The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga Pg. 2
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Asanas: Asanas are the body postures that everyone thinks of when they think of yoga. This is the physical part of yoga discipline. Asana means “staying” or “abiding” in Sanskrit. Therefore, asanas are physical postures that one must hold for a while, building strength and stamina. One stays between the states of activity and non-activity, a balance between movement and non-movement. Poses challenge not only the physical body but also the mind and the emotions. Different poses challenge the mind to either surrender or strengthen its will. Control of the self in all aspects can be developed through the physical poses. It causes us to override the physical body. The mind naturally quiets, the emotions eventually accept, and the body is shaped and given steadfastness. The challenge of asanas causes one to become quite grounded. When asanas are mastered, we have mastered the opposites within ourselves. This is fertile ground, according to Patanjali, for evolution and the blossoming of awareness. We will cover asanas in more detail shortly.
Pranayama: Pranayama has to do with breathing and control of prana through breathing exercises. It is practiced together with asanas, and is intended to bring one to the point of being able to control the life force of the physical body. In turn, theses exercises of inhalation, retention and exhalation of the breath cleanses the body and increases vitality. It also alters the consciousness and prepares it for meditation. These breathing exercises are covered in detail in the UMS course Pranayama.
Pratyahara: Ahara means “nourishment” and pratyahara means “to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses.” This means withdrawing from the world regularly for retreats from the daily stresses of life and contemplating the bigger picture. That means withdrawing from sensory gratification, seeking pleasures, and stopping all external stimulation. Fasting is an example of pratyahara. In life, the senses are often our “master,” directing us to seek that which gratifies us. However, when the senses are turned inward, or deprived from seeking outward manifestations, they become very sharp and hypersensitive. People who have experienced a floatation tank in the pitch dark have reported how the senses became very acute after they adjusted to not being outwardly directed. This can be accomplished in meditation and retreat from the world as well. They are very useful when they are turned inward to seek for Self. The discipline of pratyahara assists us in developing the ability to have inner peace and tranquility no matter what is going on around us. Each of us gets a little taste of this state right before we fall asleep, as the senses begin to withdraw from the world, and upon awakening before the senses have fully returned to human affairs. To “be in the world but not of it” is an example of developed pratyahara, being aware of the world while the senses are still directed inward, detecting inner currents rather than outer currents.
The next three steps are the portion of Raja Yoga which pertains to the internal practices of the Eight Limbed Path.
- Dharana:
This literally means “immovable concentration of the mind.” Dhar means
“to hold.” This means to be one-pointed in consciousness by holding
the consciousness in a focused manner, remaining unwavered by other
distractions. This can be achieved while we go about our daily tasks,
staying focused on whatever is in front of us, and is an exercise in
being in the now, present always in the moment while realizing the self
as eternal consciousness rather than the human identity we thought we
were. This is an exercise in harnessing the mind’s attention. All other
distractions fall away when one pointed focus is the state of the mind.
Now that the mind has been harnessed, focused and restrained, being
in the present moment is a natural result.
- Dhyana:
Devotion, worship and meditation on the Divine is dhyana. The idea is
that since the mind is transformed into the shape of the object of concentration,
focus on the divine leads us to reflect it. We become aware of the world
as the illusion that it is, the great dance, or Maha Leela. Maya (the
veil that covers what is real) is lifted and one becomes aware of one’s
true self, one’s true identity. All fear, even the fear of harm or death,
disappears, and freedom is achieved (Moksha).
- Samadhi: This is the state of union with the divine, the goal of the Eight Limbs Of Yoga. This is the state of consciousness in which non-duality is experienced and oneness with all is the Self’s identity. This is the highest possible state for human beings. Some call it ecstasy. A true sense of completion and wholeness is realized. It is a state of non-separation from all things, and there is no more “I” in the human sense of the word. There is only experience of self as eternal awareness, awake and lucid in the dream of the One Self. Samadhi is a rare experience, but we have all had at least one glimpse of what it is or we would not be on the spiritual path. The ability to concentrate and stay in a one-pointed focus, dharana, is a pre-requisite to Samadhi, so the first task is toget the mind to stop chattering, a big task for most people! After dharana, however, dhyana and samadhi naturally follow.