8 Spiritual Paths of Yoga By Patanjali

1. Yama

Yama is social behavior, how you interact with others and the world around you. These are moral principles. Sometimes they are called the don’ts or the thou shalt nots. There are five yamas:

• Nonviolence
  (ahimsa). Do not harm any creature in thought or deed. In his book Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda asks Mahatma Gandhi about the definition of ahimsa. Gandhi said: “Avoiding harm to any living being in thought or deed.” Yogananda asked if you could kill a cobra to protect a child. Gandhi insisted that he would still adhere to his vow of ahimsa, but added: “I must confess that I could not continue this conversation calmly if I were faced with a cobra.”
• Truth and honesty
  (satya). Don’t tell lies. Fraud with your income tax falls into this category.
• Non-stealing (asteya). Don’t steal tangible objects (a car) or intangibles, such as being the center of attention or your child’s opportunity to learn responsibility or independence through doing something on their own.
• Non-pleasure
  (Brahmacharya). Do not worry; this is not a call to celibacy. Many ancient yogis were married and had families of their own. The person who practices brahmacharya avoids meaningless sexual encounters and, as noted teacher BKS Iyengar puts it, “sees divinity in everything.”
• dispossession
  (aparigraha). Free yourself from greed, hoarding and collecting. Do you really need more shoes or another car, or do you need a conversation every time you see your friends? Make your life as simple as possible.

2.Niyama

Niyama is inner discipline and responsibility, how we handle ourselves. These are sometimes called observances, the do’s or the thou shalts. There are five niyamas:

• Purity
  (shauca). Purity is achieved through the practice of the five yamas, which help clear the negative physical and mental state of being. Keep yourself, your clothes and your surroundings clean. Eat fresh and healthy food. The next time you joke about treating your body like a temple, remember this niyama.
• Satisfaction
  (santosha). Cultivate contentment and peace by finding happiness with what you have and who you are. Find happiness in the moment, take responsibility for where you are and choose to grow from there.
• Austerity (tapas). Show discipline in body, speech and mind. The purpose of developing self-discipline is not to become ascetic, but to control and direct the mind and body for higher spiritual purposes.
• Study of the sacred text
  (svadhyaya). Study sacred texts, which are all books that are relevant to you and inspire and teach you. Education changes one’s outlook on life. As Iyengar says, a person “begins to realize that all creation is for bhakti (worship) and not for bhoga (pleasure), that all creation is divine, that there is divinity within himself, and that the energy that moves him is the same is. that sets the entire universe in motion.”
• Living with an awareness of the Divine
  (ishvara-pranidhana). Be devoted to God, Buddha or whatever you consider divine.

“The posture of yoga is stable and easy,” says Patanjali. Patanjali compares this to resting like a cosmic serpent on the waters of infinity. Although Westerners often view the practice of asana or postures as an exercise regimen or a way to stay fit, Patanjali and other ancient yogis used asana to prepare the body for meditation. To sit in contemplation for long periods of time, a flexible and cooperative body was required. If you are free from physical distractions – such as your foot falling asleep – and can control the body, you can also control the mind. Patanjali said, “The posture is mastered by freeing the body and mind from tension and restlessness and by meditating on the infinite.”

4. Pranayama

Prana is the life force or energy that exists everywhere and flows through each of us through the breath. Pranayama is the control of breathing. The basic movements of pranayama are inhalation, breath holding and exhalation. “A yogi’s life is not measured by the number of days, but by the number of breaths,” says Iyengar. “Therefore, he follows the correct rhythmic patterns of slow, deep breathing.” The practice of pranayama purifies and removes distractions from the mind, making it easier to concentrate and meditate.

5. Pratyahara

Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses. Pratyahara occurs during meditation, breathing exercises or practicing yoga postures – any time when you turn your attention inward. Concentration, in the yoga room or the boardroom, is a battle with distracting senses. When you master pratyahara, you can concentrate because you no longer feel the itch on your big toe, hear the mosquito buzzing near your ear, or smell the popcorn in the microwave.

6. Dharana

Concentration or dharana involves teaching the mind to concentrate on one point or image. “Concentration is the binding of thoughts in one place,” says Patanjali. The goal is to quiet the mind—gently push away excess thoughts—by focusing your mind on an object, such as a candle flame, a flower, or a mantra. In dharana, concentration is effortless. You know the mind is concentrating when there is no sense of time passing.

7. Dhyana

Continuous meditation without object is called dhyana. Concentration (dharana) leads to the state of meditation. The goal of meditation is not the unconscious or nothingness. It is a heightened awareness and oneness with the universe. How do you tell the difference between concentration and meditation? If you are aware of distractions, you are only concentrating and not meditating. The peace you achieve by meditating seeps into all aspects of your life: during a hectic workday, when shopping, when organizing the Halloween party at your child’s school.

8. Samadhi

The ultimate goal of the eightfold path to yoga is samadhi or absolute bliss. This is pure contemplation, super consciousness, in which you and the universe are one. Those who have attained samadhi are enlightened. Paramahansa Yoganananda called it the state of God-Union.