Niyamas NIYAMAS – Personal Qualities that Support Life and Yoga Practice Compared to the Yamas, the Niyamas are more PERSONAL AND INTIMATE. They relate to how we interact with ourselves. When we observe the Niyamas, we harness the energy generated from our practice and cultivation of the Yamas. They help us create and maintain a […]
Last 6 limbs of Patanjalis path of Yoga ASANA: Posture Perhaps surprisingly, in traditional texts Asana is barely discussed beyond describing the characteristics of sitting meditation posture as being stable, alert and at ease. Sitting at ease for meditation though is not easy and some physical training with a teacher is required. Equally, the grounding of consciousness
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History of Yoga Yoga comes from a wide and deep river of an ancient tradition. Its many currents flow form a complex history of spiritual exploration, philosophical reflection, scientific experimentation, and spontaneous creative expression. Arising from the diverse and evolving cultures of India, often moored to and conditioned by Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainsim, and other religions, the
What is Yoga? Yoga is the physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines which aim at transforming body and mind. The term yoga is derived from the literal meaning of “yoking together”, but came to be applied to the “yoking” of mind and body. In Vedic Sanskrit yoga literally means to add, to join or to
The Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God The Bhagavad Gita means The Song of God and it forms part of the epic Mahabharata. It is a sacred text of the Hindus with the essence of Vedic knowledge, and as such it is one of the most important books in Hindu international literature and philosophy. Even though The Bhagavad
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The message of The Gita The influence of the Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita presents questions such as: How can someone live a life spiritually meaningful without withdrawing from society? What can someone who does not want to give up family and social obligations do to live the right way? About dharma: Dharma means “what is right”.
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Patanjalis Eight-Limbed Path of Yoga: Yamas The Eight Limbs are included in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the classical text on yoga which, while not exhaustive, is accepted as the central guide by all schools of yoga. He defines yoga as “stilling the thought waves of the mind”, a journey from mental distraction, scattered thinking and conceptualising
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Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra Yoga was not invented by Patanjali. What Patanjali did was lay the foundation of Yoga, analyze the function of the mind and list many ways to restore an agitated mind. The definition of Yoga by Patanjali is: Yogas-citta-vrtti-nirodhah – Sutra 1.2. “Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively towards an object and
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