How To Understand Yoga

Everybody earns money, keeps it in savings and spends gradually so that he may not be bankrupt at any moment of time. To become bankrupt is very painful. So wise men always conserve a good amount of money and spend gradually so that they may lead a peaceful and comfortable life. Similarly the energy in the body by which a man works and enjoys the world has limitations. You can't work or enjoy the world endlessly. You have to conserve energy in the body and spend gradually. That way you can enjoy peace in the mind and vigor in the body. This happens naturally through sleep, but in sleep you remain in an unconscious state. So you don't enjoy full peace, health and happiness. For this one has to find out a different path.

Yoga is the path or method by which you learn how to conserve energy so that you may feel peace, vigor, happiness and freedom. The word 'Yoga' is derived from Sanskrit root 'yuj samadhou', meaning Samadhi or total concentration. By total concentration of mind, a Yogi frees himself from all worldly thoughts and realizes his True Self, which is full of peace, bliss and power.

The great philosopher of ancient India Patanjali codified all knowledge relating to Yoga prevailing at his time in the form of aphorisms (sutras). His Yoga has 8 limbs or parts called Yama (abstention), Niyama (discipline), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahar (withdrawal), Dharana (to hold), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (total concentration). Yama and Niyama are external limbs, which are to be observed while leading social lives, whereas the rest are internal limbs, which are to be practiced in action daily early in the morning. All these 8 limbs are briefly described below.

1. Yama (abstention) - A Yogi or practitioner in order to observe Yama should abstain or check himself from five things: violence (ahimsa), falsehood (satya), stealing (asteya), sensual worldly enjoyments (brahmacharya) and greed (aparigraha).
2. Niyama (discipline) - There are five disciplines by which you purify yourself both externally and internally and make yourself able for a higher cause. These are ablution (shaucha), contentment (santosh), to warm up (tapa), self-study (svadhyay) and to bear God (Ishvara pranidhan).
3. Asana (posture) - There are various Yoga Asanas for doing yogic exercises taught by various Masters. But in a nutshell there are three postures by which a man can rest his body comfortably. These are sleeping posture (sabasana), sitting posture (padmasana) and standing posture (tadasana). According to Patanjali you should choose such a posture where your body remains still and comfortable.
4. Pranayama (breath control) - Breath is the life-force. This life-force flows throughout the body and all internal actions take place due to this force. In Pranayama this life-force is given rest. When the body is given rest, life-force slows down and finally becomes still.
5. Pratyahar (withdrawal) - After giving rest to the body and life-force, a Yogi tries to withdraw mind from the body and senses so that mind becomes free from worldly thoughts. Patanjali has defined Yoga as controlling of thoughts arising in the mind. So in Pratyahar you perfectly control your thoughts.
6. Dharana (to hold) - Here a Yogi holds his mind with perfect control by withdrawing it from body and senses.
7. Dhyana (meditation) - After a Yogi holds mind with perfect control, he fixes it upon his True Self. Patanjali has described that after mind becomes free from thoughts, then the Seer rests on his True Self. So in meditation you meditate upon yourself. Here the meditator, meditation and meditated are one and same. True Self is the true identity of an individual. Spiritually True Self is called Soul (atman).
8. Samadhi (total concentration) - Samadhi is the last state of yoga. Here a Yogi rests upon his True Self and realizes himself. This is such a waking state where your body is asleep and such a sleeping state where you are perfectly awake. This is the most blissful state; words can't describe it. You become pure conscious and omniscient.

There are two things or realities in the whole universe - one is consciousness and other is unconscious matter. Ultimately there is only one truth and that is consciousness. Material world is only a projection of consciousness. It appears to exist for consciousness exists. This consciousness is divine and eternal. To look towards material world is enjoyment (bhoga) and to look towards Self is Yoga. So people should turn their mind from outer world to inner world if they want to realize the blissful, divine and eternal Self.