What are the 8 limbs of yoga

What are the 8 limbs of yoga

Health related question in topics Fitness .We found some answers as below for this question “What are the 8 limbs of yoga”,you can compare them.

Yama, Niyama, Asanas, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi: Want to know more about them? Cha Cha! [ Source: http://www.chacha.com/question/what-are-the-8-limbs-of-yoga ]
More Answers to “What are the 8 limbs of yoga
What Are the 8 Limbs of Yoga?
http://www.shininglotusyoga.com/faq.html
There are many styles of yoga. Hatha yoga is not a style of yoga but rather is an umbrella term for any type of physical yoga, as opposed to devotional yoga, yoga of service, etc… Some styles of yoga include: Iyengar – emphasizes intensiv…
What are the Eight Limbs of yoga?
http://www.ottawayoga.com/doc.php?sid=3#toc_11
Approximately 200 years AD, a physician-sage named Patanjali divided the science of yoga in 8 basic beliefs.・ Yamas – The Yamas or restraints (Dont’s) are divided into five moral injunctions, aimed at destroying … ・ Niyamas – The Niyamas …
Where did the eight limbs of yoga come from?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081002205242AAOqWE7
As I understand it, Patanjali distilled the ‘best’ yoga practices into the eight limbs*, presenting them in the treatise/text The Yoga Sutras. * known as Astanga (ash=eight; tanga=branches), or, Eight-fold path. This should not be confused …

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

what is 8 limbs in yoga, how to understand 8 limbs?
Q:
A: The 8 limbs are:Yama – Moral observances for interactions with othersYama has different meanings in different contexts. It may mean “rein, curb, or bridle, discipline or restraints” In the present context, it is used to mean “self-control, forbearance, or any great rule or duty”. It can also be interpreted as “attitude” or “behavior”. Certainly a particular attitude can be expressed as discipline, which then influences our behavior. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra mentions five different Yama, that is, behavior patterns or relationships between the individual and the outside world.Ahimsa (Harmlessness)The word ahimsa literally mean not to injure or show cruelty to any creature or any person in any way whatsoever. Ahimsa is, however, more than just lack of violence as adapted in yoga. It means kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful consideration of other people and things. It also has to do with our duties and responsibilities too. It could even mean that we must fight if our life is in danger. Ahimsa implies that in every situation we should adopt a considered attitude.Satya (Truthfulness)Satya means “to speak the truth,” yet it is not always desirable to speak the truth on all occasions, for it could harm someone unnecessarily. We have to consider what we say, how we say it, and in what way it could affect others. If speaking the truth has negative consequences for another, then it is better to say nothing. Satya should never come into conflict with our efforts to behave with ahimsa. The Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, says: “Speak the truth which is pleasant. Do not speak unpleasant truths. Do not lie, even if the lies are pleasing to the ear. That is the eternal law, the dharma.” Please note that this does not mean speak lie. Keeping quiet and saying lies are two different things.Asteya (Non-stealing)Asteya is the third Yama. Asteya means “to steal”; Asteya is the opposite-to take nothing that does not belong to us. This also means that if we are in a situation where someone entrusts something to us or confides in us, we do not take advantage of him or her. We are to refrain from taking that which is not ours by right of consciousness and karma.Brahmacharya (Sense-control)Brahmacharya is a movement toward the essential truth. It is used mostly in the sense of abstinence, particularly in relationship to sexual activity. Brahmacharya suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths. If sensual pleasures are part of those relationships, we must take care that we keep our direction and do not get lost. Avoid relationships that make us deviate from finding the eternal truth. On the path of serious, constant searching for truth, there are certain ways of controlling the perceptual senses and sexual desires. Brahmacharya does not necessarily imply celibacy. Rather, it means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth.Aparigraha (Neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth)The last yama is aparigraha, a word that means something like “hands off” or “not seizing opportunity.” Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary, and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedy. We should only take what we have earned; if we take more, we are exploiting someone else. In addition, unearned rewards can bring with them obligations that might later cause problems.The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when these five behaviors outlined above become part of a person’s daily life. For example, if we become kind and considerate, our presence will create pleasant and friendly feelings in people around us. And if we remain true to the idea of satya, everything we say will be truthful. We will become trustworthy. In India, one’s word is considered one’s biggest asset. The Yoga Sutra also states that a person who is firmly anchored in asteya will receive all the jewels of this world. Such a person may not be interested in material wealth, but he or she will have access to the finest things in life.The more we recognize and search for the meaning of the essential truth, the less will we be distracted by other things. Certainly it requires great strength to take this path. The Yoga Sutra teaches that the more faith we have, the more energy we have. At the same time we also have more strength to pursue our goals. So the more we seek the truth in the sense of brahmacharya, the more vitality we will have to do so.Parigraha is the increasing orientation toward material things. If we reduce parigraha and develop aparigraha, we are orienting ourselves more inwardly. The less time we spend on our material possessions, the more we have to spend on investigating all that we call yoga. We will learn to enjoy what we have rather than constantly seeking things we don’t have and never getting satisfied in life. It is a scientific fact that the more money and material possessions we have, the more stressful we become.Niyama – Moral observances for interactions with yourselfNiyama is a Sanskrit word meaning rules or laws. These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the five yamas, the Niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied. They represent far more than an attitude. Compared with the yamas, the Niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves.SaucaThe first Niyama is sauca, cleanliness. Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect. Outer cleanliness simply means keeping ourselves clean. Inner cleanliness has as much to do with the healthy, free functioning of our bodily organs as with the clarity of our mind. Practicing asanas or pranayama are essential means for attending to this inner sauca.SamtosaAnother Niyama is samtosa, modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have. Literally the word means happiness. There are occasions we work hard to get something. We get very disappointed when we don’t get it. Some people will get into extreme depression as a result. Some people may even contemplate suicide in extreme cases. We do these things because we do not have the discipline of being content with what we have. We should accept that there is a purpose for everything – yoga calls it karma. In ‘Celestine Prophecy’, James Redfield calls this synchronicity. The real meaning of samtosa is ‘to accept what happens’. God has a plan. Christians prays, ‘Thy will be done.’ Accept what God has given us with humility and happiness. Be happy with what we have rather than being unhappy about what we don’t have.A commentary on the Yoga Sutra says: “Contentment counts for more than all sixteen heavens together.” Instead of complaining about things that go wrong, we can accept what has happened and learn from them. Samtosa encompasses our mental activities such as study, our physical efforts, and even how we earn our living. It is about ourselves-what we have and how we feel about what God has given us. It is about our whole outlook on life. Do we look at a cup as half empty or as half full?TapasTapas refers to the activity of keeping the body fit or to confront and handle the inner urges without outer show. Literally it means to heat the body and, by so doing, to cleanse it. Behind the notion of tapas lies the idea that we can get rid of the rubbish in our body. Asanas and pranayama are tools we can use to keep ourselves healthy. Another form of tapas is paying attention to what we eat. Eating when we are not hungry is the opposite of tapas. Attention to body posture, attention to eating habits, attention to breathing patterns-these are all tapas that help to prevent the buildup of rubbish in the body, including excess weight and shortness of breath. Tapas makes the whole body fit and well functioning. It gives us the discipline of developing healthy eating habits and prevents us from getting high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart diseases.SvadhyayaThe fourth Niyama is Svadhyaya. Sva means “self’ or “belonging to me.” Adhyaya means “inquiry” or “examination”. The word Svadhyaya literally means, “to get close to something.” It means to get close to yourself, that is, to study yourself. It could also mean meditation or contemplation. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and destructive tendencies.All learning, all reflection, all contact that helps you to learn more about yourself is svadhyaya. In the context of the Niyama the term is often translated as “the study of ancient texts.” Yes, yoga does instruct us to read the ancient texts because we cannot always just sit down and contemplate things. We need reference points. The world is changing fast around us. We can read the Bible or a book on spiritual healing or one that is of personal significance or the Yoga Sutra. According to the Yoga Sutra, as we progress in our self-examination, we will gradually find a link with the divine laws and with the prophets who revealed them. And since mantras are often recited for this purpose, we sometimes find svadhyaya translated as “the repetition of mantras.”IsvarapranidhanaIsvarapranidhana means “to lay all your actions at the feet of God.” It is the contemplation on God (Isvara) in order to become attuned to god and god’s will. We should accept the fact that we will not always get everything we want. Sometimes we get disappointed. Things do go wrong. This is the reason why samtosa (modesty) is so important. We have done our share. We have done the best we could under the circumstances. We can leave the rest to a higher power.Asana – PosturesAsana is one of the eight limbs of Yoga. “Asana” means staying or abiding. It is through asanas that an individual achieves the unity of body and mind. In the west, asana is commonly called “posture” or “pose”. The Yogic asanas (postures) have been devised for the purpose of comfort and steadfastness during meditation and pranayama. The ideal asana for meditation is the one in which a person is seated in an upright posture.When a person is performing an asana there is a corresponding mental balance between his movements and stillness. In his famous Yoga Sutra, Patanjali says that each posture reflects a mental attitude, whether that attitude be one of surrender, or the strengthening of the will or the creation of a physical prayer with the body. Through the performance and practice of different asanas, one is able to learn the handling of difficult situations. This is possible because we are in a better position to know our body. We have already mentioned that the greatest advantage of asana is that it helps us get used to different situations and be able to cope with different demands.Another important aspect of asana is that it can temporarily bring peace and free the mind of all worries. The quieting of mind promotes the balancing of the mental functions of the individual. This soothing effect of asanas on the brain has been verified by EEG data of brain during meditation. It proves that asanas have great healing implications. According to Patanjali, the asana and the pranayama practices bring about the desired state of health in an individual. It also helps in control of breath. In a nutshell, asanas (bodily postures) harmonize the flow of energy in the organism, thereby lifting the spirits of the individuals practicing.Pranayama – BreathingPranayama is the fourth limb of Ashtanga Yoga. Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. Pranayama gives control of breathing processes and control of vital force. When the inflowing breath is neutralized or joined with the out flowing breath, then perfect relaxation and balance of body activities are realized. In yoga, we are concerned with balancing the flows of vital forces, then directing them inward to the chakra system and upward to the crown chakra or thousand petaled lotuses.Pranayama or breathing technique is very important in yoga. It goes hand in hand with the asana or pose. In the Yoga Sutras, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body, respectively. The practices produce the actual physical sensation of heat, called tapas, or the inner fire of purification. It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body. This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to remain calmer.Pratyahara – Sensory inhibitionPratyahara is the fifth limb of Ashtanga Yoga. Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means “nourishment”; pratyahara translates as “to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses.” In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. What does this mean? It means our senses stop living off the things that stimulate; the senses no longer depend on these stimulants and are not fed by them any more.Let us look at this concept a little closely. When we see a sunset, first our eyes are drawn to it; the eyes sent a message to the brain; the brain computer will assimilate the information sent by the eyes and form the picture of the sunset. This is the way our senses function normally. But there is also the possibility that the most beautiful sunset on earth will not attract our attention, will not engage our senses, because we are deeply immersed in something else. We may be concentrating on something without any awareness of what is going around us. Normally the senses say to the mind: “Look at this! Smell this! Touch that!” The senses register an object and the mind is drawn to it at once.In pratyahara we sever this link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw. Each sense perception has a particular quality to which it relates: the eyes relate to the form of something; the ears to the sound, the vibration it makes; the nose to its smell. In pratyahara it is as if things are spread out with all their attractions before our senses, but they are ignored; the senses remain unmoved and uninfluenced. In effect the brain will disregard all that is received by the various sensory organs and will only accept and process the signals sent by sensory organs at the command of the brain. Now we have control over our senses rather than being controlled by them.For example, when we are totally absorbed in the breath during pranayama, pratyahara occurs quite automatically. The mind is so intensely occupied with the breath that all links between mind, senses, and external objects that have nothing to do with the breath are cut off. So pratyahara is not a state of sleep. The senses are quite capable of responding, but they do not because they have withdrawn or detached.Dharana – FocusDharana is the sixth limb of Ashtanga Yoga. In literal terms, the word “Dharana” means ‘unbending concentration of mind’. The main idea underlying Dharana is the concentration or focus of attention in one direction or one object. Dharana is a form of meditation which could be called receptive concentration. With the help of Dharana a set of conditions are created through which mind focuses attention in one direction and object rather than concentrating in many directions.Dharana aims at fixing the mind by getting it focused upon some stable entity. Though it is easier said than done but after starting with small steps one can achieve the desired results. Rolling the eyes upward and downward to get concentration one by one in one direction after another is a good method to start the concentration practice. Any object selected for practicing Dharana has nothing to do with the meditation part. This is just to stop the mind from wandering -through memories, dreams, or reflective thought-by deliberately holding it single-mindedly upon some apparently static object.After being purified by Yoga practices, the mind is able to concentrate more on one subject or point. After reaching such position an individual is ready to unleash great potential for inner healing. If the yogi chooses to focus on a center (“chakra”) of the inner energy flow, he or she can directly experience the physical and mental blocks and imbalances that remain in his or her system. This ability to concentrate depends on excellent psychological health and integration and is not an escape from reality, but rather a movement toward perception of its true nature.Dhyana – MeditationDhyana is the seventh limb of Ashtanga Yoga. Dhyana means worship, or profound and abstract religious meditation. It is perfect contemplation. It involves concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. During Dhyana, the consciousness is further unified by combining clear insights into distinctions between objects and between the subtle layers of veils that surround intuition. We learn to differentiate between the mind of the perceiver, the means of perception, and the objects perceived, between words, their meanings, and ideas, and between all the levels of evolution of the nature. We realize that these are all fused in an undifferentiated continuum. One must apprehend both subject and object clearly in order to perceive their similarities, for a clear grasp of real identity of two apparently different things requires a clear grasp of their seeming difference. Thus Dhyana is apprehension of real identity among ostensible differences.Samadhi – Blissful absorption of one’s individual consciousness in the essence of God.Samadhi is the final step in Ashtanga Yoga. When we succeed in becoming so absorbed in something that our mind becomes completely one with it, we are in a state of Samadhi. Samadhi means “to bring together, to merge.” In Samadhi our personal identity-name, profession, family history, social security number, driver’s license number etc.-completely disappears. In the moment of Samadhi none of that exists anymore. Nothing separates us from the object of our choice; instead we blend and become one with it.During Samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this pure identity. The conscious mind drops back into that unconscious oblivion from which it first emerged. The final stage terminates at the instant the soul is freed. The absolute and eternal freedom of an isolated soul is beyond all stages and beyond all time and place. Once freed, it does not return to bondage.Thus, Samadhi refers to the union of the contemplating being with the object of contemplation. Here, the object of the meditation and the meditator become one. This is like the unity of process; it is like the union of function and structure. The polarity of viewer and viewed, like the polarity of opposites, is no longer relevant; the mind does not distinguish between self and non-self, or between the object contemplated and the process of contemplation. There are various stages of Samadhi, depending upon whether one is identified with the object while yet conscious of the object, or whether one has transcended the object of meditation and is resting in the experience of being, without conceptual support or without support of any aspect of Consciousness.Pratyahara, Dhahrana, Dhyana, and Samadhi cannot be practiced. A person cannot simply sit down and say, “Right now I am going to do Dhahrana.” All the person can do is to create the right conditions to help bring about a state of Dhahrana; For example, he or she can practice asanas and Pranayama that, according to the Yoga Sutra, create favorable conditions for the mind to enter these states. In order to experience Dhahrana and Dhyana, the mind must first be in a particular condition. Allow the many things that are going on in the mind to settle so that it becomes quiet. If the mind is too busy responding to external stimuli, it cannot enter into a state of Dhahrana. Forcing Dhahrana when your mind is not ready for it can get you into trouble. For this reason the Yoga Sutra suggests the practice of asanas and pranayama as preparation for Dhahrana, because these influence mental activities and create space in the crowded schedule of the mind. Once Dhahrana has occurred, Dhyana and Samadhi can follow.
what are the 8 limbs of classical yoga?
Q:
A: The 8 Limbs of Classical Yoga are — Yama (see below for etithical percepts) – Niyama – Commitments to practice, such as study and devotion – Asana – integration of mind and body through physical activity – Pranayama – integration of mind and body through breathing – Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses of perception from their objects – Dharana – one-pointedness of mind – Dhyana – meditation (quiet activity that leads to samadhi) – Samadhi – the quiet state of blissful awareness Practice of these precepts is said to result in a state in which one’s behavior spontaneously follows the five ethical precepts (Yamas): – Ahimsa – refraining from injury (non-life supporting action) – Satya – truthfulness – Asteya – freedom from stealing – Bramacharya – living within the Self (moderation; abstinence) – Aparigraha – freedom from attachment to possessions –


Prev Question: How do you have more energy
Next Question:

People also view
People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *