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Spirit of India

Yoga and Meditation

Developed in India, yoga is a psycho-physical discipline with roots going back about 5,000 years. Today, most Yoga practices in the West focuses on the physical postures called "asanas," breathing exercises called "pranayama," and meditation. However, there's more to it than that, and the deeper you go, the richer and more diverse the tradition becomes.

The word "Yoga" means unity or union. It is a total integrated system which combines body, mind and spirit, and by adhering to certain principles, ideas, values, attitudes, is a way of life for personal and social benefits.

Traditionally, the goal of Yoga is union with the Absolute, known as Brahman, or with Atman, the true self. As yoga philosophy has spread outside Asia, in the west, we use the word God, higher consciousness or whatever word an individual choses to mean an almighty being/energy/force greater than human existence.

Conceived by the great sages in their quest for self-realization, it has come to be recognized as a science of man, a philosophy of life and a code of conduct which is not only capable of ensuring physical well-being, mental peace and harmony, but also brings us closer to our own spirituality.

Although yoga is most associated with Hinduism, it is most closely aligned with Sankhya, one of the six classical Indian darsanas, or 'ways to see.' Sankhya is an attempt to explain the nature of all existence by dividing it into purusha, that which is unchanging, and prakrti, or matter. It tells us that the separation of these two states is the cause of our suffering and that the path to liberation is through repression of our thoughts, withdrawal of the senses, and denial of the body in order to reconnect with our true Self. This reunion is the state of yoga, from the verb yuj, to yoke or bind.

The practices associated with this state are described in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali as an eight-limbed path: yamas (restraint). niyama (observances). asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation) and samadhi (absorption).

These steps progressively take us to the highest state of creativity, of discriminative knowledge and toward attaining the desired perfection.

The eight steps are:

1) Yama: Conditional Yoga behavior, personal and social
2) Niyama: Attitude sublimate to Yoga norms
3) Asana: Discipline of the physical body
4) Pranayama: Control over bio energy through respiratory action
5) Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses inward through abstraction
6) Dharana: Concentration
7) Dhyana: Meditation
8) Samadi: Transconsciousness

These days the focus is often on asanas, the more down-to-earth benefits of yoga, including improved physical fitness, mental clarity, greater self-understanding, stress control and general well-being. Spirituality, however, is a strong underlying theme to most practices.

The beauty of yoga is in its versatility, allowing practitioners to focus on the physical, psychological or spiritual, or a combination of all three.

There are four paths of Yoga: 1)Jnana, the path of knowledge or wisdom; 2)Bhakti, the path of devotion; 3) Karma, the path of action; and 4) Raja, the path of self control.

Hatha Yoga, which includes postures and breathing, the form most popular in the West, is actually part of Raja Yoga, the path of self control.

Raja yoga, is known as the royal path of meditation or the king of Yogas. It is so known because it teaches that just as a King rules his Kingdom, so one can rule the vast kingdom of ones mind. Raja Yoga is concerned directly with the mind. In this Yoga there is no struggling with Prana or physical body. There are no Hatha Yogic Kriyas (Yogic postures and cleansing routines). The Yogi sits in a relaxing position, and concentrates on silencing his thoughts. The mind is bought to bear upon a single subject, and disturbing and intruding thoughts are supposed to dissolve away by non-attention. Non-attention is the greatest weapon to avoid thoughts, as any thought, without human attention has no power. The mind here is not being controlled but regulated. It is gently diverted to communicate with the higher source or higher self. So the Yogi stills his mind, restraints his thoughts and enters into the thoughtless state. The basic premise of Raja yoga is that our perception of the Divine Self is obscured by the disturbances of the mind. If the mind can be made still and pure, the Self will automatically, instantaneously, shine forth.

Within Hatha Yoga there are many styles, such as Iyengar, Astanga, Integral, Kripalu and Jiva Mukti, to name a few. These Yogas all share a common lineage back to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, a text outlining the basic philosophy and practices of Classical Yoga.

The path most followed in India is thought to be Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion.

Yoga, practiced in any form with true devotion, is a path to final liberation from pain and suffering.

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all text & photos © 1997-00, Barbara Sansone