WHAT IS YOGA?

May 21
2 min read

What is Yoga? It is everywhere, and is now coming in all shapes and sizes…….beer yoga, goat yoga, bike yoga. But this is not Yoga.

Yoga is a discipline, a discipline that requires a determined mind: it is NOT a workout.

It needs to be practiced without fear, distress and anxiety.

There are 8 limbs to yoga, which is often referred to as The Tree of Life.

Asanas or postures is the third limb of yoga.

The first two limbs, which need to be understood, are the Yamas and the Nyamas.

Following are the words and an explanation of each.

1 Yamas

There are five Yamas, they are a guide to living in society with others. They are OUT-facing.

1. Ahimsa - non violence to oneself and others, in thought and in deed. Violence is lack of love - without enmity, no act of violence can occur.

2. Satya - truthfulness. Speak the truth, but not the truth that is unpleasing. Nor a falsehood that is pleasing.

3. Asteya - non stealing. We oft think of this as taking a physical object that doesn’t belong to us but it goes deeper than that. For example, in a class, if one student demands extra attention, they are stealing others of the opportunity to learn.

4. Bramacharya - cleanliness of thought and person, respect for all life

5. Aparagraha - non coveting. Patanjali says that “one who had rid oneself of I and MINE is able to see things in their proper perspective.

2 Nyamas

Nyamas are how to live within yourself. IN-facing

1. Saucha - cleanliness of body, mind and surroundings. There is inner cleanliness and outer cleanliness. Eating simple, nutritious food rather than food that excites the palate.

2. Santosha - contentment and happiness. Both need to be cultivated. Contentment is essential for wellbeing and development of the body and mind. Discontent leads to greed and envy which are insatiable.

3. Tapas - discipline, focus. Humility, brotherly feelings. To not have ill thoughts towards others is austerity in thought.

4. Svadhyaya - self study, self exploration. To perform duties and concentrating the mind, body and intellect on self realization.

5. Isvaraapranidhana - to remain aloof and perform all actions as an offering of devotion.

3 Asana

Here we develop discipline and the ability to concentrate. Both are necessary for meditation

4 Pranayama

Breath control. This is where we start to recognize the connection between breath, mind and emotions. The literal translation is life force extension.

These first four stages of the tree of life refine our personalities, gain mastery over the body and develop awareness of ourselves.

5 Pratyahara

This is a withdrawal of the senses, pulling our awareness away from the external world. It allows/ encourages us to step back and look at ourselves; our cravings and habits.

6 Dharana

Concentration, which precedes meditation and the previous stages of posture, breath control and withdrawal of the senses help to move you to this place.

7 Dhyana

This is known as meditation or the uninterrupted flow of concentration. A difficult state to achieve but the previous steps will take you towards this stage.