EIGHT-FOLD PATH

 Astanga or Raja Yoga

Yoga literally means " union", " connections", or "oneness". Today, we typically understand "yoga" to mean a series of gentle stretching exercises; but in fact, it can refer to any of a number of physical and mental disciplines, all of which are designed to reunite us with our sacred energy source: the divine.

In the second century C.E., the Indian yogi Patanjali - who is sometimes referred to as the Father of Yoga - codified the millennia-old yoga tradition in his Yoga Sutra. Patanjali outlined eight specific principles, each of which is an entire practice path intended to reunite the seeker with the divine.

THE EIGHT STEPS :

Yamas - Ethical behavior, truth, non-violence, non-stealing, non-covetness (8)

Niyamas - Self discipline, purity, surrender of ego (7)

Asanas - Bodily Postures (6)

Pranayama - Breathing and control of the vital breath force (5)

Pratyahara - Turning inward, releasing the Ego & senses (4)

Dhyrana - Concentration of the mind (3)

Dhyana - Meditation (2)

Samadi - Transcendence (1)

Among the various forms that abide by these principles are physical (hatha) yoga, mantra (japa) yoga, kundalini yoga, meditation (bhakti) yoga, breath/energy yoga such as Qicology Yoga, diet and fasting yoga, chanting yoga, knowledge (jnana) yoga, and visualization yoga. All of these can be practiced alone, ultimately work together. At Yoga in Niagara, we fuse classic styles and call the system RAJAFUSION.

Yoga practice is based on the ancient adepts' timeless understanding of the three-fold nature and sacred inner power of the human body, mind and spirit. According to this view, all phenomena operate simultaneously at three levels of reality: outer, inner and secret. The outer level refers to that which is evident to our ordinary perception. The inner level is the more subtle meaning, where the personal lessons reside. The secret level contains the potential for profound and spiritual or transforming yogic experience.

Modern science has found that yoga practitioners enjoy many physical and metaphysical benefits. These include stress reduction, relaxation, enhanced health and well being, inner calm, improved memory and mental activity, increased flexibility, vitality, sexual prowess, better sleep, fuller respiration, rejuvenation and longevity. For these reasons, yoga is all encompassing. In all its forms, it effectively purifies, refines, and revitalizes the body mind while unblocking the subtle nervous system. (left untended, blockages in this 'light body' can inhibit both body and mind, causing imbalances, karmic disturbances, mental and physical illness and so on).

Like meditation and prayer, yoga practice represents a daily mental and physical hygiene that opens us to the wisdom and truth within ourselves, lending meaning and luster to all the facets of our lives. Yoga is meditation in movement. It helps us reconnect the tangible, material world with the more subtle, invisible, spiritual world.

Yoga is a way of life. It is predominantly concerned with maintaining a state of equanimity at all costs. All yoga schools of thought emphasize the importance of the mind remaining calm, because as the saying goes, only when the water is still can you see through it. Yoga Darshan or Yoga Philosophy also happens to be a valid discipline of Indian metaphysics (Brahma Vidya). It is the result of human wisdom and insight on physiology, psychology, ethics and spirituality collected together and practiced over thousands of years for the well being of humanity.

The basic idea of yoga is to unite the atma or individual soul with the paramatma or the Universal Soul. According to Yoga philosophy, by cleansing one's mind and controlling one's thought processes one can return to that primeval state, when the individual self was nothing but a part of the Divine Self. This is the sense encapsulated in the term samadhi. The aim of the yogi is to be able to perceive the world in its true light and to accept that truth in its entirety.

In Sanskrit, the term 'yoga' stands for 'union'. A yogi's ultimate aim is to be able to attain this 'union' with the Eternal Self with the help of certain mental and physical exercises. It is often said that Hiranyagarbha (The Cosmic Womb) Himself had originally advocated the traditional system of yoga, from which all other yoga schools have evolved. But for all extant knowledge of yoga and its practices, such as yogasanas and pranayama, the entire credit goes to Maharishi Patanjali.

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