Yoga
Yoga means the union of body and mind or the union of local consciousness (self) and the universal consciousness (the higher Self).Patanjali is the first known sage who shared the knowledge of Yoga for the benefits of mankind through his writings of Yoga Sutras. He made the obscure concepts of Vedas and Upnishadaas very easy to comprehend and put in practice for a student of life. There are eight steps in the yogic process, each one brings us closer to the ultimate goal of achieving the enlightenment or nirvana.
These steps are - Yamas, Niyamas, Asanaas, Pranayaama, Pratyahara, Dhyana, Dharana and Samadhi.
• Yamas are about the moral principles we must live by in this world.
• Niyamaas are about inner discipline and responsibility we must take for ourselves.
• Asanaas are the physical postures which helps us prepare for meditation.
• Pranayaama is the control of breath which helps us meditate without the distraction of constant stream of thoughts.
• Pratyahara is the withdrawal of senses to focus on meditation.
• Dhyana is the uninterrupted meditation without focusing on any particular object.
• Dharana is the contemplation.
• Samadhi is the ultimate bliss or the state of God union where we are in an enlightened state recognizing that we are that universal
consciousness.
At TheFreedomWithin we mainly focus on the physical postures or asanaas. Based on their current health conditions, we make an individualized yoga posture plan for our clients. The goal here is to maximize medicinal benefits by strengthening their immunity.
As we do postures,we learn to create space in our bodies which brings our focus away from the outside world to the inside one, thus expanding our consciousness. For clients who already do yoga, we introduce them to meditation practices. Please check in with us on how you can be part of this meditation group.
Suggested Reading:
• Light On Yoga - BKS Iyengar
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
• Yoga: The Science of the Soul
• NIH Research
• Iyengar Guruji