Patanjali's Eight Limbed Path
Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is at the heart of Yoga and was written about two thousand years ago. The heart, hrdaya, is that which does not change and Patanjali gave a permanent definition and form to Yoga in his sacred text. His work presented in Sutra (from which we get suture) links the teacher, the teaching and the student. A sutra has very few words, yet is free from ambiguity, full of essence, universal in context and affirmative. It is assumed that Patanjali extracted all relevant teachings about the mind from the vastness of the Vedas and presented them in this precise, organised form.
The short, pithy words and meanings of the Sutra enabled oral transmission of the Yoga understanding from teacher to student through the centuries. The Sutras of Patanjali are presented in four chapters within which Patanjali summarises the process and the tools for self-understanding.
1. Yamas
The first limb, the Yamas are five ethical guidelines which relate to our moral behavior towards others. In fact the real truth behind the Yama is that we are happy in ourselves, because we are at peace with the world. These practices might reflect a golden rule in life: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.
The five YAMAS are:
Ahimsa: nonharming, compassion of self and all living things
Satya: commitment to truthfulness
Asteya: nonstealing, not taking that which you know is not yours
Brahmacharya: continence; non-excess, sense-control, conservation of energy, sexual and sensual moderation
Aparigraha: noncovetousness; non-greed, non-grasping, generosity in spirit and action, neutralising the desire to acquire and hoard wealth
2. Niyamas
Niyamas, the second limb are five ethical guidelines regarding our moral attitude and stance towards ourselves. They inform our own personal behaviour, discipline and observances. They reflect our true authenticity and our thinking and behaviour when the world is not watching us.
The five NIYAMAS are:
Saucha: cleanliness and purity of mind and body
Santosa: contentment, simplicity, willingness to accept what is
Tapas: disciplined use of our energy, disciplined ongoing practice; the practice of cleansing, strengthening, purifying and becoming resilient
Svadhyaya: self enquiry, examination or self study. Cultivating a self reflective consciousness. Also means studying the texts of Yoga
Isvara pranidhana: surrendering the fruit of all your actions to the highest good, or to God
3. Asana
Asanas, the physical movements into and out of and including those postures we practise in Yoga, are the third limb. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to focus our conscious attention, both of which are necessary for meditation. The sanskrit word Asana literally means 'a seat' or 'a home'.
4. Pranayama
Breathing: regulating the breath and controlling the direction of the prana or 'life force' of the breath, as implied by the literal translation of pranayama: 'life force extension'. Either practised by itself through different breathing techniques or by integrating pranayama into our daily asana routine, we learn to control the many aspects that make up our subtle, mental and emotional consciousness.
These first four stages of Patanjali’s ashtanga Yoga concentrate on refining our personalities, gaining mastery over the body, and developing an energetic awareness of ourselves, all of which prepares us for the second half of this journey, which deals with the senses, the mind, and attaining a more refined state of consciousness.
5. Pratyahara
Pratyahara, the fifth limb, suggests withdrawal of the senses from external stimuli (and related mental activity), to an internal focus. It is during this stage that we consciously aim to draw our focus of awareness away from the external world and outside distraction. We cultivate an awareness of detachment as we direct our attention internally, but without shutting down the senses. This process of withdrawal allows us to observe our habits and tendencies, and to see that we create much of our emotional uneasiness or imbalance.
6. Dharana
As each limb helps prepare us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting for dharana, or directed concentration on a single point of focus. Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. Through this practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single object or point of focus. We have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of posture, breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. In dharana, we focus our attention on a single point. With much practise, our periods of concentration naturally lead to the seventh limb - meditation.
7. Dhyana
Meditation or contemplation, the seventh limb is the uninterrupted flow of concentration with a devotion to the truth. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be the same, in fact they are different states. Where dharana practices one-pointed focused attention; in dhyana we achieve a state of such uninterrupted focused attention, that the mind has been silenced and in this stillness, it locks on to or takes on the shape of the object of focussed attention. With this state comes an understanding of the nature of that object.
Meditation becomes a tool for seeing things clearly and perceiving reality beyond the illusions that cloud our mind.
8. Samadhi
Patanjali describes this eighth and final limb, samadhi, as a state of Union with the Divine. (The word Yoga is from the Sanskrit root Yuj or Yui meaning: union, to unite or to yoke and Samadhi means to bring together, to merge). The attainment of Samadhi is the highest state of consciousness and the classical goal of living Yoga. The meditator comes to realise a profound connection to the Divine, with this realisation comes the state of bliss and a sense of connectedness with all living things and of being at one with the Universe. This ultimate enlightened state can neither be bought nor possessed. It can only be experienced, as the reward for the great commitment and devotion on the part of the aspirant.
It is worthwhile remembering that Yoga is a process. We may not attain the perfect posture, nor the perfect state of consciousness, we do however benefit, grow and evolve toward mastery, through every stage of our progress. Practice and patience is key to progress . . .