Purpose of Yoga in our Life

                                            योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥
                                              

                                            yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

                                                                             

                                                               — Yoga Sutras 1.2

Swami Vivekananda translates the sutra as “Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta) from taking various forms (Vrttis).” Essentially, it means that yoga is the practice of attaining a state of consciousness free from all modes of active or discursive thoughts of the external world, eventually attaining a state where consciousness is unaware of any object external to itself and only aware of its own nature as consciousness unmixed with any other object.

The ultimate goal of Yoga is mukti, nirvāna, kaivalya or moksha, which is liberation from Maya, the illusion of what we perceive as reality in this life.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Yoga sadhanas are the mobility of the physical body through Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prānāyāma, Pratyāhara, Dhārana, Dhyāna, Samādhi.   These are known as the eight limbs (अष्टाङ्ग aṣṭāṅga) of Yoga.

A few more sadhanas are in yoga, i.e. Bandhas and Mudras, Shatkarmas, Yuktāhāra, Mantra-japa, Yukta-karma etc.

Yama

Yamas are ethical vows in the Yogic tradition and can be thought of as moral imperatives. The five yamas listed in Yogasūtra :-

• Ahiṃsā (अहिंसा):  Nonviolence, non-harming other living beings through actions and speech.
• Satya (सत्य):  Truthfulness, non-falsehood.
• Asteya (अस्तेय):  Non-stealing.
• Brahmacārya (ब्रह्मचर्य):  Chastity, marital fidelity or sexual restraint.
• Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह):  Non-greed, non-grasping, non-possessiveness.

 Niyama

 It includes virtuous habits, behaviours and observances. The niyamas are :-

• Śhaucha (शौच): Purity and clearness of body, mind and speech.
• Santoṣha (संतोष): Contentment, acceptance of others, acceptance of one's circumstances as they are in order to get past or change them, optimism for self.
• Tapas (तपस्): Persistence, perseverance, austerity.
• Svādhyāya (स्वाध्याय): Study of Vedas, study of self, self-reflection, introspection of self's thoughts, speeches and actions.
• Īśvarapraṇidhāna (ईश्वरप्रणिधान): Contemplation of the Ishvara (God/Supreme Being), Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality.

Āsana

                                     

                                   स्थिरसुखमासनम् ॥४६॥
                                    

                             sthira sukham asanam॥46॥

                                 

                    An Āsana is what is steady and pleasant.

                                                                 

                                        ---Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2.46

Āsana (आसन) is thus a (meditation) posture that one can hold for a period of time, staying relaxed, steady, comfortable and motionless.

Prānāyāma

Prānāyāma is made out of two Sanskrit words prāṇa (प्राण, breath) and āyāma (आयाम, restraining, extending and stretching).

Prānāyāma consists of developing awareness of one's breathing practices of consciously regulating breath (inhalation and exhalation). It helps in developing awareness of one's mind and helps to establish control over the mind. In the beginning stages, this is done by developing awareness of the "inhalation and exhalation" (svāsa-prasvāsa) through nostrils. Then after, this phenomenon is done, through regulated, controlled and monitored inhalation (svāsa) leading to the awareness of the body space getting filled (puraka), and then suspending exhalation for a period the space(s) remaining in a filledstate (Antara kumbhaka) and then exhalation (prasvāsa) and it getting emptied (rechaka) and suspending inhalation for a period (Bahya kumbhaka).  During the period of prānāyāma one’s regulated, controlled and monitored the inhalation and exhalation consciously and slowing and changing the time/length of breath (deep, short breathing). Prānāyāma should be practiced under the supervision of a experienced Yoga Guru.

Pratyāhara

Pratyāhāra is a combination of two Sanskrit words prati- (the prefix प्रति-, "against" or "contra") and āhāra (आहार, "bring near, fetch").

Pratyāhāra is drawing within one's awareness. It is a process of retracting the sensory experience from external objects. It is a step of self extraction and abstraction.

This refers to withdrawing one’s awareness from the outside sensory world and consciously closing the mind processes to the sensory external world and turning to inner world. In this stage, our senses start to shut down and indifference is created towards worldly things. The body no longer produces any physiological response towards sensory world. Pratyāhāra  is a natural elevation of our consciousness, not a forced one.

Pratyāhāra marks the transition of yoga experience from the first four limbs of Aṣṭāṅga limbs that perfect the external forms, in the next three limbs that proper meditation state begins: moving from outside to inside, form the outer sphere of the body to the inner sphere of the sprite.

Dhārana

Dhārana (Sanskrit: धारणा) means concentration, introspective focus and one-pointedness of mind. The root of the word is dhṛ (धृ), meaning “to hold, maintain, keep”.

Dhārana is concentration one's mind onto a chosen particular inner state, subject or topic. The mind is fixed on a mantra or one's breath, navel, tip of nose, centre of two eyebrows, any place or an object one wants to observe or a concept or idea in one's mind. Holding fix the mind means one-pointed focus, without drifting of mind and without jumping from one topic to another.

Dhyāna

Dhyāna (Sanskrit: ध्यान) literally means “contemplation, reflection” and “profound, abstract meditation”.

Dhyāna is contemplating, reflecting on whatever the Dhārana as focused on. It is non-judgmental, non-presumptuous observation of the focused object. Dhyāna is uninterrupted train of thought, current of cognition, flow of awareness.

Dhyāna is integrally related to Dhārana one leads to other. Dhārana is a state of mind, Dhyāna is the process of mind. Dhyāna is distinct from Dhārana in that the meditator becomes actively engaged with its focus.
At the state of Meditation (Dhyāna) the mind becomes continuously focused on the chosen object and there is no interruption and no other thought comes to mind. There is only one thought in the mind and the focus is so strong that nothing can disturb.

Samādhi

Samdāhi (Sanskrit: समाधि) literally means “putting together, joining, combining with, union, harmonious whole, trance”.

Samdāhi  is oneness with the subject of meditation and the final stage of enlightenment. The difference between Dhyāna  and Samdāhi  is that in Dhyāna we ‘know’ that we are meditating but in Samadhi is that spiritual state when one's mind is so absorbed in whatever it is contemplating on, that the mind loses the sense of its own identity and we do not even know ourselves. In this state one’s ego or the sense of ‘I’ disappears. There is only oneness; Samdāhi is a state wherein the subject, object and the process become one.

Bandha

Bandhas in yoga is an art of locking certain areas of the body so we can manipulate energy running around those specific areas. Energy manipulation within the body becomes possible only by the flow of prana (life energy).
Bandha is a Sanskrit word, that means ‘lock or to bind’. As the practice of Bandha locks or binds prana in certain parts of the body with the help of the contraction on some muscle fibres,  so yogi can manipulate energy running around those specific areas of the body. There are three major Bandhas, Jalandhara, Uddiyana and Moola Bandha, that lock the energy in the throat, abdomen, and pelvis.
A yogi’s aim of performing bandhas is to lock the energy within the central energy channel (Sushumna Nadi), which is considered no obstacle path of flowing energy.

Mudra

Yoga mudra is the symbolic hand, eyes & body gesture to heal and redirects energy in the different organs of the body. Mudras practices in conjunction with Prānāyāma and Dhyāna to redirects the flow of life-energy (Prana).

There are 3 qualities (Trigunas: Sattva, Rajas,Tamas) in the universe which combines to develop 5 elements: Fire, Air, Ether, Earth & Water. Our physical body has the characteristics of these 5 elements represented by 5 fingers. Yoga Mudra is closely related to the 5 elements exists in our body.

1.      Thumb Finger: Tejas (Fire or universal consciousness)

2.    Index Finger: Vayu (Air or Individual Awareness)

3.    Middle Finger: Akasha (Ether or Connection)

4.    Ring Finger: Prithivi (Earth or Physical Sensation)

5.     Little Finger: Apas (Water or Water Flow)

The balance state of these 5 elements to each other indicates effective work of the body and mind. When there is an imbalance in these 5 elements, it can lead to malfunctioning of the body and mind.

Śhatkarmas

Śhatkarmas  are cleaning procedures which detoxify and help to remove the toxins accumulated in the body.

Yuktāhāra

Yuktāhāra is the proper balanced food and food habits for healthy living. (Later on we’ll discuss about the balanced diet for healthy life....)

Mantra-japa

One of the great yoga system is japa—the continuous chanting of a mantra. The repetition of the Divine Name like Om (ॐ) is known as mantra japa. A great gospel in the Bhagavad Gita among all the spiritual or religious sacraments as below:

                                       

                                 

      महर्षीणां भृगुरहं गिरामस्म्येकमक्षरम्।
      यज्ञानां जपयज्ञोऽस्मि स्थावराणां हिमालयः॥10-25॥
                                               

          maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgurahaṁ girām asmyekam akṣaram|
    yajñānāṁ japayajño’smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ||10-25||

Among the great sages, I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the one syllable OM; among sacrifices (yajnas); I am the sacrifice of silent- recitation; and among the immovable, I am the Himalyas;

Yukta-karma


Yukta-karma is the right actions (karmas) and behaviour in one’s day to day life without expecting any results of that karma to live a better healthy life.
                                
                           ज्ञेय: स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ् क्षति |
                           निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ||5.3||
                         
                   jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī yo na dveṣhṭi na kāṅkṣhati
                  nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramuchyate

The karm yogis, who neither desire nor hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities, they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy.
                                        
                                        
                            श्री भगवानुवाच                           
                          काम्यानां कर्मणां न्यासं संन्यासं कवयो विदुः।
                          सर्वकर्मफलत्यागं प्राहुस्त्यागं विचक्षणाः।।18.2।।
                          
            śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
            kāmyānāṁ karmaṇāṁ nyāsaṁ sannyāsaṁ kavayo viduḥ
            sarva-karma-phala-tyāgaṁ prāhus tyāgaṁ vichakṣhaṇāḥ


The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned men call the renounced order of life (sannyasa). And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation (tyaga).

                                                                                                                                            Cont.d....