Yoga
The word, ‘Yoga’ originated from the Sanskrit root word, ‘Yuj’ which means ‘Union.’ The expressions, “Yujyathe Ethaditi Yogaha”, “Yujyathe anena ithiyogaha” mean taking control of five senses and concentrating the mind on the Omnipresent.
Yoga Sadhana
The Yoga sadhana (practice) was introduced to us by Patanjali Maharshi in his work, “Yoga Sutras”. The Yoga Shastra was divided into four parts: ‘Samadhi’, ‘Sadhana’, ‘Vibhuti’, and ‘Kaivalya.’
By saying “Abhyasa vairagyabhyam chitta vritti nirodhaha” Patanjali Maharshi makes a proposition that Yoga implies control of mind, a practice that prevents mind-wavering that can be achieved by ‘Abhyasa-Vairagya’ (Practice-detachment).
Hence, the practice of Yoga or sadhana was ordained as an integral part of human endeavour and responsibility.
Eight Petals of Yoga
The eight limbs of Patanjali’s yoga, which we could refer to as “petals,” primarily focus on the mind as opposed to outside problems. The focus of each petal is on a distinct aspect of the body-mind that links to the other limbs. Patanjali regarded yoga as a holistic science.
YAMA
Ahimsa (non-killing), Satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity), and aparigraha (greediness) are the five ethical precepts that makeup Yama. They tell us what we should not do in life. They are moral, instructive, and prohibitive.
The purpose is to eliminate all mental and emotional disturbances so that the sadhaka can move in higher pursuits of Yoga. One should practice these self-restraint virtues irrespective of place, time, circumstances, and one’s social status.
NIYAMA
The five Niyamas are saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (contemplation), isvara-pranidhana (devotion to the Lord), and svadhyaya (self-study). They expect us what we should do and impose self-control on us. These virtues are constructive and positive. Both Yama and Niyama are not mutually exclusive but complementary to each other. They purify us and prepare us for a higher yogic life.
ASANA
The third most significant limb that pertains to the body is the asanam. But unlike other Hatha Yogic texts like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, and Siva Samhita, Patanjali does not elaborate on it in his Yoga Sutras.
Asanas are just a means of getting ready for Dhyana, according to Patanjali. Asana is mentioned only in three sutras (46, 47, and 48 in Sadhana Pada). Raja Yoga, the name given to Patanjali’s Astanga style of yoga, is primarily used to prepare practitioners for dhyana, which requires a stable posture.
According to Sadhana Pada’s Sutra 46, he defines asana as Sthira-sukham asanam, which implies the posture should be stable and at ease.
PRANAYAMA
It is the crucial limb that comes after asana. The Sadhana Pada of the Yoga Sutras has five sutras (49, 50, 51, 52, and 53) that address it. His pranayama is distinct from that of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita, though.
The pranic currents are manipulated by pranayama in the Hatha Yogic scriptures to alter consciousness. However, according to Patanjali, there are two ways for sadhana to achieve pranayama (the cessation of breathing): one requires effort, and the other does not.
Sahita kumbaka requires effort, whereas Kevala kumbaka is effortless and not place or time-dependent. However, the Sahita kumbaka serves as a phase before the Kevala kumbaka. It is designated by Patanjali as the fourth and highest kind of pranayama in Sutra 51 of the Sadhana Pada.
Since June 21 is designated as ‘International Yoga Day’ each year, more than 100 million people worldwide may practise yoga in some way. But unlike the traditional yoga of Patanjali, which focuses on the mind, yoga practised today is reduced to physical fitness because people have become more aware of their bodies and health in the context of globalisation.
PRATYAHARA
The practice of Pratyahara involves withholding the sense organs from excessive enjoyment in the real world. It serves as a step of preparation for Dharana and Dhyana. The body-mind complex will get progressively more disgusting if we continuously engage in the world.
Samskaras begin to build up in the subconscious, and as a result, disturb the wakeful mind. Thus, periodic exclusion from society will aid in the sadhaka’s emergence as a subtle being.
SAMYAMA
The higher level of yoga practice known as Samyama in Patanjali’s Astanga Yoga is referred to by the terms Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi. Samyama starts with Dharana, or concentration.
According to Patanjali, concentration is a mental process that includes focusing attention on a single object. The term “concentration” is only used loosely in popular psychology to refer to the short-term mental focus on a single thing.
In contrast, profound concentration is used in yogic psychology, when the mind unites with the fundamental nature of the object being focused on. It appears as though the thing melts and unites with the knower.
DHYANA
The seventh limb of Astanga Yoga is called dhyana when the sadhaka keeps his focus on the object without pausing and distractions.
Patanjali describes it as “an uninterrupted flow of the mind towards the object itself, turns into dhyana”. When the division between the subject and the object is gone, true meditation happens. It is a process up until that point. The distinction between Dharana and Dhyana is the presence of mental distractions.
SAMADHI
A state of no mind is samadhi. It is a total immersion in which there is no sense of the self. The rupa, or shape, of the mind itself completely vanishes. The object endures in Dharana; the rupa vanishes in Dhyana, but its subtlety still holds; and in the last stage of Samadhi, the object’s subtlety is utterly lost; it is the state of isness.
Only consciousness-which is undifferentiated, singular and homogeneous- remains. Words cannot adequately express it. Samadhi is not a novel concept; rather, it is an evolved stage of Dhyana. Samyama is the name given to the entire procedure, which starts with Dharna and ends with Samadhi.
-Dr. KV Raghupathi
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