Understanding Yoga- An Introduction

The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word Yuj which means union. There must be at least two entities in question when we say union and those two entities being the union of the Jivaatma (individual consciousness) with that of the Paramatma (Universal or Cosmic Consciousness). With time, the usage of the term Yoga has also taken the meaning of the methods and practices by which this union is achieved.

Yoga derives its philosophical and practical roots from the source of spiritual revelations called the Vedas, of which the Upanishads is also a portion. India is the land where the Vedic teachings have been imbibed into the evolution of the whole civilization. Every strata of the society were built with Dharmic values, understanding of Karma, Bhakti and Yogic ideals, thereby grooming a spiritually oriented psyche. Holding this energy the collective psyche was directed towards being seekers; seekers who would go any measure to find purpose and meaning of life and creation; seekers who were determined that total liberation and union with the divine was a possibility; seekers who believed that liberation was the ultimate purpose of every life of this creation.

In this Vedic way, life was understood to be cyclic and divided into four phases:

• Brahmacharya (student life)
• Grihastha/Samsari (House Hold life)
• Vanaprastha (Start of withdrawal from worldly responsibilities)
• Sanyasa(Renounced life)

Brahmacharya is where the learning starts when the value system from the Vedas and various sub-sources of wisdom is acquired.

Grihastha is the phase where indulgence in society and family is dutifully conducted holding dharmic values.

Vanaprastha is the starting stage of handing over the social and family life to the next generation and the start of the seek in the spiritual path.

Sanyasa is the full-fledged seek for Kaivalya or Moksha or Nirvana – the seek for liberation.

Further, the Yogic and Dharmic way of understanding life’s many dimensions reached far into the lives of many through the teachings as guided by the Lord Sri Krishna (one of the ten Avatars of Vishnu) to Arjuna on the battlefield which forms the portion of the historical epic Mahabharata called the Bhagawad Gita. It can be easily said that the Bhagawad Gita is the most influential text that shaped the value system of India and continues to do so even today.

Further, sage Patanjali compiled the teachings of Yoga into what is popularly known as the Yoga Sutras. Using these sutras as the base of understanding, Yoga has taken various forms and directions giving birth to focused schools of thought taught by several masters. The ideologies and practices from these schools have traveled and reached almost every corner of the globe. Due to the universal nature of Yoga, people from various cultural backgrounds and ways of life have been able to assimilate Yoga into their lives.

Traditional Masters Of Yoga

Some of the traditional masters include Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Vyasa, Kapila, Gotama, Jaimini, Ramanujacharya, Madhwacharya just to name a few in the ocean of realized souls. Ramana Maharishi, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Prabhupada, Sri Aurobindo, Shivananda, Mahesh Yogi, Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Chinmayananda, Osho, Sadguru, Baba Ramdev, Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, etc have been some of the modern masters who have taken the teachings of the traditional masters to a global reach. Their global reach comes from the fact that they have used a modern communication mode which involves the language and also reasoning and logic and scientific way of observing the practice. Yoga by the traditional masters has also been a systematic understanding with an emphasis on experiencing the various dimensions, but the modern masters have adapted to the current education and cross-cultural psyche.
Yoga can be understood as structured into multiple layers. The expansion of consciousness starts with the process of understanding these layers and accommodating them. The expression of the self becomes more and more expanded as each of these layers is absorbed within the otherwise partially expressed consciousness. The process of expansion of the consciousness and accommodating the layers starts first with harmonizing the external and the internal. Only by this harmonization can one transcend the external and move towards the internal to realize the self.

For this sage, Patanjali outlined an eightfold path called Ashtanga.

Yama and Niyama are the practices to harmonize the external with the internal:

Prakruti – Purusha harmonization. Then the consciousness is directed towards the self of which the gross entity is the physical body -Jada- the Annamaya Kosha. This layer is accommodated through the practice of Aasanas – the third limb of Ashtanga. Once there is a certain awareness of the nature of the physical entity of the self there is movement into what gives life to this physical layer – Prana – the Pranamaya Kosha. The practice of Pranayama makes the fourth limb of Ashtanga.
To get into the subtler layers of the emotions and the thoughts and the intellect firstly the awareness of the five senses must be brought under control. This layer forms the fifth limb of Ashtanga called the Pratyahara. This is a layer of the Manomaya and Vijnanamaya Kosha.
From here the consciousness drops of impressions and moves into a concentrated state. Here the barrier between the Drishti (the seen) and the Drashta (the seer) starts to breakdown. This forms the sixth and seventh limb of Ashtanga known as Dharana and Dhyana.
The eight limbs of Ashtanga is known as SamadhiThis is an extremely subtle layer where the Drishti and Drashta almost merge. We say almost only because this state of Samadhi also has many sub-layers in it. The subtlest state in Samadhi ( Nirbija Samadhi ) arrives at the state of Yoga – the union state – Brahman Consciousness where there is the experience of Kaivalya or absolute freedom.
To summarize, Yoga can be understood as expanding consciousness to accommodate the various layers of existence. It is in effect giving full expression to the individual entity of the self.

Author: Yoga Sadhaka Narendhran