1.Yama – Self-Control or Moral Discipline
These are five principles that help you behave properly with others:
• Ahimsa (Non-violence): Do not harm anyone through thoughts, words, or actions.
• Satya (Truthfulness): Always speak the truth, kindly and wisely.
• Asteya (Non-stealing): Do not take what is not yours.
• Brahmacharya (Self-control): Channel your energy thoughtfully, particularly in your interactions and relationships.
• Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness): Don’t be greedy or overly attached to material things.
Please also visit Patanjali yogsutra
2.Niyama – Self-discipline or Personal Habits
These are five habits to improve your inner life:
• Shaucha (Cleanliness): Keep your body and mind clean.
• Santosha (Contentment): Be satisfied with what you have.
• Tapas (Discipline): Practice self-control and stay strong in tough times.
• Svadhyaya (Self-study): Read holy texts and know yourself.
• Ishwarapranidhana (Surrender to God): Trust and offer your actions to a higher power.
3.Asana – Physical Posture.
These are the yoga poses we often see today. Patanjali says the purpose of asanas is to make the body strong, healthy, and still, so one can sit for meditation easily. A good posture is steady and comfortable.
4.Pranayama – Breath Control
This is the practice of controlling the breath. Breath is connected to the mind. When we control the breath, our thoughts and emotions become calm. It includes deep breathing, slow breathing, and holding the breath in specific ways.
5.Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the Senses
This step is about turning the senses inward. Instead of being distracted by sounds, smells, and sights outside, you focus on your inner self. It is like closing the doors of the mind to outside noise.
6.Dharana – Concentration
This is the practice of focusing your mind on one thing. It could be your breath, a word (mantra), a light, or a thought. This supports the growth of a calm and concentrated mind.
7.Dhyana –
When concentration becomes deeper and continuous, it becomes meditation. In this stage, your mind becomes peaceful and stays fixed on one object without getting distracted.
8.Samadhi – Union or Bliss
This is the final step. Here, the meditator becomes one with the object of meditation. The sense of “I” disappears, and you feel complete peace, joy, and unity with everything. It is a state of total freedom and self-realization.
Kinds of Mental Activity (Chitta Vrittis)
According to Patanjali, the mind is constantly active with various patterns or movements known as vrittis.. These include:
1.Right knowledge (pramana)
2.Wrong knowledge (viparyaya)
3.Imagination (vikalpa)
4.Sleep (nidra)
5.Memory (smriti)
Yoga teaches us how to reduce and control these mental movements to reach inner stillness.
Obstacles on the Path of Yoga
Patanjali warns that there are 9 common obstacles that disturb our practice:
- Illness
- Doubt
- laziness
- carelessness
- lakck of progress
- lack of conecentration
- flase understanding
- Instability
- Sorrow or sadness
🌿 Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga:
🧠 Mental Benefits:
- Inner Peace: Regular meditation (Dhyana) and sense withdrawal (Pratyahara) reduce stress, anxiety, and restlessness.
- Improved Focus: Concentration (Dharana) practices help enhance memory and mental clarity.
- Emotional Stability: Cultivating self-discipline and contentment (Santosha) fosters emotional resilience.
💪 Physical Benefits:
- Increased Strength & Flexibility: Asanas (yoga postures) stretch and strengthen the muscles and joints.
- Better Breathing & Vitality: Pranayama (breath control) improves lung capacity and energizes the body.
- Boosted Immunity: Regular practice improves digestion, circulation, and natural healing power.
🕉️ Spiritual Benefits:
- Self-Realization: Through deep meditation and Samadhi (absorption), one attains self-awareness and spiritual liberation.
- Connection to the Divine: Devotion (Ishwar Pranidhana) brings a sense of surrender and inner harmony.
🤝 Ethical & Social Benefits:
- Moral Discipline: Yamas (like non-violence, truth) and Niyamas (like cleanliness, self-study) cultivate honesty, kindness, and integrity.
- Harmonious Relationships: Ethical living fosters peace in social, personal, and professional relationships.