What is yoga?
In the famous treatise known as the “Yoga Sutras”, Patanjali speaks of yoga in the first chapter, second sutra (I.2): yogah chitta-vritti nirodhah (“Yoga is the restraint of the fluctuations of consciousness”), and in the next (I.3): tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam (“Then the seer abides in its own true nature”).
Origins
The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root “yuj”, meaning “to join, to direct, to focus attention”, but also “yoke” and “to restrain”. Yoga was regarded as a way of keeping the soul and body in harmony, of caring for the body and of maintaining good psychophysical condition.
Yoga, or Samkhya-Yoga, is one of the most important systems of Indian philosophy. The atman – the individual spirit – has a timeless existence. Yoga accepts the law of karma and the wheel of rebirth (samsara); liberation is achieved through appropriate training. The fundamental idea of yoga is that enlightenment is possible through concentration, meditation and asceticism.
Classical yoga
Classical yoga is a teaching of liberation. It does not deal with philosophical problems but points the way to perfection, which is why its philosophical foundation is supplied by Samkhya. Where Samkhya ends, yoga begins.
Yogic practice begins with preliminary exercises known collectively as kriya yoga: ardent effort (tapas), study of the Vedas (svadhyaya) and devotion to God (ishvara-pranidhana).
These practices are meant to weaken karmic impurities and encourage contemplation.
There are two kinds of classical yoga, which in practice intertwine: eight-limbed yoga and the yoga of restraint.
Eight-limbed yoga consists of:
External discipline: the five moral commandments and ethical principles (yama) – non-harming (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), continence (brahmacharya) and non-covetousness (aparigraha); the five rules of conduct (niyama) – purity (shaucha), contentment (santosha), ardent effort (tapas), study of the Vedas (svadhyaya) and devotion to God (ishvara-pranidhana); and bodily postures and positions (asanas).
Internal discipline: rhythmic control of the breath (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara) and concentration (dharana).
Spiritual discipline:
- Meditation (dhyana),
- Union of the lower and higher self (samadhi).
The yoga of restraint: there are five kinds of mental activity to be restrained – right knowledge (pramana), wrong knowledge (viparyaya), imagination (vikalpa), deep sleep (nidra) and memory (smriti).
Restraint of mental activity is achieved through constant, determined study and practice (abhyasa) and through freedom from worldly desire (vairagya), which leaves the mind without any supports to lean on.
Exercises that calm the mind: devotion to God (ishvara-pranidhana), rhythmic breath control (pranayama), loving-kindness (maitri), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita) and equanimity (upeksha).
A distinction is also made according to the level at which the exercises take place:
- Exercises with awareness (samprajnata samadhi) – four stages of absorption: with reflection predominating (vitarka); reflection fades and its place is taken by contemplation (vichara); reflection is gone and the practitioner is filled with bliss (ananda);
only the pure awareness “I am” remains
- Exercise without awareness (asamprajnata samadhi), which brings liberation.
A side effect of yogic practice is the appearance of “miraculous powers”. These powers are dangerous, because practitioners fascinated by what they can do may become attached to them and begin to identify with them – which leads them away from the path of liberation (since the soul once again identifies with the workings of matter).
The paths of yoga – Sahaja yoga – Raja yoga – Laya yoga – Kundalini yoga – Kriya yoga – Hatha yoga – Bhakti yoga
First published (Polish original): 12 January 2009. Written by astrologers and esoteric specialists working with our editorial team; edited and translated for HOROSCOP.SPACE. © All rights reserved.
