Showing posts with label Patanjali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patanjali. Show all posts

Samadhi - Everything is Here In This Moment

This is the last in a series of articles I'm writing for Zen Monkey on The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

This one is about the eighth limb, Samadhi, where we achieve perfection in concentration and meditation. 


To help build an understanding of this concept, I give some perspectives from 3 of the great teachers of yoga and meditation.

Read the article on the Zen Monkey site here. 

Dhyana - Meditation

This is part of a series of articles I'm writing for Zen Monkey on The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

This one is about the seventh limb, Dhyana, where we start to enter the continuous stream of meditation. 


I give 3 ways to find out if you may have entered the state of dhyana.

Read the article on the Zen Monkey site here. 

Dharana - One Focus

This is part of a series of articles I'm writing for Zen Monkey on The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

This one is about the sixth limb, Dharana, where we encounter the mind directly. Dharaṇa is about focus and concentration, a step on the road to meditation.


I give 5 techniques for how you can start to bring this into your practice.

Read the article on the Zen Monkey site here. 

Pratyahara - The Isolation Station

This is part of a series of articles I'm writing for Zen Monkey on The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

This one is about the fifth limb, Pratyahara, where we to find a way to pay less attention to the sights, sounds, smells, feelings and thoughts which feed our ‘monkey mind’. 


I explain the science behind it, and some ways to start practicing pratyahara.

Read the article on the Zen Monkey site here. 

Pranayama - The Silken Thread


This is part of a series of articles I'm writing for Zen Monkey on The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

This one is about the fourth limb, Pranayama, often described as breath control. This is not quite the full story though. There is far more to learn about pranayama, and about the benefits to be gained.


Read the article on the Zen Monkey site here. 

Asana - A Steady and Comfortable Seat


http://www.yogalondon.net/monkey/asana-the-steady-and-comfortable-seat/
This is part of a series of articles I'm writing for Zen Monkey on The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

This one is about the third limb, Asana, the physical postures we see in a yoga practice.

Asana is only 'the tip of the iceberg', as I explain in this article.

Read the article on the Zen Monkey site here. 

The Eight Limbs of Yoga



When people think of yoga, they most likely think of the physical exercise, or a set of contortions performed by only the most flexible of people. It is also difficult not to associate yoga with a huge marketing machine, churning out images of picture-perfect people wearing very cool and expensive yoga clothes, and going to the trendiest yoga studios.

It can be difficult to associate those glossy images with yoga as an ancient science, which comprises eight aspects, commonly known as the eight limbs of yoga. The physical aspect of yoga - known as asana - is only one of the eight.


These eight limbs were explained in the classic Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as far back as 100 AD, and really it was all about the understanding and complete mastery of the mind. The idea is that all eight aspects are practiced, to achieve "the cessation of the modifications of the mind".

Here's a short summary of the eight limbs of yoga:
  1. Yama - Ethical disciplines
  2. Niyama - Self observations
  3. Asana - Physical poses
  4. Pranayama - Breath control
  5. Pratyahara - Sense withdrawal
  6. Dharana - Concentration
  7. Dhyana - Meditation
  8. Samadhi - A state of freedom, joy and peace
The first two limbs, yama and niyama, serve as the foundation of practice. Within each of these limbs, there are five qualities, which I will cover in a future post. An example would be non-violence as one of the yamas and self-study as one of the niyamas. It is very important to note that yoga doesn't say you must follow these rules, like a sort of Ten Commandments, but it is suggesting that following these are helpful if you wish to steady the mind.

Limbs three to five, asana, pranayama and pratyahara, are what people may be most familiar with, as these are commonly encountered in yoga classes. These aspects prepare the practitioner for the deeper practices where some steadiness of the mind is required.

The last three limbs are a little more difficult to explain, but simply put, it can be said that a practice of concentration (dharana) will lead the way to meditation (dhyana) and eventually to states of joy and peace (samadhi).

In order to get the most benefit from a physical yoga practice, it is useful to understand the context in which it was created, and the system of which it is a part. Often these more subtle aspects are not covered in classes, and much of this rich knowledge is not shared, so this is my attempt to ensure that students have an overview of the system.

I'll write another post soon explaining the yamas and niyamas in more detail, the styles and paths of yoga, as well as give some suggestions for how you might take your yoga study further.

**

Struggling with the monkey mind? Find out about how the Eight Limbs can help in this article I wrote for Zen Monkey.