The first sutra of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali states (sutra 1.1): अथ योगानुशासनम्॥१॥ Atha yogAnushAsanaM "Here, now (I present to you) the exposition of Yoga" Vyasa, who is the most revered commentator of the sutras, defines the word yoga as being in the state of samadhi. It comes from the root word "yuj" which [...] [...]

Defining and Understanding Tapas Tapas is listed as the third of the five Niyamas in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The word Tapas (तपः) means heat or fire. As a verb (from the root तप् – ‘tap’) it can also mean to cause pain or suffering or to heat something up. Some of the common [...] [...]

Santosha (संतोष) is the second of the five niyamas given in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The word santosha is derived from the Sanskrit root word ‘tush’ which means "to be satisfied, pleased, or delighted,” as well as “become quiet or calm.” We can find the meaning of tush “in any pleasurable situation – pleasure, joy, gladness, satisfaction, [...] [...]

After discussing the five Yamas over the last several posts, let us now shift our attention to the five Niyamas – shaucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (austerity), svadhyaya (study of scriptures) and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to Ishvara, the supreme, perfect being). In today’s post I will be focusing on the first of five niyamas, Shaucha [...] [...]

Defining Aparigraha The word ‘aparigraha’ (अपरिग्रहः) is derived from the root word ‘grah’ which means to hold or grab something. Adding the prefix ‘pari’ alters the meaning only slightly to mean ‘hold onto something’. Adding the second prefix ‘a’ negates the meaning of the word and thus ‘aparigraha’ is variously translated as ‘non-hoarding’ or ‘non-possessiveness’, [...] [...]

Brahmacharya is perhaps one of the more difficult of the yamas to understand as well as to discuss and explain. In a very traditional sense, brahmacharya means strict sexual control or total celibacy. In India, when a person takes a vow to never get married, he is referred to as a "brahmachari". The well-known rishi [...] [...]

Let us continue our discussion of the five yamas. In the last article I talked about Ahimsa (non-violence). In this post, I would like to discuss the yama of Satya (truthfulness). Defining Satya Sage Vyasa defines Satya as "speech and mind conforming to reality as seen, inferred or heard". In this statement, "seen, inferred or [...] [...]