We start with the salutations to our master, Swami Vivekananda: “Namaç Sri Yatirájáya Vivekánanda süraye, sacitsukha svarüpáya svamine tápa háriďe.” an embodiment of existence, consciousness and bliss; let our salutations bring health, peace, harmony everywhere. Yoga has started spreading like wild fire. But invariably yoga is practiced only as postures (ASANA), as an alternative to exercises. but yoga is not only asanas. It is a science of total living. (Yujyate anainati yogaha) the process of joining. Patanjali systematized the methodologies and the processes five thousand years back in India and gave us those beautiful aphorisms called Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the second verse, the sutra is: [Yogaha cittavritti nirodaha]. to gain mastery over the mind. How do we do that? The mind is too powerful and distracted we cannot directly handle the mind. so we have to use other tricks.
Bahiranga yoga consists of five limbs: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara. Each can independently lead to the ultimate reality. The swarupa, the stage of highest bliss, freedom, knowledge and power which is the goal.
We discussed about the set of don’ts, Yama: ahimsa, asteya, Brahamacharya, aparigraha. We also discussed the five sets of do’s i.e., what we should do to bring the mind slowly in our control: Sowcha, Santosha, Tapas, Swadhyaya, Ishwara Pranidhana. Then we start the working on the third limb: the Asana way.
Here in Yogasanas, the Yogic postures of the body we use the body to gain control over the mind. There are two major schools of pranayama and asanas. One is the dynamic school, propagated by Hatha yoga,and the second school advocates relaxing asanas featured by stretch and relax slowness and maintenance of the postures of asanas for longer and longer periods. That is the famous Patanjali yoga.
A Systematic, scientific research is the approach for all the above transformation.
OM, SHANTHI, SHANTHI, SHANTHI.