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Happy new year 2019 and a message


Namaste,

Wish you all a very happy new year.

Hope your yoga practice is going well and you are looking forward to taking it to next level this year.  Yoga practice typically is equated to Yoga Asanas by many folks.  However, Patanjali beautifully describes how a typical (Raja) yoga practice can influence other streams of yoga - Karma yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga - in a positive and profound way.

Patanjali Yoga Sutras is predominantly a Raja Yoga text.  It focuses on the study of mind and how to take our mind to deepest levels of concentration and refinement.  Though Patanjali describes the concept of Ashtanga Yoga (Eight limbs) in detail to reach this highest state of mind, he also describes a concept called ‘Kriya Yoga’, or Yoga of Action, in the second chapter (Sadhana Pada).

Patanjali says in 2.1: “tapaḥ svādhyāyeśvarapraṇidhānāni kriyāyogaḥ”

तपः स्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः
తపః స్వాధ్యాయేశ్వరప్రణిధానాని క్రియాయోగః
தபஃ ஸ்வாத்யாயேஶ்வரப்ரணிதானானி க்ரியாயோகஃ
ತಪಃ ಸ್ವಾಧ್ಯಾಯೇಶ್ವರಪ್ರಣಿಧಾನಾನಿ ಕ್ರಿಯಾಯೋಗಃ 
തപഃ സ്വാധ്യായേശ്വരപ്രണിധാനാനി ക്രിയായോഗഃ 
તપઃ સ્વાધ્યાયેશ્વરપ્રણિધાનાનિ ક્રિયાયોગઃ 
ତପଃ ସ୍ଵାଧ୍ୟାୟେଶ୍ଵରପ୍ରଣିଧାନାନି କ୍ରିୟାୟୋଗଃ
তপঃ স্বাধ্য়ায়েশ্বরপ্রণিধানানি ক্রিয়ায়োগঃ

Tapas describes a sense of zeal, austerity and self-discipline in our practice (Raja Yoga).  Such self-discipline improves our senses and mind control which results in improved actions, relationships, right knowledge acquisition to take our journey in the right direction.  Svadhyaya means study of texts, scriptures and evaluation of our progress in our yoga journey (Jnana Yoga).  Isvara Pranidhana means surrender to a higher power with a sense of love and devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and it also means to give our best effort in every action (Karma Yoga) without worrying about results. Together, Tapas, Svadhyaya and Isvara Pranidhana represent ‘Yoga of Action’, as all of these aspects involve ‘doing’ something.  Kriya Yoga comes from the root work ‘Kr’ meaning ‘To do’, indicating that Yoga is not passive!

Thank you and looking forward to a wonderful 2019 ahead,

Regards,             
Shailesh

http://shaileshyoga.blogspot.com/
https://yogabharati.org/milpitas-classes (sign up for new session starting on Jan 26th)

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