranidhāna --- Surrender to the Lord.
Āsana: Study and comfortable posture is āsana. Āsanas bring steadiness, mental equilibrium and prevents fickleness of mind. Āanas have evolved over the centuries so as to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. They secure a fine physique, which is strong and elastic and they keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. By practicing āsanas one develops agility, balance, endurance and great vitality. By mastering the āsanas dualities of life like gain and loss, victory and defeat, fame and shame, body and mind will vanish.
Prānāyāma: Prāna means breath, life, vitality, energy. Ayama means length, expansion, control, restraint. Thus Prānāyāma is science of breath control. The Yogi’s life is not measured by the number of his days but by the number of his breaths. Breath is the bridge between mind and body, and thus by controlling the breath one brings the mind under control. By mastering Prānāyāma the desires and craving diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration.
Prāna Vayu is classified in five main categories. They are
- Prāna – Responsible for breathing movement
- Apāna – The Downward force
- Samāna – Responsible for digestion
- Udāna - The Upward force
- Vyāna – Pervades all through the body
Pratyāhāra: Pratyāhāra is the withdrawal or restraining of the senses. Senses always dwell in the sense objects. Sense objects are the main obstruction for the human progress in all aspects. Sense objects are more powerful then the senses and the mind is more powerful than the sense objects. So by gaining the control over the mind we can control the senses.
People driven by their desires, prefer temporary comforts and miss the very purpose of life. The Yogi feels joy in what he is within him. He knows how to restrain and therefore lives in peace.
Dhārana: The next step to Pratyāhāra is Dhārana or concentration. Dhārana is holding the mind to a definite object. During this Yogi is concentrated wholly in a single thought or a task in which he is completely engrossed. Without concentration one can achieve nothing. Concentration is essential for every person whatever his profession may be. When the rays of the sun are concentrated on a single point they can ignite fire. Swami Vivekananda says that a concentrated mind is really a search-light that show the way forward.
Dhyāna: The seventh step is Dhyāna or meditation. It has been used in India for several thousand years. The ascetics and yogīs of India spent hundreds of years developing various meditation techniques. Meditation is a state of intense concentration.
Two analogies are often used to explain what dhyana or meditation is. In the first analogy oil is being poured in an uninterrupted flow from a container into another. Here oil symbolizes the mind and the bowl the object of thought. If the mind is made to flow in an uninterrupted manner to its object of thought for a prolonged period of time, it is meditation.
The second analogy is that of an unwavering candle flame burning steadily in a windless place. In this analogy the flame is the mind. The wind represents disturbance. The mind, free from disturbances is in a state of meditation; it is engaged in one-pointed thinking only. However, the object in one-pointed thinking has to be holy.
Samādhi: The eighth and last step is Samādhi. All other steps are intended to bring us scientifically to the super-consciousness state or Samādhi. When the mind has been trained to remain fixed on a certain internal or external location, there comes to it the power of flowing in an unbroken current , as it were, towards that point. This state is called Dhyāna. When one has so intensified the power of Dhyāna as to be able to reject the external part of perception and remain meditating only on the internal part, that state is samadhi. This is ultimate Blissful state.