Specials
Yoga - In the beginning there was Yoga, then came the others
23/10/2006
What is Yoga
The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning to bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one's attention on, to use and apply. It also means union or communion. It is the true union of our will with the will of God. It thus means,' says Mahadev Desai in his introduction to the Gita according to Gandhi, 'the yoking of all the powers of body, mind and soul to God: it means the disciplining of the intellect, the mind, the emotions, the will, which that Yoga presupposes; it means a poise of the soul which enables one to look at life in all its aspects evenly.'
24/10/2006
Diferrent paths to the maker
There are different paths (margas) by which a man travels to his Maker. The active man finds realisation through Karma Marga, in which a man realises his own divinity through work and duty. The emotional man finds it through Bhakti Marga, where there is realisation through devotion to and love of a personal God. The intellectual man pursues Jnana Marga, where realisation comes through knowledge. The meditative or reflective man follows Yoga Marga, and realises his own divinity through control of the mind.
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Astanga Yoga - The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The right means are just as important as the end in view. Patanjali enumerates these means as the eight limbs or stages of Yoga for the quest of the soul. They are:
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Causes of the Modification of the Mind
Chitta Vrtii - Causes of the Modification of the Mind. In his Yoga Sutras Patanjali lists five classes of chitta vrtti which create pleasure and pain. These are:
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Vyadhi:
The very first obstacle that the Yogi will encounter is ill health or sickness. To the yogi his body is the prime instrument for the attainment of happiness.
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Styana:
A person suffering from languor has no goal, no path to follow and no enthusiasm.
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Pramada:
A person suffering from pramada is full of self-importance, lacks any humility and believes that he alone is wise.
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Avirati:
This is the tremendous craving for sensory objects after they have been consciously abandoned, which is so hard to restrain.
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Bhranti Darsana:
A person afflicted by false knowledge suffers from delusion and believes that he alone has seen the true Light.
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Alabdha Bhumikatva:
As a mountain climber fails to reach the summit for lack of stamina, so also a person who cannot overcome the inability to concentrate is unable to seek reality.
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Anavasthitattva:
A person affected with anavasthitattva has by hard work come within sight of reality.
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Maitri
Maitri is not merely friendliness, but also a feeling of oneness with the object of friendliness (atmiyata).
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Karuna
Karuna is not merely showing pity or compassion and shedding tears of despair at the misery (duhlcba) of others.
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Mudita
Mudita is a feeling of delight at the good work (punya) done by another, even though he may be a rival.
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Upeksa
Upeksa; It is not merely a feeling of disdain or contempt for the person who has fallen into vice (apunya) or one of indifference or superiority towards him.
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Sisya and Guru (A Pupil and a Master)
The Siva Samhita divides sadhakas (pupils or aspirants) into four classes. They are
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Sadhana (A Key to Freedom)
All the important texts on Yoga lay great emphasis on sadhana or abhyasa (constant practice). Sadhana is not just a theoretical study of Yoga texts. It is a spiritual endeavour, Oil seeds must be pressed to yield oil. Wood must be heated to ignite it and bring out the hidden fire within. In the same way, the sadhaka must by constant practice light the divine flame within himself.
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Yama
The eight limbs of Yoga are described in the second chapter. The first of these is yama [ethical disciplines) - the great commandments transcending creed, country, age and time. They are; ahimsa (non-violence), satya (Truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (continence) and aparigraha (non-coveting). These commandments are the rules of morality for society and the individual, which if not obeyed bring chaos, violence, untruth, stealing, dissipation and covetousness. The roots of these evils are the emotions of greed, desire and attachment, which may be mild, medium or excessive. They only bring pain and ignorance. Patanjali strikes at the root of these evils by changing the direction of one's thinking along the five principles of yama.
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Niyama
Niyama are the rules of conduct that apply to individual discipline, while yama are universal in their application. The five niyama listed by Patanjali are: saucha (purity), santosa (contentment), tapas (ardour or austerity), svadhyaya. (study of the Self) and Isvara pranidhana (dedication to the Lord).
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Asana
The third limb of yoga is asana or posture. Asana brings steadiness, health and lightness of limb. A steady and pleasant posture produces mental equilibrium and prevents fickleness of mind. Asanas are not merely gymnastic exercises; they are postures. To perform them one needs a clean airy place, a blanket and determination, while for other systems of physical training one needs large playing fields and costly equipment. Asanas can be done alone, as the limbs of the body provide the necessary weights and counter-weights. By practising them one develops agility, balance, endurance and great vitality, Asanas have been 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 without being muscle bound and they keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. But their real importance lies in the way they train and discipline the mind. Many actors, acrobats, athletes, dancers, musicians and sportsmen also possess superb physiques and have great control over the body, but they lack control over the mind, the intellect and the Self. Hence they are in disharmony with themselves and one rarely comes across a balanced personality among them. They often put the body above all else. Though the yogi does not underrate his body, he does not think merely of its perfection but of his senses, mind, intellect and soul.
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Pranayama
Just as the word yoga is one of wide import, so also is prana. Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy, or strength. It also connotes the soul as opposed to the body. The word is generally used in the plural to indicate vital breaths. Ayama means length, expansion, stretching or restraint. Pranayama thus connotes extension of breath and its control. This control is over all the functions of breathing, namely
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Pratyahara
If a man's reason succumbs to the pull of his senses he is lost. On the other hand, if there is rhythmic control of breath, the senses instead of running after external objects of desire turn inwards, and man is set free from their tyranny. This is the fifth stage of Yoga, namely, pratyahara, where the senses are brought under control. When this stage is reached, the sadhaka goes through a searching self examination. To overcome the deadly but attractive spell of sensual objects, he needs the insulation of adoration (bhakti) by recalling to his mind the Creator who made the objects of his desire, He also needs the lamp of knowledge of his divine heritage. The mind, in truth, is for mankind the cause of bondage and liberation; it brings bondage if it is bound to the objects of desire and liberation when it is free from objects. There is bondage when the mind craves, grieves or is unhappy over something. The mind becomes pure when all desires and fears are annihilated. Both the good and the pleasant present themselves to men and prompt them to action. The yogi prefers the good to the pleasant. Others driven by their desires, prefer the pleasant to the good and miss the very purpose of life. The yogi feels joy in what he is. He knows how to stop and, therefore, lives in peace. At first he prefers that which is bitter as poison, but he perseveres in his practice knowing well that in the end it will become as sweet as nectar. Others hankering for the union of their senses with the objects of their desires, prefer that which at first seems sweet as nectar, but do not know that in the end it will be as bitter as poison.
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Dharana
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 reaches the sixth stage called 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. The mind is an instrument which classifies, judges and co-ordinates the impressions from the outside world and those that arise within oneself.
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Dhyana
As water takes the shape of its container, the mind when it contemplates an object is transformed into the shape of that object. The mind which thinks of the all-pervading dignity which it worships, is ultimately through long continued devotion transformed into the likeness of that divinity.
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Samadhi
Samadhi is the end of the sadhaka's quest. At the peak of his meditation, he passes into the state of samadhi, where his body and senses are at rest as if he is asleep, his faculties of mind and reason are alert as if he is awake, yet he has gone beyond consciousness.
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Song of the Soul
I am neither ego nor reason, I am neither mind nor thought, I cannot be heard nor cast into words, nor by smell nor sight ever caught: In light and wind I am not found, nor yet in earth and sky— Consciousness and joy incarnate, Bliss of the Blissful am I. I have no name, I have no life, I breathe no vital air,
