The Sun (Surya) Sun is known to be the God of light. The sun is the star at the centre of our solar system, around which the earth and other planets revolve, and which provides us with heat and light. The portion of the sky (or arc) that the sun travels in every year, rising […]
Hatha is a sanskrit name consisting of two parts “Ha” and “Tha”. Ha (or Ham is the sound of Pingala Nadi, prana, chi, vital life force) where as Tha (or Tham, Ksham is the sound of Ida Nadi, mind, mental force). Yoga means Union, therefore the meaning of Hatha-Yoga may be interpreted as Yoga through […]
We all are in search of peace. Almost all human beings whether they seem to be living happily or not feel restlessness all the time. Everybody is running behind some or the other materialistic things of this world and thinks that he will get happiness after achieving it, but even after achieving the most desirable […]
The verbal meaning of “Yama” is “rein, curb, or bridle, discipline or restraints” In the present context, it is used to mean “self-control, forbearance, or any great rule or duty”. It can also be interpreted as “attitude” or “behavior”. Certainly a particular attitude can be expressed as discipline, which then influences our behavior. Patanjali’s Yoga […]
The verbal meaning of ‘Niyama’, is rules or laws. These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the five yamas, the niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied. They represent far more than an attitude. Compared with the yamas, the niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude […]
The practice of physical postures is called Asana. It is the most commonly known aspect of yoga for those unfamiliar with the other seven limbs. The verbal meaning of ‘Asana’ is staying or abiding. Asana is one way in which a person can experience the unity of body and mind. Asana is defined as that […]
Pranayama is all about the breathing and concentrating the mind. It is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. Pranayama gives control of breathing processes and control of vital force. When the inflowing breath is neutralized […]
This limb of Ashtanga Yoga deals with the preparation to meditation. Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means “nourishment”; pratyahara translates as “to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses.” In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. What does this mean? It means […]
The objective in dharana is to steady the mind by focusing its attention upon some stable entity. Dhr means “to hold.” Literally, the word dharana means ‘immovable concentration of the mind’. The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. This is not the forced concentration of, for example, […]