Yoga being explained
-the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1.1
Yoga means "to join together." The word comes from the ancient Sanskrit
root word 'yug,’ which means "to unify." Yoga is designed to
keep the body healthy, the mind calm, and the spirit cleansed through a regular
ritual of health and conditioning. A yogi is simply a practitioner of yoga --one
who consciously unifies body, mind (including emotions), and spirit so they
work together; rather than separately.
The union of Yoga is achieved through the astanga, or the eight limbs of Yoga,
developed by the Hindu Sage-Mystic Patanjali:
1. Yama (restraint)
2. Niyama (observance)
3. Asana (posture)
4. Pranayama (regulation of breath or energy)
5. Pratyahara (inner focus)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (absorption)
The integration of these practices produces feelings of bliss, well being, inner
peace, and self worth (the body’s natural state).
The five Yamas (forms of restraint) are:
1. Ahimsa (non-injury) As the Yogi becomes established in ahimsa, all beings
coming near the Yogi cease to be hostile
2. Satya (truth) When satya is achieved, the words of the Yogi acquire the power
of making them fruitful
3. Asteya (abstention from stealing) When asteya is established, all jewels
present themselves to the Yogi
4. Brahmacharya (self-restraint) When brahmacharya is established, Virya is
acquired
5. Aparigraha (abstinence from avariciousness) On attaining perfection in aparigraha,
knowledge of past and future existences arises
The five Niyamas (observances) are:
1. Cleanliness
2. Contentment
3. Austerity (mental and physical discipline)
4. Svadhyaya (study of philosophies and the chanting of Mantras)
5. Devotion to God
The obstacles to the Yama-Niyama are the three types of distracting thoughts:
1. thoughts directly created by an individual
2. thoughts indirectly caused
3. thoughts approved
They are motivated by greed, self-interest, and anger. They could be small,
moderate, or intense.
They always result in infinite pains and ignorance. They can be overcome by
remembering this.
-adapted from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2.29-39