Patanjali, the father of yoga, enumerated eight steps to yoga called Ashtanga yoga. These eight limbs not only systematised the principles of the Bhagavad Gita but are elucidated also in the practice of Raja yoga. Each limb is designed to attain supreme cons-ciousness by quietening the mind and merging it with the infinite.
Ashtanga yoga consists of following steps:
1. Yama which espouses values of non-violence or ahimsa, honesty or satya, asteya or abstention from theft of both tangibles and intangibles, brahmacharya or non-greed and apari-graha or non-possession.
2. Niyama or observances that would discipline the way we treat ourselves. Constituting the niyamas are the habits of purity, to make you free from negative vibrations and preoccupation with the physical state, contentment or santosha, tapas to burn impurities at the levels of body, mind and intellect, study of scriptures or svadhyaya to motivate and inspire the seeker and lastly, devotion to the Divine or ishvara-pranidhana, to connect yourself to the cosmos.
3. Asana or body posture which prepares one for meditation. To sit for a long time in contemplation requires a disciplined body to control the mind. Patanjali says: "Posture is mastered by freeing the body and mind from tension and restlessness and meditating on the infinite".
4. Pranayama is the fourth step. Prana is the life force which governs each one of us through the breath. Pranayama is the control of breath. The basic steps in pranayama are inhalation, retention and exhalation. It is said that the rhythmic patterns of slow and deep breathing helps in attaining longevity. Moreover, pranayama removes distractions, making it easier to concentrate and meditate.
5. Pratyahara refers to the state of withdrawal of mind — which, according to Vyasa, "Is the state by which the senses do not come into contact with their objects". So, when you master pratyahara, you are able to focus because you no longer feel disturbances caused through external objects.
6. Dharana is that which involves training the mind to focus on one point. "Concentration is binding thought in one place", says Patanjali. The objective here is to quieten the mind by focusing on an object — such as a flame or point. Concentration is effortless and thoughts get pushed out of the system.
7. The seventh step called Dhyana or uninterrupted meditation is done without an object. The goal of meditation here is to create a sense of heightened awareness and to establish oneness with the macrocosm. So, how does one differentiate concentration from meditation? If there is an awareness of distraction then one is only concentrating and not meditating. The calm achieved in meditation subsequently spills over into all other aspects of life, thereby strengthening one's emotional and spiritual intelligence.
8. The last limb is Samadhi, the state of Absolute Bliss. This is the state when one merges with the Real Truth. Those who achieve the state of samadhi are enlightened souls who establish their linkages with the Over Ruling Providence.
All eight limbs described above work in unison. The first five steps which are primarily concerned with body and mind lay a very strong foundation for the last three steps, which ultimately recondition the mind to attain full realisation of oneness with the Spirit, leading to integration of body, mind and soul. By ULLHAS PAGEY