I wrote the following for the online Cleansing program...yes I'm still dumping data...and quite liked it. I thought I'd share.
The following discussion will be a nice read for your bedtime practice of reading something Spiritual instead of watching television. It is very deep in Yoga and you may find that you simply are not interested in Sanskrit and in learning all of the “deep” stuff just now. The most wonderful thing about the Eight Limbs of Yoga is that you are receiving all of the information in an easy to understand and organic way through the Cleanse. During the Cleanse, you are learning to practice all of the below. Perhaps when the Cleanse is over, you will re-read this and have an “ah-ha” moment of understanding.
Enjoy or skip!
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
There are Eight "limbs", "branches" or "chapters" of yoga. It is not just the physical posturing that is yoga. That, in fact, is just one branch of the tree. The limbs, when practiced together and daily, become part of you and part of your life. They help you to live a good life and to find your life's purpose. They guide you to better choice making, better habits, and a better life. They are only understood through the tangible experience of yoga. They cannot be intellectually understood. You must practice yoga for the understanding to unfold. Intellectually you may not understand when reading this. After the Cleanse, you will re-read and simply think…”wow…I get it”.
Maharishi Pantanjali is best known for the Eight Limbs of Yoga. The purpose of embracing the Eight Limbs of Yoga is to connect you to the real you. You are layered and cloaked in veils that hide your inner spirit. These practices part the veils that hide you.
All of the limbs of yoga come to pass naturally as you grow spiritually.
First Branch of Yoga
YAMA - rules of social behavior
The Yamas are rules of social conduct that engage you with others. They are important because we must have “understood” rules of conduct in each society. Depending on where you live and your culture, your yamas will differ. Pantanjali broke the Yamas down as follows:
The First Yama - Ahimsa
Ahimsa or Non-violence is really the foundation for all that we do in yoga. It’s the most important rule and if you only learn this one rule, the rest will follow. Ahimsa is the practice of not harming yourself, others or your planet through violent thought, word or deed. It is a caution to monitor your thoughts and always choose the more nourishing thought. Your thoughts become your words, your words become your deeds, and your deeds become your whole life. Begin with peaceful thoughts and the rest will follow.
The Second Yama - Satya
Satya means truthfulness. It is having integrity of thought word and deed. To be truthful, you must know your truth. Challenge yourself to ask what you believe? When speaking the truth, always begin with Ahimsa. Ask yourself the following questions before you speak:
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
The Third Yama - Brachmacharya
Brachmacharya has been very misunderstood in yoga because religion somehow made it’s way into Pantanjali’s interpretation. Brachmacharya has been defined as celibacy. It is my opinion that celibacy goes against our nature and is a religious construct. We are of nature, which is an expression of divinity, and therefore a healthy expression of sex is part of our experience.
Brachmacharya has been loosely redefined as “appropriate” use of one’s energies. By that, it is meant that sexuality should be enjoined in a healthy and loving way. I personally believe that sex enjoyed in partnership with love is the most nourishing choice.
You can also think of Brachmacharya as how you spend your energy. Spending energy in unfulfilling situations such as bad relationships, bad friendships, bad jobs or gossiping can be very draining and unhealthy.
You can make this very simple by always asking yourself what is the most nourishing experience?
· A loud metal rock concert or classical music playing in the background of life?
· Walking by a trash dumpster or walking in the middle of a field?
· Sex with someone you hardly know or sex with a partner who knows your body, your mind and your heart?
The Fourth Yama - Asteya
Asteya is translated as honesty, but isn’t honesty the same as truth (Satya)? Honesty is relinquishing the idea that things outside yourself will provide you happiness and security
During the Cleanse we work on manifesting our hearts desires. We then learn to simply release all of this as we begin to realize that we have all that we could ever desire in this moment. It’s way too esoteric to be intellectually absorbed. It is a tangible understanding that you will obtain through the experience and practice of yoga.
The Fifth Yama - Aparigraha
Generosity or shifting from ego responses to Soul responses.
During the Cleanse you will learn to resonate with the Sattvic or Pure qualities of your Soul. You will embrace and accept your ego because it is beautiful and giving you your personality and your experience here in this realm as yourself. You will learn to respond instead of react. You will bring the pure qualities of your Soul into your responses, thereby diminishing the drama of life that ego responses can create.
Second Branch of Yoga - NIYAMA - rules of personal behavior
How do you live when no one is watching? If you are living a balanced life, these characteristics develop on their own.
The First Niyama - Shoucha
Purity - make choices that are nourishing to your body, mind, and soul
Always choose the more nourishing thing for yourself including food choices, exercise choices, who to hang out with, what to listen to and what to watch. Choose what to believe and what to let go.
The Second Niyama -
Santosa
Present moment awareness, acceptance without resignation. relinquish your attachment to the need for control, power, and approval.
Practice present moment awareness. Accept things as they are. Know that right now everything is perfect. (This is a PRACTICE)
The Third Niyama - Tapas
Tapas are the disciplined practice of yoga on and off your mat. During the Cleanse you will learn a routine to live by the rhythms of nature. Once you tap into those rhythms, tapas becomes easy.
The Fourth Niyama -
SVADHYANA
Look inside. Your value comes from a deep connection with spirit. During the Cleanse you will experience many Spiritual exercises to take you deep into your psyche. Why do you think what you think? Why do you believe what you believe? Why are you having thoughts?
The Fifth Niyama -
ISHWARA-PRANIDHANA
Embrace uncertainty and let go of the past. You life is about to change in the most dramatic way. It’s literally going to unfold in from of you. This niyama is about surrendering to Spirit. It is a tangible experience that cannot be intellectually understood.
The Sixth Niyama – What do you stand for?
I’ve added this Niyama. I think Pantanjali would be okay with it. This Niyama is a challenge for you to develop your own personal rule. What do you live for? What do you value? What defines you? Mother Teresa’s personal Niyama was to treat every person as she would Jesus coming off the cross. This allowed her to serve lepers and untouchables with loving kindness. Martin Luther King’s personal Niyama was to teach tolerance and the meaning of freedom to the world. Gandhi’s personal Niyama was peaceful resistance. Those are some pretty big names and some pretty big challenges. Perhaps your personal Niyama can to simply be to serve your family. Spend some time thinking about it.
Third Branch of Yoga - Asana - position
This is the disciplined practice of yoga. This is the posturing that most people are familiar with.
Fourth Branch of Yoga - Pranayama - prana, life force, breathing
This is the disciplined practice of breathing. It’s super easy. Breathe in. Breath out. Be aware that you are breathing.
Fifth Branch of Yoga - Pratyahara - tuning into your subtle sensory experience.
Pratyahara is the practice of becoming acutely aware of your senses to the point that you are able to withdrawal your senses from the world. To practice, you focus on your senses and ultimately you are able to turn them off. This practice aids in meditation and in mindfulness.
Pay attention to five senses and how your body reacts.
Spend time in silence and alone
Sixth Branch of Yoga - Dharana - mastery of attention and intention.
Dharana, Dhyana and Samdhi all have to due with Meditation. They are practiced concurrently. Together, they make Samyama or Control.
Dharana is the point in which the mind needs an instrument to play in order to keep it from wandering. This instrument may be a mantra, japa mala or even attention to breath. During the Cleanse, we use the mantra “so hum”. Note that even the most experienced meditator has days where the mind wants to wander and goes back to an instrument. That is why Dharana, Dhyana and Samdhi are practiced together and not consecutively.
Be aware of your intentions, pay attention to clues. Synchronicity.
Seventh Branch of Yoga - Dhyana - development of witnessing awareness.
You are in this world, but not of this world. Everything is always changing, but not your soul.
Be aware of the silent presence that resides within you. As you experience the drama of living, remove yourself from it and watch it. Notice your thoughts and emotions as if you are watching a movie unfold.
Eighth Branch of Yoga - Samadhi - the state of being settled in pure, unbounded awareness.
Know yourself as a spiritual being disguised as a human. Samadhi is not easily defined or described. It is a state of being known as bliss. This experience is unique to the practitioner. You will know when you have entered Samadhi without any definition or description coming from outside yourself.
Samadhi is experienced at and in death so we will all have this experience.
Enjoy the Journey!
