When we think of yoga, we often think of a yoga class similar to the picture above. This is just a tiny piece of the puzzle.
In Sanskrit, Yoga means “Union”. This is referring to the union of mind, body, and spirit. It is deeply spiritual and speaks to practical steps we can take in daily life to be fulfilled.
An authoritative text on Yoga is the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. This text has been formulated before the 4th century BC. Patanjali has broken this down into 8 steps. Beware, we cannot jump to the eighth step, we must progressively advance as we master each step.
You can learn more about Yoga Sutras from Deepak Chopra through: Yoga Sutras 101: Everything You Need to Know
1. Yama: Moral discipline
- Nonviolence
- Truthfulness
- Not stealing
- Not wasting energy
- Abstaining from greed
2. Niyama: Positive duties
- Purity
- Contentment
- Spiritual observances
- Study
- Devotion
3. Asana: A yogi’s seat and postures
This is the section many of us know to be Yoga. But in reality, this section is a preparatory step for the following steps.
Here is a classical flow of yoga asanas by Stardust Musings.
4. Pranayama: Expanding the life force through breathing
You can read more on this by Cristina R
5. Pratyahara: Turning the senses inward to explore the inner universe
This is an amazing read on this topic by Payal Patel
6. Dharana: Focused attention; training the mind to meditate
You can read more here, written by Abhishek
7. Dhyana: A continuous flow, meditation perfected
This one is a difficult one to explain. This can only be experienced once the previous steps are perfected.
I used to think I was meditating for years. Only after perfecting pratyahara & dharana, I experienced dhyana. It’s a state of complete relaxation that took me years to achieve but was worth it.
8. Samadhi: Unity
This is a state we reach upon perfecting dhyana. I personally have not experienced this so I will pass on speaking about it.
There you have it. This is Yoga with a natural progression to higher levels of awareness.
It’s important to note there is no single path to any of the steps above. You can simply google any of these terms and experiment until you find what works for you then naturally advance. If you need any guidance then reach out to me here.
I have been on this journey for a few years now, learning and practicing from different authorities. I used practices until required then moved on to the next. This is a natural evolution in our yogic practice.
Here is a source I consulted.
Best,
Sourab
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