Ashtanga Yoga – Ashtanga yoga is named after the term given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for the eight-fold path of yoga, or Ashtanga, meaning “eight-limbed” in Sanskrit. It was Sri K. Pattabhi’s belief that the asana “limb” of yoga must be practiced before the others could be mastered. Here is the eightfold path of Yoga that is described as – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, meditation, Samadhi. Maharishi Patanjali has mentioned the concept of Ashtanga Yoga in his book Yoga philosophy.
The eight limbs are:
1. Yama: Yama is the first of the eight limbs of yoga outlined in the yoga sutras. Yama is also sometimes called “the five restraints” because it describes what one should avoid advancing on the spiritual path. Here is the full list with the explanation:
i- Ahimsa: Non-violence or harmlessness. This cannot always be practiced literally since it is not always possible in the normal course of living. Even washing one’s hands kills bacteria. To perfect ahimsa, one must not wish harm on any creature.
ii- Satya: Non-lying or truthfulness. This doesn’t mean to be tactless, but to always tell the highest truth. It is in the “restraints”category because if one restrains oneself from wishing things were other than they are, one will always tell the truth.
iii- Asteya: Non-covetousness. Not wishing for more than one has, or for what another has.
iv- Brahmacharya: Sexual self-restraint. Literally means “flowing with Bramha.” This is often translated as celibacy, but can also just be taken as sexual self-control, or overcoming sexual desire. According to the yoga sutras, this practice will give one great mental and physical stamina because it prevents one’s energy from being expended in sexuality. Self-control in all things is the direction of true growth.
v- Aparigraha: Non-possessiveness. Letting go of all attachment to one?s possessions, including one’s body, and being willing to relinquish them all at a moment’s notice.
2. Niyama: Niyama is the second limb of the spiritual path as outlined by the ancient sage Patanjali in his yoga sutras. It lists five things you should do to make spiritual progress. They are:
i- Saucha: Cleanliness of the body, mind, and heart.
ii- Santosha: Contentment. To attain this one must realize that nothing in the world can make them happy. Everything one needs lies in one’s own Self.
iii- Tapasya: Austerity or self-restraint. This does not mean harming or depriving oneself of essential needs (which would violate the first yama, ahimsa).
iv- Swadhyaya: Self-study or introspection. This is sometimes translated as “study of the scriptures,” but the literal meaning is “Self-study,” or study of the Higher Self. To achieve this niyama, one should always question one’s motives and reasoning, and stay open to the possibility that one could be wrong.
v- Ishwarapranidhana: Worship of the Supreme Self.
3. Asana: Asana is the third limb on of the path that Patanjali defined. It does not mean Hatha Yoga postures, but the ability to sit unmoving with a straight spine for long periods of time. (Hatha Yoga postures can help one to do this if one is physically able to practice them.) It is also a term commonly used to refer to a hatha yoga postures. Yoga postures, while having many great benefits, is not what Patanjali was referring to in his sutras. The purpose of asana is to enable one to rise above body-consciousness. A straight spine is necessary, for when meditating the energy must be allowed to rise up the spine freely. One may consider that they have mastered asana if they can remain completely motionless, with a straight, upright spine for three hours. Motionlessness will enable them to become aware of the inner energies in the body.
4. Pranayama: Pranayama means control over energy in the body. If one can control one?s energy, then one can withdraw it from the outer senses and up the spine, thereby raising one’s consciousness. Traditionally pranayama is used to mean control over the breath, but it is actually controlling the energy in the body via control of the breath. It is also the fourth limb of spiritual advancement as laid out in Patanjali’sYoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, while practicing pranayama techniques: The emphasis while breathing (and therefore in the flow of the life-force) may be more on inhalation, on exhalation, or on stillness. It may be on space entering the body (rather than on the body’s breathing); on the timing of the inhalation and exhalation (whether rapid or slow), and on the number of counts in each inflow and outflow???whether the flow is short or long. How Pranayama Works On either side of the spine, there is an energetic nerve channel or Nadi: idaon the left and Pingala on the right. The Prana or energy travels upward through the idanadi. With this upward movement, the breath is automatically drawn into the lungs. As a result, the mind is drawn outward to the world of the senses. The energy then travels downwards through the Pingala Nadi. When the energy is going down, it is called apanarather than prana. This downward movement is accompanied by physical exhalation and signifies a rejection of external circumstances. One manifestation of this cycle is the association of inhalation with excitement and happiness and exhalation with defeat and depression. Happiness and sadness must always follow each other when the cause of each is external circumstances, which are always changing. However, through pranayama techniques a person can instead redirect the energy through the deep spine in between the Ida and Pingala, called the Sushumna. When the level of energy in the Sushumna reaches the top of the spine and goes into the spiritual eye or sixth chakra, one becomes enlightened.
5. Pratyahara: Pratyahara is the interiorization of one’s attention and thoughts. Pratyahara is the withdrawing of the mind and senses from the objects of the senses. It is the fifth limb, or requirement, to attain full Self-realization as outlined in the Yoga Sutras attributed to the sage Patanjali. Paramahansa Yogananda called this “shutting off the sense telephones.” It is the final preparatory stage before deep meditation. There are various ways to remove the distraction of the senses, such as remaining still, closing the eyes, and sitting in a quiet place or using earplugs. However, NayaswamiJyotish, the spiritual successor to Swami Kriyananda, emphasizes that true pratyahara occurs in the mind, not the body. It is the internalization of the life-force (pranayama) that results in the shutting down of the senses. An example of this is when we voluntarily fall asleep.
6. Dharana: Dharana is concentration; one-pointed focus. One-pointed concentration, fixing one’s full attention on one place, object, or idea at a time. It is the sixth limb, or requirement, to attain full Self-realization as outlined in the Yoga Sutras attributed to the sage Patanjali. Dharana is the ability to bring the mind into focus and to hold the concentration on a single point. In true Dharana all body-consciousness and restless thoughts cease, enabling one to focus on the object of meditation without distraction. In the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata, Arjuna demonstrates Dharana. Dronacharya, the teacher of archery, is holding a contest. There is a statue of a vulture placed high in a tree, and its head is the target. As each student approaches to take his turn Dronacharya asks him what he sees. One replies, “I see you, my teacher, the tree, the sky, and all who have gathered around.” This student misses his shot. The next replies in a similar manner, and he, too, misses. Finally, after everyone else has failed to hit the target, Arjuna approaches. In response to the question he answers, “I see the head of the bird.” Dronacharya asks, “Don’t you see anything else?” Arjuna replies, “I see only the head of the bird.” He then shoots his arrow and hits it right on target.
7. Dhyana: Dhyana means steadfast meditation on God or the Higher Self. Absorption; union. It is the seventh limb, or requirement, to attain full Self-realization as outlined in the Yoga Sutras attributed to the sage Patanjali, who says that it is “concentration on higher aspects of reality.” Dhyana is the ability to merge with the object on which you are concentrating. For example, someone who had achieved the state of Dharana would say that they were able to focus completely on a light during meditation. Someone who had achieved dhyana would say that they seemed to become the light as if they had merged with it
8. Samadhi: Samadhi is complete absorption in the Infinite??? literally “oneness.” There are two stages of samadhi : sabikalpa and nirbikalpa. Sabikalpasamadhi is conditional and temporary; the ego is still there subconsciously and can come back after the meditation is over. Nirbikalpasamadhiis unconditional and permanent; one cannot fall after obtaining nirbikalpasamadhi; the ego is gone for good. The perfect union of the individualized soul with infinite spirit. A state of oneness; complete absorption. Samadhi, which literally means “to direct together,” is the state in which the yogi perceives the identity of his soul as spirit. It is an experience of divine ecstasy as well as of superconscious perception; the soul perceives the entire universe. In other words, human consciousness becomes one with cosmic consciousness. The soul realizes that it is much more than the conditioned body. Christian saints have previously described this experience as “mystical marriage,” in which the soul merges into God and becomes one with Him.
By Abhishek Kumar Singh (Yoga Instructor)
