My inspiration for writing this post is all due to the teaching of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his teacher Guru Dev. Gratitude to Maharishi for bringing out this knowledge and restoring the true wisdom of the Vedas for all of humanity!
Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga were wrongly interpreted to be steps or practices leading to the state of Yoga, but Maharishi explains that this is incorrect. According to to Maharishi, the eight limbs of yoga are not STEPS at all, or practices. Ashtanga Yoga is defined as eight 'limbs' of yoga.
Maharishi explains that the the eight limbs of yoga are really characteristics or qualities of the state of yoga and that Patanjali's yoga sutras really describe the state of yoga using the eight limbs rather than actually describing the actual practice used to gain the state of yoga.
On a fundamental levels, all the eight limbs describe the qualities of the state of Yoga, It is a description of the Goal, not the practice leading up to the goal.
These are the 8 aspects of the state of union:
1. Yama- Administrator. Eternal silence is the administrator of life. These are the qualities of administrator.
Ahimsa- means non-violence. When in the state of yoga, one will be no harmful as this is a state which transcends differences.
Satya- truthfulness. in the state of yoga, one is abiding in the eternal truth of the non changing eternal nature of life.
asteya- non stealing. in yoga, one is full within, and does not feel the need to take from anyone. One is full within one's self. and self reliant.
Brahmacharya- chastity. In he state of Yoga union. One is in a chaste and pure state.
Aparigraha- non possessiveness. One is free from the longing to possess in this state.
2. Niyama-
saucha: purity. In the state of yoga, there is purity within.
santosha- contentment. there is contentment within in the state of yoga
tapas: austerity. one is purified of sin in the state of yoga.
svadhyaya: study of veda. In the state of yoga, one is in touch with the veda, which is one's own unbounded immortal self. One is experiencing and exploring one's own self referral conciousness.
ishvarapranidhana: surrender to God. In the state of yoga, one is fully surrendered to the Divine.
3. Asana- stable posture. One is still in the state of yoga
4. Pranayama- breath restraint. The breath automatically is very still in the state of yoga. The breath becomes refined and slow.
6. Pratyahara- introversion of the senses. In the state of yoga, the senses of flowing in the inward direction.
7. Dharana- focus of attention. The mind is very one pointed in the state of Yoga!
8. Dhyana- The fully value of the mind is available in the state of yoga, where one is experiencing the finer levels of creation.
9. Samadhi, the infinite unified reality of eternal existence is there in the state of yoga.
Maharishi explains that The state of yoga is a state of integration of the full values of all the values of life. The body, mind and environment is all operating in its full potential.
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
Seven states of conciousness
There are 7 states of consciousness.
1. sleep state
2. dream state
3. waking state
From here comes the higher states of conciousness:
4. Transcendental conciousness
5. Cosmic conciousness
6. God conciousness
7. Unity conciousness
The eight limbs of yoga can be understood differently in the different states of consciousness and they function differently too.
What follows is now an explanation of how the eight limbs of yoga function in the higher states of consciousness:
Eight limbs of yoga in the waking state:
In the waking state, the eight limbs work together in an integrated fashion to produce and maintain the 4th state of transcendental consciousness.
Diagram of the eight limbs of yoga corresponding to the finer levels of creation
Activity Yama Outer Action Body Gross
Niyama
Asana
pranayama
Pratyahara Thought Mind
Dharana Feeling
Dhyana
Silence Samadhi Inner Being Soul Subtle
Yama and Niyama comprise the outer layer gross behavior, it is good regular habits of eating and sleeping and daily routine that help to promote enlightenment. it is also right conduct, not fighting, being friendly with others, so as to promote your and others well being, this also serves on eon the path to enlightenment, so smoothing the way as there will less energy taken up in conflicts.
Asana at this level means body. The body is gently stretched at various times in the day such as in the morning, also possibly before meditation and even after meditation which serves to optimize the functioning pf the nervous system and also helps integrate the effects of meditation with the waking state. After sitting for a long time, it is ALWAYS beneficial; to stretch the body.
Stretching is not done with the muscles passive, but the muscles must be gently tensed with dynamic control, think for a cat stretching or a person stretching in the morning,. This type of natural stretching is actually in built in the nervous system, and involves light tension of the muscles being stretchered, they are never passive which could lead to injury.
gently stretch the body upward and downward and in all other comfortable directions. while gently tensing your muscles and then relaxing into a normal position.
Posture is also important, to maintain a gentle straight spine while working and walking.
Walking and activity in general is of vital importance to help integrate TC with the waking state. This is how yoga comes to be. Activity is helping to bring TC into a state of integration with the waking state.
Pranayama means breath, on this level, we need to make sure that the abdominal muscles are relaxed, so that the diaphragm can work properly. Natural breathing is when the abdomen is relaxed and on the inhale , the abdomen gently expands and contracts on the exhale, this is natural normal breathing and babies can be seen to breath like this while sleeping. This natural and normal breathing is essential.
Pratyahara at this level means to close ones eyes before meditating and wait at least 30 seconds before starting to meditate so as to allow time for the metabolism to gently slow down especially if one has been very active. Then also to maintain pratyahara with the eyes closed after mediation for at least 2 or 3 minutes to allow yourself to transition gently back to the waking state.
Dharana is when you start to meditate with a mantra for example. It is simply taking the right angle and then letting go. Dharana is starting meditation with a suitable vehicle which turns the mind 180 degrees so it start to dive inwardly. Self enquiry meditation works the same way turning the mind inward towards the source of thought.
Dhyana is the process of diving or transcending itself where the vehicle of meditation is getting transcended.
Samadhi is transcendence or absorption. A collected state where one has now come to a unified state, the silence of BEING.
1. sleep state
2. dream state
3. waking state
From here comes the higher states of conciousness:
4. Transcendental conciousness
5. Cosmic conciousness
6. God conciousness
7. Unity conciousness
The eight limbs of yoga can be understood differently in the different states of consciousness and they function differently too.
What follows is now an explanation of how the eight limbs of yoga function in the higher states of consciousness:
Eight limbs of yoga in the waking state:
In the waking state, the eight limbs work together in an integrated fashion to produce and maintain the 4th state of transcendental consciousness.
Diagram of the eight limbs of yoga corresponding to the finer levels of creation
Activity Yama Outer Action Body Gross
Niyama
Asana
pranayama
Pratyahara Thought Mind
Dharana Feeling
Dhyana
Silence Samadhi Inner Being Soul Subtle
Yama and Niyama comprise the outer layer gross behavior, it is good regular habits of eating and sleeping and daily routine that help to promote enlightenment. it is also right conduct, not fighting, being friendly with others, so as to promote your and others well being, this also serves on eon the path to enlightenment, so smoothing the way as there will less energy taken up in conflicts.
Asana at this level means body. The body is gently stretched at various times in the day such as in the morning, also possibly before meditation and even after meditation which serves to optimize the functioning pf the nervous system and also helps integrate the effects of meditation with the waking state. After sitting for a long time, it is ALWAYS beneficial; to stretch the body.
Stretching is not done with the muscles passive, but the muscles must be gently tensed with dynamic control, think for a cat stretching or a person stretching in the morning,. This type of natural stretching is actually in built in the nervous system, and involves light tension of the muscles being stretchered, they are never passive which could lead to injury.
gently stretch the body upward and downward and in all other comfortable directions. while gently tensing your muscles and then relaxing into a normal position.
Posture is also important, to maintain a gentle straight spine while working and walking.
Walking and activity in general is of vital importance to help integrate TC with the waking state. This is how yoga comes to be. Activity is helping to bring TC into a state of integration with the waking state.
Pranayama means breath, on this level, we need to make sure that the abdominal muscles are relaxed, so that the diaphragm can work properly. Natural breathing is when the abdomen is relaxed and on the inhale , the abdomen gently expands and contracts on the exhale, this is natural normal breathing and babies can be seen to breath like this while sleeping. This natural and normal breathing is essential.
Pratyahara at this level means to close ones eyes before meditating and wait at least 30 seconds before starting to meditate so as to allow time for the metabolism to gently slow down especially if one has been very active. Then also to maintain pratyahara with the eyes closed after mediation for at least 2 or 3 minutes to allow yourself to transition gently back to the waking state.
Dharana is when you start to meditate with a mantra for example. It is simply taking the right angle and then letting go. Dharana is starting meditation with a suitable vehicle which turns the mind 180 degrees so it start to dive inwardly. Self enquiry meditation works the same way turning the mind inward towards the source of thought.
Dhyana is the process of diving or transcending itself where the vehicle of meditation is getting transcended.
Samadhi is transcendence or absorption. A collected state where one has now come to a unified state, the silence of BEING.
Introduction to Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga system
Welcome to my new blog!
Here, I am going to share my experiences and insights using Maharishi Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga.
First of all, I want to give a general introduction to the eight limbs of yoga. Read this first, and then read my other post for a more detailed explanation to clear up some misconceptions that people have about the eight limbs of yoga.
Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga are different limbs or aspects of yoga practice that compliment each other, They comprise of all the methods used to cultivate awareness. They are not steps but rather limbs.
Yoga is ingrained in the nervous system of man and actually all the practices of yoga are totally natural and based on natural phenomena that occurs as a natural result of the unfoldment of our evolution of consciousness. The techniques of yoga act simply as tools or levers to facilitate this natural unfoldment.
All the limbs of work in a connected fashion as they are connected in the nervous system, . Yoga is a product of the nervous system, not the other way around.
The limbs act as doors to coax the nervous system to open to the natural experience of yoga nd to purify the nervous system.
You can start with any of the limbs and reach the state of yoga, that is the beauty of patanjali's system. his limbs do not describe actual practices but rather cover all the types of practice there are to advance in yoga.
Here is list of the eight limbs of yoga and I will also be doing posts on each of them individually:
1. Yama - restraint
includes ahimsa (non violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non stealing), brahmacharya (preservation and cultivation fo sexual energy), aparigraha (non covetousness)
2. Niyama- observance
Saucha (purity, cleanliness), samtosa (contentment, tapas (austerity, focus), svadhyaya (study of scriptures), iswara pranidhana (surrender to the divine)
3. Asana- posture
4. Pranayama- breathing techniques
Pranayama cultivates the 'soil' of the nervous system, preparing it for deep meditation.
5. Pratyahara- introversion of the senses
6. Dharana- focus of attention
7. Dhyana- meditation, transcending
8. Samadhi- absorption, Pure awareness, transcendental consciousness.
Here, I am going to share my experiences and insights using Maharishi Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga.
First of all, I want to give a general introduction to the eight limbs of yoga. Read this first, and then read my other post for a more detailed explanation to clear up some misconceptions that people have about the eight limbs of yoga.
Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga are different limbs or aspects of yoga practice that compliment each other, They comprise of all the methods used to cultivate awareness. They are not steps but rather limbs.
Yoga is ingrained in the nervous system of man and actually all the practices of yoga are totally natural and based on natural phenomena that occurs as a natural result of the unfoldment of our evolution of consciousness. The techniques of yoga act simply as tools or levers to facilitate this natural unfoldment.
All the limbs of work in a connected fashion as they are connected in the nervous system, . Yoga is a product of the nervous system, not the other way around.
The limbs act as doors to coax the nervous system to open to the natural experience of yoga nd to purify the nervous system.
You can start with any of the limbs and reach the state of yoga, that is the beauty of patanjali's system. his limbs do not describe actual practices but rather cover all the types of practice there are to advance in yoga.
Here is list of the eight limbs of yoga and I will also be doing posts on each of them individually:
1. Yama - restraint
includes ahimsa (non violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non stealing), brahmacharya (preservation and cultivation fo sexual energy), aparigraha (non covetousness)
2. Niyama- observance
Saucha (purity, cleanliness), samtosa (contentment, tapas (austerity, focus), svadhyaya (study of scriptures), iswara pranidhana (surrender to the divine)
3. Asana- posture
4. Pranayama- breathing techniques
Pranayama cultivates the 'soil' of the nervous system, preparing it for deep meditation.
5. Pratyahara- introversion of the senses
6. Dharana- focus of attention
7. Dhyana- meditation, transcending
8. Samadhi- absorption, Pure awareness, transcendental consciousness.
Yoga is the state of integration
Yoga is the state of integration between the inner and outer and all levels such as body, mind, breath.
Since yoga is intrinsic to the human nervous system and is a byproduct of it, one can approach yoga from any angle and affect all the levels. That is why if you mentally rest on silence, automatically the body and breath come to stillness. In a similar manner if you still the breath, it will also still the mind.
For the integrated yogi, there is no need to meditate any longer, all of life is a mediation. There is no difference between when he is meditating or not. He is anchored in his SELF, which is PURE BEING. He sees everything as the SELF too.
Since yoga is intrinsic to the human nervous system and is a byproduct of it, one can approach yoga from any angle and affect all the levels. That is why if you mentally rest on silence, automatically the body and breath come to stillness. In a similar manner if you still the breath, it will also still the mind.
For the integrated yogi, there is no need to meditate any longer, all of life is a mediation. There is no difference between when he is meditating or not. He is anchored in his SELF, which is PURE BEING. He sees everything as the SELF too.
Maharishi Patanjali's eight limbs of Yoga
I derive all my inspiration based on the teaching of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his teacher Guru Dev. My reflections below are inspired by what I have learned from them.
The Eight limbs of Yoga are actually the different ASPECTS of the State of yoga, or the state of wholeness, which is the complete integration of the grossest levels to the finest levels of creation.
The integrated state of yoga is actually a continuum which includes the full range of activity and silence.
Creation ranges from the manifest level of action right through subtler levels until it reaches the manifest level of pure silence. The eight limbs of Yoga describe the different coordinated aspects of this state.
The eight limbs of yoga work in a total coordinated and integrated manner so that each one influences the other and they WORK together to create and maintain the state of yoga.
Diagram of the eight limbs of yoga corresponding to the finer levels of creation
Activity Yama Outer Action Body Gross
Niyama
Asana
pranayama
Pratyahara Thought Mind
Dharana Feeling
Dhyana
Silence Samadhi Inner Being Soul
Subtle
As you can see above, the eight limbs comprise the full range of the expression of yoga, from the manifest level of activity all the way to the un-manifest level of silence. Life comprises of the full range shown above and one can start at any limbs and this will in turn lead to yoga and also affect all the other limbs.
I will now explain in more detail the eight limbs of yoga below. Normally the best place to begin is with meditation which incorporates the last three limbs mostly and this will then activate all the other limbs in a very dynamic way.
Yama and Niyama are the two outermost limbs which represent the grosser levels of activity, They comprise the level of behavior and action and body. (more detail)
Then the next limbs, asana and pranayama comprise the next finer limbs. Asana comprises the full range of movement, while pranayama comprises breathing.
Pratyahara means withdrawing the senses
Dharana is the when one starts to meditate, by using a suitable object as a vehicle for the inward journey, normally a mantra
Dhyana is the process of meditation, or transcending, where the vehicle used in meditation is experienced on finer and finer levels
Samadhi is the state of transcendence or absorption, where finally the finest level of the vehicle of meditation has been transcended and the there is simply Being. This is Pure awareness, residing in his true nature. Here there is no experienc-er, there is just Being.
These eight limbs are normally practiced in a coordinated way by the yogi as follows:
He starts with Asana, by doing some light stretching of the body. This starts to prepare the nervous system for deeper practices, then he switches to pranayama, doing some light breathing exercises which further prepares the nervous system, this is likened to cultivating the soil of the nervous system to prepare it for meditation and then he starts with meditation, which is dharana and dhyana and also leads to samadhi.
The yogi need not do the eight limbs in such a strict fashion, he might choose to after meditation, rest lying down for a bit, which is part of asana and then go for a walk, also part of asana. He might choose to do asana or pranayama after his meditation also.
These practices are used in a balanced way as they compliment one another. It is also important to know that each of these limbs cannot be left out or isolated completely! For example, when one is doing yoga asanas, one might also be doing pranayama a the same time and also doing pratyahara at the same time and might also be in samadhi with some inner silence and might also be doing dharana by focusing on the asana.
Therefore it is important to also realize that you cannot fully isolate each limb on its own, That is why they are called limbs. Just like you cannot have a table without four legs, yoga exists with all eight limbs.
The eight limbs reveal the levels of the nervous system in the state of Yoga. Yoga is a product of the nervous system not the other way around, All the limbs of Patanjani exist naturally in the nervous system of man and their expression is simply the natural unfoldment of the nervous system in its natural state of functioning. Ideally each man would experience all the limbs in a normally functioning nervous system. In the state of yoga, he would automatically experience yama, niyama asnaa, samadhi and so on every day as a natural result of being alive.
The Eight limbs of Yoga are actually the different ASPECTS of the State of yoga, or the state of wholeness, which is the complete integration of the grossest levels to the finest levels of creation.
The integrated state of yoga is actually a continuum which includes the full range of activity and silence.
Creation ranges from the manifest level of action right through subtler levels until it reaches the manifest level of pure silence. The eight limbs of Yoga describe the different coordinated aspects of this state.
The eight limbs of yoga work in a total coordinated and integrated manner so that each one influences the other and they WORK together to create and maintain the state of yoga.
Diagram of the eight limbs of yoga corresponding to the finer levels of creation
Activity Yama Outer Action Body Gross
Niyama
Asana
pranayama
Pratyahara Thought Mind
Dharana Feeling
Dhyana
Silence Samadhi Inner Being Soul
Subtle
As you can see above, the eight limbs comprise the full range of the expression of yoga, from the manifest level of activity all the way to the un-manifest level of silence. Life comprises of the full range shown above and one can start at any limbs and this will in turn lead to yoga and also affect all the other limbs.
I will now explain in more detail the eight limbs of yoga below. Normally the best place to begin is with meditation which incorporates the last three limbs mostly and this will then activate all the other limbs in a very dynamic way.
Yama and Niyama are the two outermost limbs which represent the grosser levels of activity, They comprise the level of behavior and action and body. (more detail)
Then the next limbs, asana and pranayama comprise the next finer limbs. Asana comprises the full range of movement, while pranayama comprises breathing.
Pratyahara means withdrawing the senses
Dharana is the when one starts to meditate, by using a suitable object as a vehicle for the inward journey, normally a mantra
Dhyana is the process of meditation, or transcending, where the vehicle used in meditation is experienced on finer and finer levels
Samadhi is the state of transcendence or absorption, where finally the finest level of the vehicle of meditation has been transcended and the there is simply Being. This is Pure awareness, residing in his true nature. Here there is no experienc-er, there is just Being.
These eight limbs are normally practiced in a coordinated way by the yogi as follows:
He starts with Asana, by doing some light stretching of the body. This starts to prepare the nervous system for deeper practices, then he switches to pranayama, doing some light breathing exercises which further prepares the nervous system, this is likened to cultivating the soil of the nervous system to prepare it for meditation and then he starts with meditation, which is dharana and dhyana and also leads to samadhi.
The yogi need not do the eight limbs in such a strict fashion, he might choose to after meditation, rest lying down for a bit, which is part of asana and then go for a walk, also part of asana. He might choose to do asana or pranayama after his meditation also.
These practices are used in a balanced way as they compliment one another. It is also important to know that each of these limbs cannot be left out or isolated completely! For example, when one is doing yoga asanas, one might also be doing pranayama a the same time and also doing pratyahara at the same time and might also be in samadhi with some inner silence and might also be doing dharana by focusing on the asana.
Therefore it is important to also realize that you cannot fully isolate each limb on its own, That is why they are called limbs. Just like you cannot have a table without four legs, yoga exists with all eight limbs.
The eight limbs reveal the levels of the nervous system in the state of Yoga. Yoga is a product of the nervous system not the other way around, All the limbs of Patanjani exist naturally in the nervous system of man and their expression is simply the natural unfoldment of the nervous system in its natural state of functioning. Ideally each man would experience all the limbs in a normally functioning nervous system. In the state of yoga, he would automatically experience yama, niyama asnaa, samadhi and so on every day as a natural result of being alive.
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