|
Shopping
|
IIt is composed of
195 aphorisms or sutras (from the Sanskrit word which means thread) that
expound upon the Raja Yoga and its underlying principle, Patanjali's
Eightfold path of Yoga (also called Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga)These
are:
Yama, which means social restraints or ethical
values;
Niyama, which is personal observance of purity, tolerance, and study;
Asanas or physical exercises;
Pranayama, which means breath control or regulation;
Pratyahara or sense withdrawal in preparation for Meditation;
Dharana, which is about concentration;
Dhyana, which means Meditation; and
Samadhi, which means ecstasy.
Patanjali believed that each individual is a composite of matter (prakriti)
and spirit (purusha). He further believed that the two must be separated
in order to cleanse the spirit - a stark contrast to Vedic and
Pre-Classical Yoga that signify the union of body and spirit.
Patanjali's concept was dominant for some centuries that some Yogis
focused exclusively on Meditation and neglected their Asanas. It was
only later that the belief of the body as a temple was rekindled and
attention to the importance of the Asana was revived. This time, Yogis
attempted to use Yoga techniques to change the body and make it
immortal.
After the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, the most
fundamental text of Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written by Swami
Swatamarama, that in great detail lists all the main asanas, pranayama,
mudra and bandha that are familiar to today's yoga student. This line of
yoga is dedicated to Lord Adi Nath, a name for Lord Shiva, who is
believed to have imparted the secret of Hatha Yoga to his divine consort
Parvati. It is common for yogins and tantriks of several disciplines to
dedicate their practices to a deity under the Hindu ishta-devata concept
(see Patanjali's Yoga Sutras) while always striving to achieve beyond
that: Brahma. Hindu philosophy in the Vedanta and Yoga streams, as the
yogi will remember, views only one thing as being ultimately real:
Satchidananda Atman, the Existence-Consciousness-Blissful Self.
|
|
