Yoga
The ancient practice of Yoga is becoming more and more popular around the world, and by taking a look at its historic roots we can gain a better understanding of its life-altering potential.
One of the six Darshans (or six systems), Yoga means UNION, to unite, to put together, according to the Sanskrit grammarian, Panini (4th Century BCE). And even though the word «religion» has its own roots in the Latin word “religare,” which means to unify or to reunite, Yoga is actually considered a discipline, not a religion.
What we are trying to «unify» or «put together» is our body, our mind, and our spirit when we practice Yoga. When we wake up in the morning, our body goes one way, our mind goes another and we can hardly think about the complexities of our spirit. Through the practice of this discipline, we bring these different aspects of ourselves together and refine our perception in order to more clearly understand reality.
The daily human need to unite ourselves and better understand reality has been around for millennium. There is proof that Yoga was practiced on this planet about 5000 years ago. This is demonstrated on a steatite seal that was excavated at Mohenjo-daro in which there is an image of a person with crossed legs (lotus posture) on a low meditation couch. Later on, this image will become the archetype representation of the Hindu deity Shiva.
Mohenjo-daro was the principal city of a civilization that existed at the Indus Valley River (present day Pakistan and India). There is not much information about this civilization except that the people disappeared 1500 years before the Common Era. Contemporaneous to them was another civilization, known as the Aryans. They lived around the now underground Sarawasti River. The Aryan’s ancient wisdom was encrypted in the Vedas, known as the “books of eternal truth» (Sanathama Dharma).
Through oral tradition, Pandits (students and teachers skilled in the Sanskrit language, who have mastered the four Vedas) were responsible for keeping these ancient teachings alive. The Upanishads is one of these Vedic texts in which the wisdom of Yoga is very present. The Bhagavad Gita, considered by some scholars as a later incorporation of the Vedic grandeur, is the jewel of the wisdom of Yoga.
According to the latter, there are four traditional forms of Yoga:
• Gyan Yoga or Yoga of knowledge
• Bhakty Yoga or Yoga of Love or devotion
• Karma Yoga or Yoga of service
• Raja Yoga or The Royal Path
Gyan Yoga is the understanding of the laws of Nature. Bhakty Yoga is self-realization through love and devotion. Kharma Yoga is Self-realization through service, and Raja Yoga is the mastering of practices that will take one’s awareness inward.
This article will focus on Raja Yoga or the Royal Path through “The Eight Limbs of Yoga” which was beautifully explicated by Patanjali in his book, The Yoga Sutras, about two-thousand, six hundred years ago. These limbs are the essence of the Yoga we practice today in our occidental studios and schools.
They are:
• Yamas or the rules of social behavior
• Niyamas or the rules of personal behavior
• Asana or the Physical practice
• Pranayama or the mastering of vital energy
• Pratyahara or redirecting our senses inward
• Dharana or mastering attention
• Dhyana or mastering witnessing awareness
• Samadhi or meditation
To elaborate, there are many details to the eight limbs of yoga, but the basic structure of the first limb, The Yamas (or rules of social behavior), consists of five principles that help us to understand how to live in community. They are: Ahimsa (non- violence), Asteya (integrity), Brahmacharya (appropriate sexual behavior), Satya (truthfulness), and Aparigraha (Non-Attachment).
The second limb, The Niyamas (or rules of personal behavior), can help us to understand how best to behave when nobody is watching us. They are: Soucha (simplicity), Santosha (Contentment), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyana (self-exploration), and Ishvanapranidhana (Surrendering to the Universe).
The third limb of Yoga is made up of the Asana, the physical poses that we do when we practice Yoga today. There are two great Asana masters that lived last century. They developed individual schools of Yoga through which the Hatha (or the Physical) practice of Yoga spread worldwide. The first one is Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who popularized the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. Ashtanga means «eight limbs» so it could be identified with Patanjali’s book, even though it is popularly known as Vinyasa Flow (or a series of movements linked by breathing).
And the second master is Sri B.K.S. Iyengar, who, through his book, Light on Yoga, developed a method of proper alignment that is practiced almost universally today. Most of the props we see in any Yoga studio (blocks, blankets, belts, etc.) were developed by this amazing Yogi in order to help our bodies better explore the Asana practice in proper alignment.
Then, the next limb is Pranayama or the mastering of vital energy. It is usually misunderstood as breathing techniques, but «Prana» means «Vital Energy» and «Yama» means «study,» so, literally, Pranayama means the study of vital energy. This vital energy flows through our body, according to Yoga, via the central channel Shushuma. The helical serpents around this central channel, Ida and Pingala, represent our feminine and masculine energies. As we master the flow of our internal energy we bring balance and vitality in our bodies. Of course, breathing is one way we can access and master this vital energy, other ways include the understanding of the 7 Chakras and the Bhandas (body locks).
The fifth limb, Prathyahara or redirecting one’s senses inward, is the necessary preparation for any Yoga student intending to Meditate. Pratyhara , is considered by one of the greatest teachers of last century, Chandra Mohan Jain (commonly known as Osho), as the bridge between the four first limbs, which are more concerned with physical aspects, and the last three, which address mental practices or Meditation. The understanding of our senses is crucial to comprehend the process of meditation.
Dharana, or focusing one’s attention on an object, is the sixth limb. It serves as the first major step towards the development of the practice of meditation. Interestingly, The word «medicine» and the word «meditation” share the same root: MED, which means «attention.» Many of us in contemporary society have lost the ability to focus our attention for an extended period of time. Dharana is the fundamental understanding and exploration of this lost skill.
After our attention is developed, then Dhyana, or the mastering of witnessing awareness, is the next step. This is the ability for one’s mind to be so still that one is able to witness thoughts without any judgment or attachment.
And then, finally, the last limb is Samadhi, which literally means «settled» (Sama) mind or intellect (Dhi). As Alistair Shearer describes: “Samadhi, the settled mind, is the most delicate state of awareness.»
It is important to note that some schools of Yoga understand these eight limbs like a ladder one has to strictly follow, step by step, while other schools see these eight limbs as multiple possible entry points into the exploration of Yoga.
As one delves deeper into the exploration of Yoga, the second and third sutras written by Patanjali best describe this profound journey:
1-2 «YOGA CITTA VRTTI NIRODHAH,» which means: «Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence.»
1-3 “TADA DRASTUH AVARUPE VASTHANAM” which means: “When the mind is settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness”
Today, these millenary teachings are more relevant than ever. As we move into our daily routines we get lost, ungrounded, or unbalanced, but the healing/unifying process of Yoga can be attained with patience and dedication. When we practice, study, and explore the eight limbs of yoga, we prepare ourselves to experience the beautiful heart of Yoga. The limbs will lead us to mastering our minds and realize our essential nature, which, ultimately, is unbounded consciousness.
By Debbie Wacks, writing and editing & Diego Gesualdi, writing & research
Research:
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – Alistair Shearer
The Bhagavad Gita – Translated by Eknath Easwaran
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga – Deepak Chopra & David Simon
