As many of you are aware, the next 21-day yoga challenge program will begin on June 6. Based on the very positive and encouraging response from those who participated in the 21-day program n April, I plan to hold similar programs approximately every two months in the near future. At the present time, all fifteen spots for the June program have been filled. However, if you would like to join one of the future programs, or would like more information, please contact me.

It is really heartening to see that the participants are making such a deep commitment to attend the yoga class for 21 days at a stretch. Many of the participants have told me that to wake up that early to start the class at 6 AM is in itself a big challenge for them. In addition to attending for these 21 days, I am also recommending that they continue to practice on their own for 21 additional days after this session is over. According to many experts, it takes 21 days of regular practice to start realizing the benefits of any new change in your life and further 21 days to finally convert the practice into a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it is easy to see how this can become a lifestyle instead of an effort or a chore. To see some of the anticipated benefits, please visit my original blog post on the first 21-day program here.

I would truly welcome your feedback and comments. The program participants may like to use the comments section below to discuss any questions, thoughts or experiences that they have before, during or after the session.

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If you attend a yoga class, it is very likely that the teacher starts the class by reciting the sound of OM three times. Most teachers like to chant OM at the end of the class as wll. That’s how I start and end the classes tha I teach. So, the natural question that comes up is, "why chant OM and what is the significance of this sound?". Here is a brief explanation of the meaning and significance of OM.

OM is considered to be the ‘primordial sound’. Even before the material creation came into existence there was only the natural humming energy which resembled the sound of OM. Today, we know that one form of energy can be converted to another form – electricity to sound, electricity to heat, heat to electricity etc. According to the famous equation by Einstein – E=mc2, all matter is nothing but waves of energy. So, when the ‘powers that be’ decided to create this material universe, they were able to use the ever-present humming sound vibration of OM to manifest this creation. This same vibration continues to exist all around us and even inside us. The inner sound is given the name "antar-naada" (the inner sound) which can be heard when we can tune in to our pure inner self.

The OM mantra has been mentioned in many of the ancient texts related to yoga. In many of the Upanishads, it is revered as representing everything that is manifest and yet has its roots in the unmanifest. The Mandukya Upanishad (MU), in particular, is fully devoted to the discussion of OM. In the Upanishads, OM is mentioned as being the same as Brahman (the supreme consciousness).

Meaning of OM

The Sanskrit word OM (also written as AUM) is a composite of three letters "A" (? - like the first sound in ‘aware’ , "U" (? -as in ‘foot’ and "M" (?? - as the last sound in ‘mum’). According to MU, the three letters A, U and M represent the waking, dream and deep sleep states. The silence between successive repetitions of the mantra represents the fourth state called ‘turiya’ (literally the ‘fourth’ in Sanskrit), a state that transcends these three states. These three states correspond to the conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious states of the mind. A few other commonly mentioned interpretations of the letters A, U and M are given below:

• A = tamas (darkness, inertia, ignorance)
• U = rajas (passion, activity, dynamism)
• M = Sattva (purity, truth, light)

The silence between the two AUM sounds represents the pure consciousness, a state which transcends the three gunas (called ‘trigunaatit’ – beyond gunas)

• sutra 1.27: "The word expressive of Ishvara is the mystic sound OM (pranava)"
• sutra 1.28: "To repeat it with reflection upon its meaning is an aid."
• sutra 1.29: "From this practice all the obstacles disappear and simultaneously dawns knowledge of the inner Self."
• sutra 1.30: "Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground and slipping from ground gained – these distractions of the mind-stuff are the obstacles."
• sutra 1.31: "Accompaniments to the mental distractions include distress, despair, trembling of the body, and disturbed breathing."

As we can see from these sutras by Patanjali, chanting of OM can make us free from obstacles (defined in sutra 1.30) and provide us a glimpse of the inner self.

Even though chanting of OM as a mantra by itself is advocated in the above sutras, it is common to use OM in conjunction with other mantras. In some cases, it is added at the beginning of a shloka ; for example – "OM namo shivaya, OM bhur, bhuvah, svaha" etc. In other cases it is also added at the end of a phrase – e.g., Hari OM. Most of the mantras in the vedas also start with OM. In the spiritual tradition, those who wish to meditate on a regular basis get a personal mantra from their spiritual teacher. This personal mantra may or may not include OM as a part of the mantra.

How to chant OM

As Patanjali states in sutra 1.28, OM should be chanted keeping its meaning and significance in mind. Since OM is the representative sound and symbol for Ishvara, it is important to keep the essence of Ishvara (sutra 1.24) in mind while chanting OM. The technique for chanting OM is given below:

Sit in a comfortable cross-legged seated posture with the spine upright, head, neck and spine in a vertical (if comfortable) alignment. Close the eyes and take a deep inhalation. While exhaling start uttering the OM sound. Begin by feeling the vibration of the "O" sound building up in the navel area and traveling upward. As you continue the chant, feel the vibration moving upward toward the base of the throat. When the vibration reaches the throat area, convert the sound to a deep humming sound of "M". Continue to feel the vibration moving upward until it reaches the crown of the head (called Sahasrara Chakra). You may repeat this process two or more times. At the end of the final chant, continue to sit still and feel the vibration of the OM sound permeating the whole body – every single cell of the body.

Benefits of chanting OM

The continued recitation of OM (called Udgita Pranayama) fills one with peace, calmness, tranquility and serenity. When we recite it with the understanding that OM is nothing but a representation of Ishvara, it brings us closer to our true nature, our own pure self. As mentioned above, OM is the primordial sound and this entire creation is a manifestation of this mystic sound. It represents the cosmic prana (the vital energy) and the air we breathe. Meditating on these thoughts can bring us closer to other human beings and lift the veil of separateness.

Do you chant the sound of OM in your yoga practice? If so, do you chant OM by itself or in association with other mantras? I would love to get your feedback on this article and also would like to know about your own meditation practice. Please leave me a comment below.

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As we know, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are two of the key ingredients of an integrated yoga routine. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, has given us these 8 "tools", called the eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga) to achieve stillness of the mind – yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. Many of the yoga practitioners tend to limit their practice to only the 3rd limb, asana, the physical postures. Even though the practice of asana will make the body more flexible and stronger, by practicing only asanas we are limiting ourselves to a small subset of the benefits that yoga can provide. If we want to achieve the full complement of benefits of yoga, we need to avail of all the "tools" that are given to us.

In an effort to encourage the students to include pranayama and meditation as part of their daily yoga routine, I will be offering a 7-day session as follows:

When: May 23-29, 2010

Time: 6:15 – 7:30 AM

Location: my home-based yoga studio

Schedule: light stretching and Sun Salutation (15 minutes), Pranayama (25 min), Relaxation (5 min), Yoga philosophy (10 min), meditation (20 min).

Commitment: For the program to be successful I strongly urge you to make a firm commitment to follow this schedule and attend every day

Fee: $30

During these sessions, we will cover the techniques and benefits of many different types of pranayama that are given in the yoga literature. For meditation, we will go through a few guided meditation routines. .

Strongly recommended

In addition to committing to the routine as outlined above, I also recommend that you commit to the following for the duration of the program (not mandatory but strongly recommended):

• ‘sattvic’, light, nutritious, VEGETARIAN food
• No alcohol, drugs, tobacco or any other item of similar nature
• A personal commitment to continue the practice after the program is over

Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to attend.

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Meditation is the seventh of the eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga) as given by sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. The eight limbs of yoga are:

1. Yama (social restraints)
2. Niyama (personal commitments)
3. Asana (physical postures)
4. Pranayama (breathing techniques)
5. Pratyahara (sense withdrawal)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation)
8. Samadhi (total absorption)

Yamas and Niyamas provide a moral and ethical base for the sadhaka (spiritual seeker – a yoga student).Asana, as defined by Patanjali, refers to a comfortable but firm seated posture in which the yogi can stay in perfect stillness for the duration of meditation. The yoga that is most commonly practiced today is what is called Hatha Yoga (HY). The basic guidelines for HY, as a physical culture, were given to us (around 1000 AD), by Swatmarama who wrote the Hatha Yoga Pradeepika (HYP). HYP is a complete treatise on the philosophy and practice of HY and includes discussion on asana, pranayama, mudra and bandhas. The goal of HY is to finally make progress toward Patanjali’s Raja Yoga (another name for Patanajali’s Ashtanga Yoga or the eight limbs of yoga). Pranayama involves manipulating the breath in a variety of ways. Breath is a gross manifestation of ‘prana’, the cosmic life energy which is the source of all life forms. In Pratyahara, we develop the ability to disengage the mind from the influence of the five senses. These five limbs – yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara – are termed as the external limbs of yoga. The remaining three limbs – dharana, dhyana, and samadhi – are termed as ‘internal limbs’ and are generally presented together as each succeeding limb is an extension of the previous one.

In the practice of Dharana, some part of the body is usually picked to stay focused on. The most common points of focus suggested are the spot between the two eyebrows (‘third eye’ or ‘Ajna chakra’), the tip of the nose, or any one of the chakras. For the technique given below, we will pick the third eye as the focal point.

For meditation, a sound vibration called ‘mantra’ is usually used as the object of meditation. Usually a mantra is given by a guru to a disciple after the student has spent some time together with the teacher. The guru can then give a mantra that matches the aptitude and the energy pattern of the student. For your meditation, you can pick any sound as your mantra – a word or even a short phrase that you associate with peace, tranquility or any positive quality that you cherish. Once you pick a mantra you must stay with the same mantra for your meditation every day.

The normal guideline for the duration of meditation is at least 20 minutes each in the morning and evening.

In the meditation technique given below, we will use awareness of the body, breath and mind to help the mind stay focused on the object of meditation. So, here is the technique -

1. Sit in a posture that feels comfortable, with the spine upright. Remember, Patanjali defines ‘asana’ as ‘firm and comfortable’. You need to make sure that you can remain in your sitting posture in a relaxed and comfortable position for the duration of meditation. If necessary, put a cushion under you. If you can’t sit on the floor, you may sit in a chair, keeping the spine straight. Close the eyes.
2. Become aware of the body. Feel the weight of the body on the floor. Squeeze the fists tight and then relax the hands, arms and shoulders.Relax the facial muscles.
3. Mentally recite the sound of OM three times.
4. Bring your awareness to the breathing and take three deep breaths. Then just observe the flow of breath at the tip of the nose for a few breaths.
5. Bring your awareness to the central spot between the two eyebrows (called the ‘Ajna’ chakra or the third eye). Become aware of the space that extends in front beyond that spot (called ‘chidakasha’ or the space of consciousness).
6. At this point begin to recite your mantra mentally. We will endeavor to maintain focus on the mantra. However, the nature of the mind being what it is, it is going to start wandering around after a very short time. The key in meditation is not to fight with the mind but try to become friendly with it. So, accepting the fact that it is the nature of the mind to wander around, try simply to become a witness to the thoughts that come up.
7. If, during the mental recitation of the mantra, you find that you are beginning to drift away with the thoughts, it is time to gently tell the mind to get back to the mantra. At this point, go back to step 2 and repeat the subsequent steps and finally once again try to get absorbed in chanting the mantra. This way, whenever you feel that you are getting carried away with your thought process, you can gently guide your mind back to recitation of the mantra through a repetition of the above steps.
8. Continue the meditation for at least 20 minutes. After some practice, you will be able to extend the duration of meditation to up to 30 minutes or even longer.
9. To close your meditation session, repeat the sound of OM three times.

I certainly hope that you will find these guidelines helpful in establishing your own meditation practice. I would love to receive your feedback and comments.

I have also recorded the above instructions in an mp3 audio file. You can use the audio instructions for a guided meditation session. If you would like to receive the audio recording of the above instructions, please contact me.

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On one of the yoga groups on LinkedIn (Yoga Instructors and Practitioners), one question that is being discussed currently is, “If yoga is a spiritual science, what happens when you take the spiritual out of it?”. Lots of different views have been expressed. I have also been contributing to the discussion by presenting my best understanding of the subject basen on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am giving here my thoughts as I have presented in that discussion group.

In the question stated above, there is a tacit assumption that yoga IS a spiritual science. That begs the question – what does it mean to be spiritual? Let me defer that question for the time being and focus on what Patanjali says about yoga. He defines yoga (sutra 1.2) as “yogash-chitta-vritti-nirodhah” or “controlling the fluctuations of the mind is yoga”. As we can see from this definition of yoga, there is no indication that yoga can be considered ‘spiritual’ since only the mind-field is being talked about. The next sutra (sutra 1.3) states, “in that case (when the mind is controlled) the ‘seer’ (drashta) gets established in his own true nature”. In this sutra, we notice that there is mention of the word "seer" or "observer". The “Seer” in this context is nothing but ‘purusha’ of Sankhya or in common language one can translate it as ‘soul’, ‘atma’ or the "spirit". When we talk of yoga at this level, indeed it becomes a spiritual science since now we are talking of our true nature being the ‘soul’ or ‘purusha’.

Next, let us look at the question, "what happens when you take the spiritual out of it?". To answer this question we need to understand why people turn to yoga in the first place. In my own experience as a yoga teacher, I notice that many people begin the yoga practice purely for physical wellness. They are either not interested in or not aware of the deeper benefits of yoga available to the practitioner. Some people may even be averse to any discussion of spirituality in a yoga class. For such people, it may be advisable to keep the discussion of yoga to sutra 1.2 where we are only talking about controlling the mind. Even if we were to talk about sutra 1.3, the word ‘seer’ may be translated as just your own true nature, the position of perfect peace and stillness within yourself. In majority of the cases, students slowly begin to understand the deeper aspects of yoga and one day may feel comfortable talking about yoga as a spiritual science.

There is another statement that appears in a subsequent post on the discussion group, “Yoga is a union of body, mind and spirit, as per its definition – yuj – as is described in the Sutras”. Here are my thoughts on this statement.

As we know, yoga is derived from the root word ‘yuj. According to the dictionary of root words, ‘yuj’ has the following meanings:

• (gana 1P) to control, unite
• (gana 4A) to concentrate as in ‘samadhi’
• (gana 7U) to unite, yoke
• (gana 10U) to control

( FYI – in Sanskrit all root words have been grouped into ten categories called ganas).

So the question is which of these meanings of ‘yoga’ or ‘yuj’ is applicable in the sutras. Sage Vyasa, who is considered to be the original and most authentic commentator of the sutras, in his commentary on sutra 1.1, states, “yogah samadhi” – that means yoga is nothing but samadhi. At no place in his commentary he translates yoga as union or yoking. The goals of yoga emphasized in the sutras are attainment of "samadhi" (complete mind control) and “kaivalyam” (sutra 4.34) which can be translated as ‘independence’ or ‘absorption’. Here we are talking about the realization that our true nature (termed Purusha in yoga) or the true self is different from the mind-body complex. In fact, sutra 2.17 clearly states that our mis-identification with the mind-body-intellect complex is the cause of all suffering which can and need to be avoided. To eliminate this suffering (kleshas) we need to attain the state of ‘kaivalyam’, NOT union.

The commonly understood meaning of yoga as union comes more from a Vedantic point of view. In this view, the individual soul (atma) is identical with the supreme consciousness (paramatma or Brahman). This view is outside the purview of Patanjali’s yoga sutras as he does not talk about "Brahman". Patanjali’s main focus is the realm of the mind/ego and the main goal is to cleanse the mind of all impurities so the fluctuations can be controlled (sutra 1.2 -yogash-chitta-vritti-nirodhah). This is called the state of samadhi or yoga. So, to reiterate, the word ‘yoga’, in the context of yoga sutras, does NOT mean union of any kind. It is simply the state of samadhi which will ultimately lead to "kaivalyam". Incidentally, it is interesting to note that the word ‘yoga’ appears only in these four sutras – 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 and 2.28.

I think it is important to understand what yoga really means as described in Patanjali’s yoga sutras. When we practice yoga, we need to keep its deep meaning in mind. Whether to term it spiritual or not will depend upon our level of understanding and objectives of our yoga practice.

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Several months ago I received an email from the programs coordinator at Yogaville that they were looking for volunteers to staff many of their upcoming workshops. I thought this would be a great opportunity to spend a weekend at my yoga "alma mater" and also attend the workshop. So, I sent in my preference for a couple of them and ended up staffing the "Mindfulness Yoga" workshop during the Oct 23-25 weekend. The workshop was taught by Rev. Frank Jude Boccio who is a certified yoga teacher as well as a fully ordained interfaith minister; he is also ordained as a Dharmacharya, a dharma teacher in the Buddhist tradition.

The main focus of the workshop was to discuss the Four Brahmaviharas (divine abodes or abodes of Brahma) of the Buddhist tradition and how to apply them in life in general and to the yoga-asana practice in particular. The Brahmaviharas, also known as the four immeasurables, are: friendliness (maitri), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita) and equanimity (upeksha). Students of the yoga philosophy of Patanjali will immediately recognize these as the four attitudes, mentioned in Sutra 1.33 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which can be applied in different situations to achieve tranquility of the mind (chitta prasadanam).

During the workshop, we studied each of these four attitudes in some detail and applied these to our asana and meditation practice. During the meditation practice we became mindful of the meaning and significance of each of these four values. With that mindfulness, we repeated in our mind statements like, "may I be peaceful", "may I be happy", "may I be free from suffering" etc and applied them to the following categories of people:

• ourselves – e.g., "may I be happy" etc
• to a benefactor; someone who has been very good/kind to us
• a beloved friend – including family members as well
• a neutral person – someone we have no strong feelings for one way or the other
• a difficult person – someone with whom we have experienced conflict and have feelings of anger, hatred etc
• groups of beings like animals, those in prison or hospitals etc
• all beings everywhere

We also went through several sessions of asana practice. During this practice, we became mindful of the chnages taking place at the body, breath and mind levles. At the physical level, one becomes aware of the part(s) of the body impacted with the stretch. In fact, the deeper the sense of such awareness, one minimizes the chance of injury from the yoga practice. At the level of the breath one becomes fully aware of the changes in the quality of breathing during asanas- whether it is shallow, deep, hurried or disturbed. At the level of the mind one becomes aware of the thoughts, feelings or emotions that come up during the practice.

In one of the asana sessions, we practiced "Yin Yoga" wherein we held each pose for more than three minutes. When you hold the pose for that long with total mindfulness, the connective tissues begin to loosen up and your natural levels of flexibility and ease in each pose are improved over time.

I would like to point the differences in the interpretation of these four values between the one presented above (based on Buddha’s teachings) and the one by Patanajali in his Yoga Sutras. The sutra (Chapter 1, Sutra 33 ) reads, "By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness" (translation by Swami Satchidananda). As you can see here, Patanjali has divided people that one interacts with into four different categories depending upon their primay nature – happy, unhappy, virtuous and wicked. For each of these groups of people, Patanjali has prescribed one of the four attitudes mentioned in the sutra. In the Buddhist tradition, these four Brahma Viharas are mentioned as universal values that should be applied toward all beings to achieve supreme happiness.

On a Google search, I found this very nice article titled, “Four Sublime States”, which discusses the four Brahma Viharas in some detail.

Overall, I really enjoyed the workshop and just being at Yogaville was a source of joy. If you have never been to Yogaville, I strongly recommend making a weekend trip there to enjoy the weekend programs they offer, excellent vegetarian food and just the superb natural setting of the ashram.

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According to a recent news item that I came across on the net, researchers at the Liverpool John Moores University in UK found that meditation can actually help develop better brain power. In this study, the Buddhist technique of “mindfulness meditation” was used. On further Google search on meditation research, I found this extensive 472-page report, dated June 2007, produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I have just glanced through the report and it seems to provide great details on studies conducted world-wide using a variety of meditation systems (including mantra, Buddhist, yoga, TaiChi etc.). At the end of the report there is a table listing world-wide meditation research activities and the major results found. It is a very impressive report and worth going through.

What is Meditation?

In the Yoga Sutras (Sutra 2, Chapter 3), Patanjali defines meditation as:

"तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम्॥२॥" - tatra pratyayaikataanataa dhyaanam -
(click on the blue arrow to listen to an audio of the sutra)
" Uninterrupted flow (of the mind) towards the object (chosen for meditation) is meditation".

In other words, while in meditation, the mind will stay one-pointed on a single thought for an extended period of time without permitting the intrusion by other thoughts. It should be noted that meditation is both a state of mind as defined here as well as the technique employed to achieve that state. What causes the mind to be distracted? Well, there are two main sources of this distraction:

1. Constant input from the five senses
2. Even when there is no input from the senses, the mind has the uncanny ability to pull stuff out of its memory

So, our first objective in achieving a state of meditation is to bring the five senses under control. In yoga, this ability is called "pratyahara" (sense withdrawal) which is the fifth limb in the eight limbs of yoga. Some simple, commonly practiced techniques to achieve "pratyahara" include:

• Trataka (candle gazing)
• Yoga Nidra (yogic deep relaxation)
• Slow, deep breathing techniques, e.g., Alternate Nostril Breathing
• and more…

Once the senses have been subdued, the next step is to try and focus the mind on a single object of meditation .Without this focus, the mind will constantly dip into the memory and keep getting distracted with past impressions (samskaras), hidden desires (vasana) and other emotions (anger etc). This step, focus or concentration, is called Dharana and is the sixth of the eight limbs of yoga. Here, any object, physical or mental, can be used to develop one-pointedness of the mind. A physical object could be a part of the physical body (third eye, tip of the nose, any of the seven chakras etc.) or it could be an image of an external object (image of a deity, for example). In many traditional meditation techniques, repetition of a mantra (a specific sound vibration) is used to stay focused. When "dharana" can be maintained for some length of time, it automatically gets converted to meditation. When the mind can be made to enter the state of meditation repeatedly, it "learns" to stay calm in stressful situations, can overcome the negative impact of emotions like anger, jealousy etc. Meditation can help the mind get rid of the clutches of ego which is the root cause of desires and suffering. Meditation can lead to a sharper intellect which, instead of being driven by the ego, can become more aware of the oneness with the soul or "atma" which is our true being.

Guidelines for Meditation

• Meditation should be practiced on an empty stomach, preferably in the early hours of the morning. Time permitting, meditation should also be practiced in the evening.
• It is recommended that one should find a clean, quiet area for meditation. Once the practice is established, the same location should be used everyday. Preferably the location should be away from door bells or telephones so there are no distractions.
• In the Hatha Yoga tradition, meditation is usually practiced after performing asana (physical postures), relaxation and pranayama (breathing techniques). As a result of these practices, the body and mind are better prepared to sit for meditation.
• Any comfortable sitting posture can be used for meditation. If sitting on the floor is uncomfortable, one can sit in a chair.
• During meditation, it is important to maintain a perfectly still body. The spine should remain upright, shoulders relaxed with the hands resting comfortably on the knees or thighs.
• The recommended duration for meditation is 20 to 30 minutes. The duration can be adjusted up or down depending upon the availability of time.

A Guided Meditation Technique

Different yoga traditions adopt different approaches to meditation. For example, in the Buddhist tradition, "mindfulness meditation" and "Vipassana meditation" are commonly practiced. In the Kundalini yoga, "chakra meditation" is practiced. As mentioned above, in many traditions, some form of "mantra meditation" is practiced. Since "pratyahara" (sense withdrawal) is an important pre-requisite for achieving a state of meditation, I have recorded a guided meditation session that will help you attain a state of ‘pratyahara’ (sense withdrawal). At the end of the audio instructions, you may continue with your own mantra meditation or breath awareness to further still the mind. To receive instructions on how to access this audio file, please write to me at subhash@yogawithsubhash.com or add a comment to this post.

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For most people the word “yoga” brings to mind the image of a yoga model that appears on the cover of a yoga magazine in a pose that is almost impossible to get into for an average practitioner. Yoga is commonly practiced as a routine which helps in improving physical fitness and sometimes as a means to stress management. There is growing awareness that yoga can be effectively used as therapy in treating a variety of ailments, including hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions etc. In India, Baba Ramdev, whose daily TV show is hugely popular, has been very successful in promoting yoga as a therapeutic practice. Those who have been practicing yoga for a while can attest to the physical and physiological benefits that the practice brings.

While all the above mentioned benefits of yoga are certainly desirable, most people are ignorant about the true meaning and purpose of yoga. In sutra 1.2 Patanjali defines yoga as “the ability to control the fluctuations of the mind”. This brief and succinct definition was provided to us by Sage Patanjali, more than three thousand years ago, in the Yoga Sutras. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali has provided a very scientific and practical exposition of the philosophy and practice of yoga. One very important section of the book describes what is commonly called “ashtanga yoga” or the Eight Limbs of Yoga which provides practical guidelines for achieving the goal of yoga, i.e., controlling the mind.

Most of the yoga as it is practiced today, called Hatha Yoga, includes physical postures (asanas) and some breathing techniques (pranayama). As you can notice from the eight limbs which are listed below, asana and pranayama are only two of these eight limbs and help establish a strong foundation toward achieving the objectives of yoga. However, to develop a fully integrated practice of yoga and achieve the final objectives of yoga, one needs to include in their routine all the eight limbs of yoga in some form.

Overview of Yoga Sutras

Even though yoga has been mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Vedas, Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita etc, the credit for putting together a formal, cohesive philosophy of yoga goes to Sage Patanjali. In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali has provided the very essence of the philosophy and teachings of yoga in a highly scientific and systematic exposition. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (YSP) are one of the six darshanas of Hindu schools of philosophy and a very important milestone in the history of Yoga. The book is a set of 195 aphorisms (sutras), which are short, terse phrases designed to be easy to memorize. Though brief, the Yoga Sutras is an enormously influential work that is just as relevant for yoga philosophy and practice today as it was when it was written. The sutras are divided into four chapters (pada) as follows:

1. Samadhi Pada: The first chapter provides a definition and the purpose of yoga. Various approaches that can be used to achieve the objectives of yoga are provided.
2. Sadhana Pada: The second chapter contains the practical approach to achieving the goals of yoga. In this chapter the author gives a description of the eight limbs of yoga called Ashtanga Yoga, which is how the yoga sutras are sometimes referred to.
3. Vibhuti Pada: The third chapter focuses on some of the supernatural powers that an adept yogi may be able to attain.
4. Kaivalya Pada: In the fourth chapter the nature of the mind and mental perceptions, desire, bondage and liberation and what follows it are discussed.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are also sometimes referred to as "Raja Yoga" or the "Royal Yoga".

Definition of Yoga

In sutra 2 of the first chapter, Patanjali has defined yoga as
“yogascitta vritti nirodhah” (Sanskrit)
"Yoga is the restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff"
– translation by Swami Vivekananda
In subsequent sutras, Patanjali explains that once the mind is properly restrained, then the “seer” or the “soul, the true self” can rest in its own true nature. Further, as long as the mind is not under control, it continues to assume the form of the “vrittis” or the perturbations in the mind and these vrittis become the cause of human suffering. In simpler terms, what this definition tells us is that we can be peaceful and happy when we can control the mind; else, the mind continues to control us and we stay in a state of suffering.

Ashtanga Yoga (Eight limbs of Yoga)

The eight limbs of yoga as defined in the second chapter are as follows:

1. Yamas (self restraints): The yamas are guidelines for how to interact with the outside world at a social level. The five yamas are: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (abstinence), Aparigraha (non-hoarding).
2. Niyamas (observances): The niyamas represent guidelines for self-discipline. The five niyamas are: shoucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (study of the scriptures and self-study), and Ishwara pranidhana (surrender to God). Together, yamas and niyamas provide an ethical and moral code to be followed so the aspiring yogi can establish an adequate moral foundation for his/her spiritual journey.
3. Asana (posture): Asana refers to the seated posture which should be steady and comfortable so the yogi can sit and meditate for long periods of time.
4. Pranayama (breath control): Pranayama, which literally means stretching or expansion of prana, the vital life force, involves breath control and helps train and prepare the mind for dharana (concentration).
5. Pratyahara (sense withdrawal): Through pratyahara one gains the ability to withdraw the senses from their objects thus achieving perfect control over the senses.
6. Dharana (concentration/focus): Dharana involves focusing the mind on a single object of concentration for long periods of time.
7. Dhyana (meditation): When there is an uninterrupted flow of the mind toward the object of focus, the yogi enters the state of meditation.
8. Samadhi (total absorption): Finally when even the self-awareness of the mind disappears and only the object of meditation shines through, it is called the state of samadhi. It is only in the highest stage of “Samadhi”, called the “nirbeeja Samadhi” (seedless Samadhi) when the mind is fully under control and brings the yogi to a state of perpetual peace and tranquility.

The main focus of Patanjali is controlling the mind and subduing the fluctuations of the mind, called ‘chitta vrittis’. Once the mind is calm and peaceful, one gets established in his own true nature.

A Great Resource for Yoga Sutras

For an English translation of all the 195 sutras by eight different authors, please visit my website dedicated to the Yoga Sutras here. In addition to the translation, the site also contains the original text of the sutra in the Devanagari script (the script of the Sanskrit language), English transliteration as well as an audio rendition of each sutra.

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