Yoga Sutras, learn what the yoga of the 8 steps is all about.
June 19, 2021
More than 2,000 years ago the Hindu sage Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras: "Aphorisms or commentaries on Yoga", at that time there was no Yoga as we know it today, there were no postures, no Vinyasas . When Patanjali mentioned the word Yoga he was referring to the ability to direct the mind exclusively towards one object and to maintain that direction without any distraction .
The Yoga Sutras are simple instructions to achieve that concentration that Patanjali talks about, which do not stop taking a lot of work and effort and are divided into 8 steps. These steps must be carried out one by one, if we do not have a good foundation, it is impossible to grow.
1.Yamas: it is our behavior towards others and is made up of 5 principles.
- Ahimsa: not violence, neither towards ourselves nor towards others. You have to be compassionate.
- Satya: be honest and don't lie, go with the truth ahead.
- Asteya: don't steal. There is nothing wrong with having ambitions, but you must work honestly, always trying to help others: that your wealth is not the poverty of others.
- Brahmacharya: live in moderation. This principle reminds us that nothing in excess is good.
- Aparigraha: be generous and do not get carried away by greed. All the great sages warn about this: having things is not bad, the problem is when these things dominate us.
2. Niyamas: it is attitude towards life, thoughts and feelings
- Saucha: is related to cleanliness and order, both of the body and the mind. Santosha: it is maintaining an attitude of equanimous contentment before life, knowing that true happiness is found on the inside and not on the outside.
- Tapas: be disciplined, punctual and persistent in actions.
- Svadyaya: study the being and comments of the great sages. It is important to complement self-observation and reflection with books and writings from people who have traveled the same path, in the same way that a doctor learns both from his own experience on the operating table and from what other doctors have been through there. before him.
- Ishvara Pranidhana: the relationship of each person with the Universal Energy, surrender to the Divine.
- Yamas and Niyamas are basic rules of conduct , similar to those that can be found in any religion. The golden rule of treating your neighbor as yourself and maintaining a calm attitude in the face of life's shocks. You don't have to belong to any particular belief to see the benefits.
4. Pranayama: Hese are breathing exercises to control energy.
5. Pratyahara: Is to draw attention inward. Avoid distractions from the outside world and keep your focus on the inner journey.
6.Dharana: Is the power to stay focused on a single point.
7. Dhyana: When the Dharana is maintained for a long time, everything else is forgotten, distractions and the individual self is left out of the mind because there is only room for the observed object.
8.Samadhi: It is a state of ecstasy produced by an intensified Dhyana, which no longer takes effort, it is natural.
