Yoga

Niyama = 2 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

1. Saucha (Purification)
2. Santosa (Contentment)
3. Tapas (Asceticism)
4. Svadhyaya (Study)
5. Ishvara Pranidhana (Dedication to God/Master)

One of the translations of tapas is heat, so it is often interpreted as encouraging practices that stoke our inner fire. Miller explains that asceticism was though to produce the heat of tapas. Purification through self-discipline is described in Patanjali’s work. In contemporary yoga, tapas might be observed through the daily practice of postures or meditation which require self-control to maintain.

Niyama = 2 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

1. Saucha (Purification)
2. Santosa (Contentment)
3. Tapas (Asceticism)
4. Svadhyaya (Study)
5. Ishvara Pranidhana (Dedication to God/Master)

Svadhyaya is sometimes translated as self-study, which implies that it means introspection, however, that doesn’t seem to be the original intent. Rather, it meant the study, memorization, and repetition of sacred prayers and mantras, which was and continues to be a common practice in Hinduism. In modern times, we may choose to interpret this as an exhortation to be diligent students of the world, whether through formal or personal education.

Niyama = 2 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

1. Saucha (Purification)
2. Santosa (Contentment)
3. Tapas (Asceticism)
4. Svadhyaya (Study)
5. Ishvara Pranidhana (Dedication to God/Master)

This can be a tricky one since many modern practitioners bridle at the suggestion that God is a prescribed part of our practice. It’s interesting to note that the meaning of Ishvara in the original text is also open to interpretation. It could have meant a master, a teacher, or an unspecified god. Submission to a teacher is in line with the guru-student relationship that was an established tradition within yoga in India. However, surrender to a guru doesn’t sit that well with many Western students. For our purposes, we can perhaps think of it as a necessity to acknowledge that yoga is a spiritual practice. It affects the whole person, whose constituent parts are mind, body, and spirit.

5 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

(Withdrawal of the senses)

Isolating consciousness from the distractions offered by engagement with the senses is the final physical preparation for the meditation practices outlined in the final three limbs. This can be in itself a form of what we would call mindfulness in which sensory input such as sounds, sights, or smells are noticed as external and then allowed to pass without capturing our attention.

6 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

(Concentration)

Dharana is the first stage in the inner journey toward freedom from suffering. During this type of meditation, practitioners concentrate all of their attention on a single point of focus such as the navel or on an image in their mind.

7 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

(Meditation)

In this stage, the practitioner meditates on a single object of their attention to the exclusion of all others. While we are accustomed to a type of meditation that attempts to clear the mind of all thoughts and images, this doesn’t seem to have been a requisite part of the method described by Patanjali. As long as the attention is focused, the object is not specified.

8 out of 9 limbs of Yoga

(Pure Contemplation)

When dhyana is achieved, the practitioner enters a state of samadhi in which they merge with the object of their meditation. Although this has been interpreted to mean union with the divine or with the entire universe, Patanjali’s explanation does not go this far.

There is actually a further step in attaining liberation from suffering in Patanjali that doesn’t make it into most contemporary teaching.

This state is called nirbija-samadhi, which Miller translates as seedless contemplation, in which the seeds are thoughts that beget other thoughts.

While we might logically conclude that this is the cosmic union we associate with the culmination of the eight limbs, David Gordon White explains that the goal of the Yoga of Patanjali is actually the absolute separation of the human spirit from the matter of the world.

When this happens, the spirit has the ability to expand infinitely and is capable of what we would call supernatural acts.

Kundalini Yoga

I honor the Truth of your identity, which is the same as mine and makes us one.

primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism, and especially Shaktism, a major tradition of Hinduism.

Mythologically, Shakti is always described as feminine, often personified as the goddess, Devi, the divine feminine consort of the divine masculine god Shiva. But at the deepest level, Shakti transcends gender.

three-syllable word:

• Nama, means “to bow”
• as means “I”
• te means “you”

In concrete terms, we can therefore conclude that this expression has the following meaning: “I bow to you”. It’s that simple!

The word and gesture Namaste is clearly spiritual. The Buddhist or Hindu religion highlights the presence of a divine light in each of us. It is therefore used as a gesture of recognition that is equivalent to a sentence of the type: “The light that is in me recognizes and greets the light that is in you”.

Beyond a simple greeting to say hello or goodbye, it is also a profound thanks and a mark of respect that we ask for or show. To deepen the Sanskrit term a little, you should know that Namas can also be translated as “nothing is mine”, which means that you prefer the heart and authenticity without expecting anything in return, rather than your ego. A great life lesson!

Richard Rosen, a very famous yoga teacher and author of 5 books on the subject, confirms that the word Namaste should be addressed exclusively to one person. Except to greet a group of individuals, the word must therefore be given in the plural .: Namo Vaha. The phrase Vaha refers to the plural of te (or “you”).

1. To begin with, the simplest and most traditional:
   → Simply join the palms of your hands, one against the other, in front of the Heart Chakra (one of the 7 main chakras), close your eyes and bow forward. Well done, you just made your first Namaste!
   → At the same time, we close our eyes while the gesture is being made, because it is a way to focus more deeply on a particular intention, which comes from the heart and to share the love that circulates in your environment.
   
    
2. For the second way of greeting:

   → It is possible to do exactly the same procedure, simply by changing hands. In other words, you join your hands again and place your thumbs directly against the Third Eye (point between the two eyebrows). As with the previous version, close your eyes and lean forward. After getting up, also remember to bring your hands back to the level of the heart chakra.
   → At the same time, we close our eyes while the gesture is being made, because it is a way to focus more deeply on a particular intention, which comes from the heart and to share the love that circulates in your environment.
    

3. Finally, the last way to greet is as follows:

   → Apply exactly the same procedure as the second possibility, only this time the hands are positioned above the head. Bow, eyes closed, then stand up and bring your hands back to the heart chakra.
   → It should be applied only as a greeting to the gods. Generally, it is practiced during religious rituals.