Dear Friends,
Namaste!
Now that we have discussed eight limbs and major types of Yoga as well as four elements of ‘Sadhana’, you will say, “Yoga is what we wish to regularly perform – not Sadhana! So how is Yoga connected with Sadhana, if at all?”
Actually, eight limbs and four major types of Yoga are fully integrated into Sadhana. Therefore when you are doing Sadhana, you are actually practising all eight limbs and four types of Yoga simultaneously! In fact, ‘Sadhana’ is also called ‘Yoga-Sadhana’ and when you are practising Yoga in any form, you are actually doing Sadhana! Let’s see how…
We saw in the last article how “Yama” (values) and “Niyama” (observances) are inextricably linked with the Yogic Lifestyle – one of the four pillars of Sadhana. How the second pillar (Exercise) stands on the foundation of “Asana” (postures) and “Pranayam” (breath/life-force control). How “Pratyahar” (sense control) and “Dharana” (concentration) aid in Knowledge Acquisition and how constant practice of “Dhyan” (Meditation) leads to the state of eternal and infinite bliss (“Samadhi”).
Same is the case with the four major Yoga types, viz., “Bhakti Yoga” (Yoga of Faith), “Karma Yoga” (Yoga of Action), “Gyan Yoga” (Yoga of Acquiring Knowledge) and “Raja Yoga” (Yoga of Internalizing Knowledge).
One of the main deliverables of Yogic Lifestyle is “merging the ‘self’ homogeneously with the environment”. This ties in nicely with “Bhakti Yoga” because just like we have our faculties (Body, Mind, Intellect); this universe is God’s faculty. By connecting well with the Universe, we are directly connecting well with God Himself!
“Gyan Yoga” is all about Acquiring Knowledge about self and environment. We have discussed that that is what we do as the third element of our Sadhana.
“Raja Yoga” is about internalizing the acquired knowledge through the process of Meditation in order to stabilize the ripples on our mind’s pond and meditation is an irreplaceable component of the daily Sadhana.
And by maximizing our contribution to the external world by applying knowledge gained, using faculties fine-tuned by Exercise and channelizing our emotions in a positive way, we are doing nothing but “Karma Yoga” itself.
It is quite evident from the foregoing discussion that all relevant aspects of Yoga are built into the daily Sadhana and hence it is synonymous with Yoga-Sadhana. As stated earlier, the time and energy distribution of an individual across the four elements will depend upon the evolution level (the ‘standard’ in the School of Life) and the focus on a particular element will differentiate ‘students’ in a particular standard from other students.
In fact, in advanced stages of Sadhana, the lines among the various Yoga limbs and types start to blur. For example, all eight limbs of Yoga are expected to be practised during Sun Salutations (“Surya Namaskar”). Sun Salutations are also called as “Saashtanga Namaskar” for this very reason. (“Namaskar” means ‘Salutations’. “Sa” means ‘with’, “Ashta” means ‘eight’ and “Anga” means ‘limbs’. Therefore “Saashtanga” or “Sa-Ashta-Anga” literally means ‘with eight limbs’). So, “Saashtanga Surya Namaskar” means “Salutations or obeisance to Sun performed with all eight limbs of Yoga”!
Why is obeisance offered to Sun? Well, because solar energy is the most basic form of tangible cosmic energy and by worshipping solar energy, we are actually bowing in front of that fundamental source of energy from which everything has come into existence. That subtle energy (“Brahman” in Yogic terms) has neither any beginning nor the end and can only be transformed from one form to the other (including ‘mass’). In Physics, this is well known as the “Law of Conservation of Energy”!
Also, when someone practices “Power Yoga”, it does not remain merely a physical exercise consisting of a myriad of postures. It is expected that all the other limbs of Yoga (such as Pranayam, meditation etc.) are built into the practice and done along with the postures! Hence “Power Yoga” is also known as “Ashtanga Yoga” (Yoga of Eight Limbs) itself!
Similarly, paying obeisance to God is a “Karma” (an act). But in advance stages, every act becomes so meaningful that we are actually continuously paying obeisance to God through each and every action! We are learning something even as we carry out that action and internalizing that learning at the same time!!
This is the stage where all our thoughts, speech and actions start happening in complete awareness and accordance with the natural (and divine) ‘flow’, in larger interests, meditatively and meaningfully. We are perennially in the ‘zone’ and become one with our true self - that reservoir of Happiness that we always thought was without and not within.
Look within and quench your thirst by continuously drinking from the eternal and oh-so-nourishing stream of Happiness…
And we will connect again next week to take stock of water that has flown under the bridge so far…
Tschus!
No comments:
Post a Comment