Yoga in Depth - Part 1

THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA

1. YAMA

2. NIYAMA

3. ASANA

4. PRANAYAMA

5. PRATYHARA

6. DHARANA

7. DHYANA

8. SAMHADI

According to some Yoga teachers the eight limbs of yoga need to be worked through from one to eight. According to them you do not proceed to step two until you have mastered step one. Others prefer to go about things in a different way.

1.Five Yamas: External Disciplines

1. Ahimsa (Non-Violence)

2. Satya (Truthfulness)

3. Asteya (Non-Stealing)

4. Brahmacharya (Right use of the Energy)

5. Aparigraha ( Non-Greed)

2. Five Niyamas: Internal Disciplines

Saucha (Self-purification.

Santosha (Contentment)

Tapas (Self Discipline)

Svadhyaya (Self Study)

Ishvara Pranidhana (Self Surrender)

Yamas and Niyamas are external and inner work.

3. Asana or Yoga Posture: of which there are many thousands, is where the physical ‘work’ begins. We use postures to release deep tension from the muscular system. A posture that is affected by lifestyle, mainly occupational and psycho emotional. The way we hold ourselves in life and the way we protected ourselves from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in childhood.

4. Pranayama or Breath Control: is essentially breathing or modification of the breath. 1. Fast inhale and exhale. 2. Slow inhale/exhale. 3. Breath retention. Some Yogic texts affirm breath and mind are intimately related. When we breathe calmly and regularly with focus, we feel more aligned and relaxed. Alternatively, when we are anxious or have low energy, we feel no connection to breath and are more likely to be victims of our mind… thinking. Thinking, or what we think about, affects everything we do.

5. Pratyhara or Withdrawal of the Senses: As we go deeper into posture and pranayama, we tend to turn attention inward. This is a natural phenomenon. When you do a Yoga class you tend to lose interest in random thinking and go inward.

6. Dharana or Concentration: is the next step. We go inward but tend to lose focus because of a limited ability to concentrate. Dharana is wilful concentration leading to the ability to stop thinking entirely because we have chosen to. Imagine that. How many of us have lain awake at night listening to inner dialogues and arguments inside our head? Yoga Nidra is an excellent way to develop concentration.

7. Dhyana or Meditation: a deeper descent into Dharana. Staying still for longer periods, bringing peace to the body-mind because we have chosen to.

9. Samadhi or Integration: There is much speculation about the mysterious state of Samadhi, but It is generally deemed to be a permanent state of enlightenment. If we take a closer look it can only mean one thing - a deeper step of the previous two limbs - Dharana and Dhyana. That is not to over-simplify the matter or make it seem easy. To give some idea think of how much time you spend each day in a state of absolute surrendered relaxation, or even, for that matter, a general state of relaxation? How long it takes to reach the goal of permanent relaxation is anyone’s guess, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t consider it as an ongoing possibility of progress. The ability to remain in suspended states of relaxation depends on many things and one of those things is revealing what prevents us from having it in the first place.