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The word “yoga” in Sanskrit means “yoke”— to join, connect, or unite. Despite how it may appear today — awash in high-fashion Lycra and practiced to the beat of teen-age divas in gyms across the country — yoga is, at its source, an ancient system designed to join the individual soul with the Divine.
As a system, yoga’s teachings deal with universal truths; the practice of yoga is a way of life, not a religion. Yoga and its techniques are practiced by Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, atheists and others. After all, the concept of union with the Divine is found in all the world’s religions.
There are many schools of yoga, a variety of paths, and now that yoga has become a mainstay of western popular culture, even more “brands.” Classically speaking, however, one of the oldest and most popular forms that yoga has taken is Raja Yoga.
Raja Yoga is an eight-fold path based upon tenets originating up to 6,000 years ago in the Indus Valley and compiled by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. Commonly referred to as eight-limbed, the path is a progressive series of steps or disciplines designed to purify the body and mind. The physical postures most of us are familiar with are part of this path, which also includes the following:
1. Yamas: Ethical precepts — you might think of them as the “thou shall and shall nots” of the yogic path. They include nonviolence, truthfulness, moderation (of the senses and sexuality), nonstealing and nonjealousy.
2. Niyamas: Observances, such as purity, contentment, austerity, study and surrender of the ego.
3. Asanas: Physical poses designed to gently condition every system of the body. Among their many benefits are that they lubricate the joints, strengthen the muscles, tone the nervous system, improve circulation, release tension and increase flexibility.
4. Pranayama: Deep breathing techniques regarded by yogis as an important link between our physical body and our mental state. Pranayama’s effects can be cleansing and strengthening to the body, as well as calming, and clearing to the mind.
5. Pratyahara: Literally translated as a drawing back or withdrawing of energy from our senses, pratyahara may best be defined as the practice of nonreaction, witnessing or nonattachment to external results. It is through this step that the yogi strives to gain control over her mind and senses, rather than being controlled by them.
6. Dharana: The objective in dharana is to steady the mind, to develop the capacity to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. Once the mind is able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience, we can unleash its potential for inner healing and move toward perception of our true nature.
7. Dhyana: Dhyana, or meditation, is an integral element of the yogic path and the most effective tool to help you achieve a clearer, steadier and more focused mind.
8. Samadhi. Samadhi is the cessation of egoic activity and the reason we do Yoga — to unite with the Divine in pure awareness, to experience oneness, the state of nonduality and the highest state of consciousness.
Today there are perhaps 20 million practitioners of one or another system of yoga in the West alone. The movement has grown steadily over the past hundred years, and more rapidly since the late 1960s. But that’s no surprise to those who practice yoga. Like a pebble dropped in a pond, the ripple effects of a yoga practice spread outward and continue far beyond the initial point of contact. But don’t take someone else’s word for it. Explore yoga as it is offered near you or look into the many videos on the market now and experience the yoga for yourself.
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