Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga (2.29)

Namaste, we started studying about Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga concepts in our yoga class today.   Patanjali describes Ashtanga Yoga in second chapter called Sadhana Pada.  Ashta = Eight and Anga  = Limbs.  He gives systematic and progressive steps to start our journey from ‘Yamas’ towards deep absorption state called ‘Samadhi’.

Yoga is primarily an inward journey, though most of the focus these days is primarily on asanas.  The first five steps together (Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara) is called Bahiranga (external) yoga and the last three steps (Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi) together is called Antaranga (internal) yoga. 

The first limb is called yama.  Patanjali says to begin our inward journey we should first improve our interactions with outside world, have a proper attitude towards everyone in this world, eliminate negativity about others and appreciate the beautiful world.  Only when we eliminate such negativity within us, we will be able to go deeper inwards.  We should cultivate an attitude that everyone in this world should be happy and healthy and do whatever we can to accomplish that. One of the question often comes up is why should we wish happiness for people who are ‘bad’?  Guruji says that in this world, approximately 10% of people are good, 10% are bad and 80% people are neutral.  The 80% will sway towards good or bad based on how dominant the good and bad are.  The ‘bad’ people are not inherently bad, but generally become so due to some suffering in their life (lives).  There is always a potential for them to turn good by eliminating their suffering and showing them the right path.  That is why we pray for everyone’s good (Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah) at the end of each of our yoga classes and learn to take this message to this world to do the good we can, in our own little ways.

The yamas are called ‘outer observances’ and are five-fold: Non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence and non-greediness.  Wish you happy interactions with the world and we will study more about these principles next week.