The Yogi’s Path
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What is the Yogi’s Path?
Let’s start with a little bit of history:
Thousands of years ago a sage named Patañjali compiled the Yoga Sūtras, which are 196 Indian aphorisms on Yoga. The text later fell into obscurity for nearly 700 years, and made a comeback in late 19th century due to the efforts of Swami Vivekananda and others.
Before then, history indicates the Indian yoga scene was dominated by other Yoga texts such as the Bhagavad Gita.
Scholars consider the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali formulations as one of the foundations of classical Yoga philosophy of Hinduism.
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Within the Yoga Sutras, Patañjali maps out the Eight Limb Yoga Path.
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Ahimsa– active practice of loving kindness (do no harm)
Satya– active effort to speak truth
Asteya– active awareness of taking only what is clearly and freely given
Brahmacharya– appropriate use of energy, intimacy with divine intent
Aparigraha– active effort of non-possessiveness, non-greed, and non-attachment
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Saucha– active practice of creating cleanliness and order
Santosha– active practice of contentment and satisfaction
Tapa– conscious cultivation of passion and clarity
Svadhyaya– practices of humble, honest, self-reflection
Ishvarapranidhana– trust that you are loved unconditionally and the way will be shown
3) Asana- Postures
4) Pranayama- Liberation of Life-Force Energy~ Breathing techniques
5) Pratyahara- Withdrawing from the 5 Senses
6) Dharana- Steady Flow of Mind and Emotion ~ Focused concentration
7) Dhyana- Sustained Pointed Focus ~ Meditation
8) Samadhi- Bliss ~ Enlightenment
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Let’s break it down a bit more for clarity.
The Eight Fold or Eight Limbed path suggests the yogi’s journey starts with a solid foundation by practicing the Yamas. We learn to look at life and through a clear lens and respond with kindness, honesty, respect, purity, and charity. (You may see a common thread here with other ancient wisdom traditions).
We continue down the path with some personal commitments, with the Niyamas and we practice cleanliness, contentment, clarity, self-reflection, and we trust life.
Patañjali then introduces Asana, the physical practice most of us are familiar with. The physical postures were not initially intended to be the sole focus like our Western culture has seemingly adopted. Perhaps the suggestion was, once we clean and clear the lens in which we see and interact with the world, we are then ready to move and organize our energy in a deliberate way. When our energy is able to move more freely, we tend to physically, mentally and emotionally feel better.
Many (but not all) western yoga classes incorporate Pranayama (breathing techniques). The word Prana means life force or energy combined with consciousness. We intake so much more than oxygen when we inhale. And so as yogis, we learn to bring awareness into our breathing patterns and we invite the rhythmic, steady flow of life force in and out of the body. Pranayama practices help us find different ways to regulate this pranic flow. In other words, life force energy rides into the body through the breath.
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Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on what has been presented thus far. Everyone’s path unfolds differently. In other words, there is no rigidity. Understanding and practicing the first four limbs can be a life long journey in and of itself.
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The natural next step after understanding the previous four is to start to turn inward. Pratyahara is the practice or experience of withdrawing from the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, touch. This can be challenging for many of us because we at times tend to be overstimulated by our outer world. And so the previous four steps help prepare us for this. Pratyahara may sound like meditation however it is more like a gateway toward a meditative state. Pratyahara is a good way to start to explore your inner world.
We now start to move closer toward mediation with Dharana. We withdraw from the senses with Prayahara and we focus our mental energy on one point. This could be an inner mantra or an inner vision.
Once we can rest the mind on a single point of focus, we are ready to experience Dhyana, meditation. In a state of Dhyana, the mind perceives the ‘self’ and the external world as one connected consciousness.
Finally we experience bliss, liberation, or Samadhi. When one reaches Samadhi, the entire cosmos becomes one. Some define Samadhi as ‘absorption’ or ‘oneness’.
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Perhaps the Yogi’s Path is more about the journey rather than the destination. Most of us may only get to experience fleeting moments of Samadhi. However, if more and more individuals took the first step and began to respond to life with kindness, honesty, respect, purity, and charity, do you think the world would see a positive impact?
With much love and gratitude,
Melanie
