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Loosely translated, Yoga means "to yoke or join together" - it is the practice of unifying the individual consciousness or inner Self (jivatman) with with the Universal consciousness. This occurs when the mind is silenced and we merge into the unlimited, boundless and timeless state of Universal consciousness. Astanga Yoga is the name given to the system of Yoga codified in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. It is a codified system of personal Self development which ultimate leads to the awakened state of bliss. In our normal state of consciousness we identify through our egos. This level of identification is limited because the ego is a limited separate entity. It gives us a sense of "I" that is distinct and separate from everything else. As a result, ego level identification leaves us feeling separate - isolated - and small. The ego focuses our identity onto our physical body, our thoughts, our feelings, our status and our possessions etc. For example, we feel happy when we are in a good mood, when our relationships are going well, when we get promoted or when we buy an new car. But these external states or objects that the ego identifies with are inherently unstable and must change. For example: the physical body must eventually die, we eventually retire and loose our work status, our possessions age, we can loose our fortune or our relationships. As a result, when we become sick or, when our relationships or work are a problem, we feel contracted and insecure. Because the ego identifies with the physical body it also lives in constant fear of death - death of the body seems like death of the ego self .... and it is. The ego tries to overcome this fear by increasing it's power and status in the outside world. But the more it gathers power, status and material property the more it feels insecure. This occurs because the more we have the more there is too loose. The higher our status the further we have to fall. Yoga provides us with a way out of this ego driven, contracted, isolated and fear driven life. The rewards are a sense of total connection (vs. isolation), a sense of expansiveness (vs. contraction), a sense of peace and security (vs. stress and insecurity), a sense of timelessness (vs. time bound), and sense of love for everything (vs. fear of death) How does this work? An analogy - Consider for a moment what it feels like when you fall in love with someone new. Life feels wonderful - you feel full of energy and enthusiasm for life. You feel expanded and that you can accomplish anything - in other words you feel boundless. When you are with our loved one time seems to stand still. What has happened to make you feel this state of bliss? It is simple - you have expanded your sense of self. You have collapsed your ego's boundaries and merged with your loved one. Unfortunately, as we all know, this state of bliss which accompanies new love subsides. The question is, when and how does it subside? It subsides when you start to feel separate again and you start focusing on your own needs. Your boundaries contract and you feel small, isolated and contracted once again - "self centred". Yoga is the science of shifting us permanently away from our isolated contracted ego state to the permanently expanded and unbound state of connectedness, love and bliss. Yoga is the practice of expansion - of shifting our identity from the limited, time bound, separate and externally focused ego to an identity with the unlimited, timeless, all encompassing and totally connecting Universal consciousness which is who we truly are. This requires a fundamental shift of focus from the outside world to the inside world. We accomplish this by learning to control that part of our mind which focuses on the outside world and by strengthening, refocusing and sharpening that part of our mind which can focus inside. Yoga has identified and codified a set of practices which teach us how to do this. Yoga has a view about the way the mind is structured and functions. It is from this knowledge of the mind and its workings that the various limbs of yoga were developed as a way for practitioners to understand and control the mind. The structure and function of the mind Mind - manas - emotional / sensate outer mind. The Mind connects us to the outside world through our senses and controls our activity in the outside world through the organs of action. Its action is like the stomach in the physical body. It collects our experience but cannot digest it, interpret it, or place a value on it. Its functions include volition, imagination and sensory control. The mind focuses on the outside world as action. This keeps us focused on the future and in the world of imagination, "doing" and trying to become which is a "dream" state. This state is called RAJASIC Intelligence - buddhi. Our Intelligence digests the input received from the outer mind and places a sense of value on it. This intelligence can either be focused on understanding the outer world of form and name or the inner world of wisdom and truth. Its function is like that of the small intestine in the physical body. It is also that part of the mind which can shed light on our deep held beliefs, feelings, habits and fears which are stored in our inner mind. It's functions include perception, discrimination and reason.Buddhi focuses the outside world as intellect or outer knowledge and On the inside world as intelligence or inner knowledge. It brings us into an awakened state of the present where we can access true knowledge and wisdom (as opposed to being in the past and future). This state is called SATTVIC Consciousness - chitta - inner mind. This part of the mind is like the physical body of the mind. It absorbs and stores the output from the intelligence. It is the storehouse of our deepest seated beliefs, feelings, habits and fears. It is the inner mind. Its functions include memory, sleep and bliss. Here the focus is on Love and our deepest inner desires - our instincts and intuition. Inner Self - Jiva AtmanSelf awareness - the sense of our self as part of the timeless, unbounded Universal consciousness rather than as the limited, contracted and time based ego.The focus here is on Self realisation, Pure Knowledge and the eternal present. It is a state of pure "being" or "sat". Understanding the structure of the mind is fine but what keeps it working? - what keeps us alive or anything else alive for that matter? Yoga realises that the Universe is based on the principal of energy. This energy is called prana or Shakti . The Chinese call this same energy Chi and the Japanese call it Ki. Prana underlies all life and movement in the Universe. It is the driving force behind our minds, our bodies and the operation of the whole Universe. It leaves our physical bodies when we die. Because prana controls the mind and Yoga is a process of mind control, it follows that building and controlling prana is a very important aspect of Yoga. Yoga also focuses strongly on the physical body. We need a pure healthy body to live fully and practice yoga. When we are weak and sick our minds become unfocussed and scattered. A strong foundation is the key to spiritual growth - our capacity to expand upwards is dependant on the strength and integrity of our roots.
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Facts: - Yoga originated in India. - It is one of India's greatest spiritual gift to mankind |
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