Gita: A Mantra for Success
Gita: A Mantra for Success
Episode 12: Ashtanga Patanjali Yoga Sutras - Part 2
In this episode, we describe
- The Eight Limbs of Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.
- The Yamas listed as
- Ahimsa – not harming or non-violence;
- Satya– speaking the truth or avoiding falsehood;
- Asteya– not stealing;
- Brahmacharya – celibacy; and
- Aparigraha– having no sense of ownership.
- The Niyamas are what Patanjali wants Yogis to adapt. These are –
- Shaucha– purity of both body and mind
- Santosha– contentment in the sense of not always seeking more than one already has
- Tapa– acts of religious austerity
- Svadhyaya– study and recitation of the Veda; and
- Ishvara-pranidhana– devotion to God.
- Learn why Yoga is a way of life, not those complex Yoga postures.
This is the end of Season 1. Please help us understand what you would like us to cover in Season 2. You can email us at onestoryavenue@gmail.com
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We have written a blog about Patanjali Yoga Sutras. You can find it here
Vee 00:14
Wow, the last episode of the season. Yes, we had 12 episodes, 12 different topics. And it was a great learning experience. Yes. Today we're going to talk about Patanjali Yoga Sutras. This will be part two, actually the final part. So we spoke about five different kinds of mindset, and four different kinds of people and how we should deal with each kind of person. Okay, so how would you like to begin today?
Dee 00:42
Let's get directly into the second chapter of Patanjali Yoga and talk about Ashtanga Yoga. So you have… Have you heard about Ashtanga Yoga?
Vee 00:50
Yes.
Dee: 00:51
What do you... what do you think of it?
Vee 00:52
I have heard about Ashtanga Yoga. But when people hear that they usually think about the physically demanding Yoga poses.
Dee 00:59
Yeah. Yeah, but Yoga is not those physically demanding poses that we think of. Yoga is much more than that. In fact, Yoga is beyond those Yoga poses. Yoga is a way of life. That way of life is Ashtanga Yoga.
Vee 1:18
Okay? Alright.
Dee 1:19
It is also known as Eight Limbs of Yoga. So Patanjali speaks about ignorance. And he says that this ignorance that we have, can be removed by our knowledge. We can acquire such knowledge this, I would call it enlightenment, following this rule of Ashtanga
Vee 01:40
Okay, so basically you are saying Ashtanga is more like a step by step guide to become .. Buddha.
Dee 01:47
Yeah. Something like that
Vee 01:50
Enlightenment for Dummies. Perfect.
Dee 01:52
At least that's what I felt. So Ashtanga or the Eight Limbs of Yoga. He has divided Yoga into eight limbs. So the First limb, which is Yama, it's focusing on behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. I think it is more to do with Dharma, okay? Because he's talking about these five moral codes that we humans must follow.
Vee 2:19
Perfect. Go on
Dee 2:20
And they are Ahimsa. So if you if you remember that line Ahimsa Param Dharma right? So it comes from
Vee 02:25
That’s why it is number one?
Dee 02:26
yeah. Ahimsa, which is obviously non violence, not harm.. not harming anybody. And our second Dharma is Satya, which is speaking the truth Hmm. And our third Dharma is Asteya, which is not stealing from anybody, the fourth being Brahmacharya, which is celibacy. And the fifth Aparigraha, which is having no attachment.
Vee 02:52
right. Okay. So Yama is the first limb? Right and these five Dharmas or moral codes are, let's call them subsections of Yamas. So let me try and explain what a non violence means. It is a personal practice of being harmless to oneself and to others.
Dee 03:09
Okay. But in Bhagavad Gita is Krishna promoting violence because Arjuna had to kill somebody, right?
Vee 03:14
Right. So non violence here ..Ahimsa does not only mean not doing violence, it also, you know, it's taking a decisive action to resist oppression or bringing about change. So in Arjuna’s case, it's different. The intent was different.. Arjuna had to fight.
Dee 03:31
Yeah, so obviously the intention, right, so Arjuna’s intention to fight back was very different from Duryodhana’s intention
Vee 03:38
Yeah, to start a fight.
Dee 03:40
Oh, that's a good point. So you know, that intention is what makes us violent or nonviolent person. So it's not only physically harming someone, and it's more intentionally, how you're trying to harm yourself and of course, to harm or hurt others.
Vee 03:56
I think it's up to you, how you want to define that and I think we should leave it at that and go to the second
Dee 04:02
Okay, no problem. So Satya, truth, what would you say
Vee 04:05
First thing is start by being true to yourself. Be bold ..Yeah, tell the truth and move on.
Dee 04:11
Yeah, so what about the third one? Not stealing – Asteya
Vee 04:16
Asteya- not stealing. That does not mean only stealing you know things like when you think steal people think stealing things. It also includes like, you know, stealing credit from others when other people deserve it.
Dee 04:27
Okay, the fourth point Brahamcharya which means celibacy
Vee 04:30
In the ancient times, the Yogi's, you know, kind of became celibate, they would, you know, go to the jungle, leave everything else. But in today's context, I don't think that's what it means. It means it has to do with indulgence. So, everything you do.. do in moderation, this is also one form of Brahmacharya
Dee 04:48
Makes sense
Vee 04:49
But also you know, something good as exercising also should not be done in abundance.
Dee 04:52
Yeah yeah.. people say too much of love is also bad, right?
Vee 04:55
Exactly. Too much of anything is bad.
Dee 04:56
Too much of anything is bad… Okay, so the last One is Aparigraha, which is detachment, right? I mean,
Vee 05:05
Right. And I think we spoke a lot about detachment throughout this season in couple of episodes. So I don't think we have to jump into that
Dee 05:10
Now Patanjali says, Okay, these are five moral codes. If you can follow that will be good, right? But very likely you won't be able to do it overnight, which makes sense. So you need to follow these Niyamas. Niyamas means rules, right?
Vee 05:24
Right.
Dee 05:25
And these are the rules of self discipline or lifestyle choices. First Niyama is Saucha, cleanliness
Vee 05:34
Yeah, right
Dee 05:34
You know, it's very simple. He is talking about be clean, don't be filthy, clean your room, get rid of things that you do not need
Vee 05:41
Clutter in your life, right?
Dee 05:42
Yeah, you know, clean your ..not only clean your closet, clean your mind, clean your lifestyle, you know, people who are not adding any value to your life, get rid of them, you know, right? It's pretty much like cleaning, cleaning, cleaning that is the first Niyama.
The second one is Santosha, contentment and he's saying Hey, come on, learn to be happy in every little thing you do
Vee 06:01
Perfect
Dee 06:02
The third one is Tapa. It has different meaning tapa is heat it also means Tapashya, which I think he is trying to say, you know, try to find a purpose in life, some hobby, find something that you're interested in, you know, they say when you find what you love, you just do it no matter what right?
Vee 06:17
Right. Commit to it and do it well
Dee 06:19
Yeah, commit to it and do it. That is the third rule of life. And the fourth is Svadhyaya, which means learning, learning and learning. He says, keep learning anything, you know, knowledge is the power to overcome and face the world. And the fifth, he speaks about Ishvara-pranidhana - Patanjali never talks about God, right. And he never talks about gift of grace or anything. I think what he is talking about is surrender yourself. But I would interpret it as devotion to self - devotion to self development.
Vee 06:47
And that comes with learnings right? So basically, you're saying, hey, the Niayamas are, we have to be clean, be content, find what you love, keep learning and focus on personal growth.
Dee 06:59
Right? Yeah, exactly. It goes.
Vee 07:01
Now we spoke about Yamas, which is basically the ethical standard. And you just mentioned the Niayamas, routine, self discipline. And the third limb now is Asana, correct?
Dee 07:14
Yeah ! So in the yogic view, the body is where your soul is, what they're saying is if our body is weak, there is no way we can find our soul. So we must take care of our body. He's saying, you know, through the practice of these Asanas or exercises, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, which makes sense to me.
Vee 07:34
Yeah, makes perfect sense. Everyone kind of knows that exercising regularly has many benefits. Yeah, both for your body and your mind. And that's pretty much what the ancient Yogis are saying.
Dee 07:46
Remember, in the beginning, he said disease as number one reason for unsteady mind or restlessness. So he's saying exercise, you know, take care of your body.
Vee 07:56
Yeah
Dee 07:58
Fourth limb is Pranayama which is the practice of controlling the breathing. Yeah.
So, Pranayama comes after Asana. And he's speaking about a very simple sitting pose that needs to be comfortable, relaxed, steady. And once you are in that pose, then you start doing this breathing exercise.
Vee 08:16
Right. I think there are actually a lot of health benefits to the breathing exercises.
Dee 08:21
Yes, yes, yes. So the fifth one is Pratyahara.
Vee 08:24
Right
Dee 08:25
Which has to do with being more mindful about our senses. Do not believe everything you hear, or you see. You spoke about that snake and rope story in the last episode. So that's pretty much Pratyahara
After Pratyahara comes Dharna
Vee 08:41
Right
Dee 08:41
He says, when you have power over your senses, then you do not get carried away with whatever you see, whatever you hear, you know, you're not distracted easily
Vee 08:55
Correct
Dee 08:56
And that's when Dharana comes in. Dharna is concentration, which makes sense. So only when you master your concentration, then you go to meditation. So seventh is Dhyana. And once you master in meditation, then that concentration or that meditation becomes so intense, you are in deep meditation. And that is when that Samadhi is achieved. Samadhi is I guess, enlightenment.
Vee 09:16
And that is the last and final stage.
Dee 09:18
That is the final stage. He kind of explains when that final stage is achieved, I am going to quote it. He says, All your understanding is illuminated as we excel in restricting the movement of mind, and that is Yoga.
Vee 09:34
All right. So let me summarize this in a simple way. Why do we do Yoga? To restrict or control the movements of our mind? Yeah, right. I get it, I get it. So basically, he gave the stepwise book for us to reach the 8th stage. And the mind is absolutely still. Right?
Dee 09:52
Yeah yeah. But he is saying you cannot just reach there in one go,
Vee 09:55
Makes perfect sense. So yeah, let's start with that. You have to be inherently a moral person. And that is why he gave us those five Yamas or Dharmas, that is the first limb.
Dee 10:05
Yes.
Vee 10:06
So he's saying, you know, if you want to pursue the path of Yoga, first thing is you have to renounce the five vices, right, which is violence, lies, stealing, over-indulgence and ego.
Dee 10:19
Yeah,
Vee 10:20
You have to let go these vices. And then he talks about Niyama- self discipline and what he's basically trying to say is follow this lifestyle that includes cleanliness, being happy or content with what you have, find a purpose and do it well, keep learning and be devoted to yourself and self growth, self improvement, right to enhance your morality. So we covered Yamas and Niyamas.
He's talking about Asanas and Asana is pretty much you know, have a healthy body, you have a steady mind. And after that he also adds on Pranayama, which is kind of breathing, which has to do with how you breathe and control your breathing. And these are pretty much Yoga techniques.
Dee 10:58
Yes.
Vee 10:58
Right and Then after that, he's saying now you're morally strong and physically strong. Yeah, you have better control of your senses. So once you actually have good concentration, then you actually can start meditation. Because you can't do meditation for 10 seconds. That's how it works.
You get all these things correct. And only then you go on to meditation, which is the seven stage. As you're meditating, as you're saying, there might be some powers that you will get in the middle. And you should not get distracted by those. And you should stick to that. And then you reach the final stage which is Samadhi.
Dee 11:34
That's how you become Buddha.
Vee 11:38
Exactly…Okay.
Dee 11:39
Easy….Yeah. I guess in short, meditation is key right? So now what's ..what's happening nowadays, whenever we are restless or stressed, people are just saying like, okay, meditate. You know what Patanjali is saying is like sorry, you cannot meditate if you are an immoral person, or if you do not have any self- discipline whatsoever or if you are unhealthy, you're easily distracted, you're restless. So you know first focus on this self development, then try to lead a yogic lifestyle, then start doing this meditation.
Vee 12:13
Exactly, that’s where you have to…. make perfect sense. You build a foundation. You can’t go directly to seventh floor.
Dee 12:19
No, you can't.
Vee 12:20
Because you don't… you're not built the first floor. There's no seven floor .. begin with so..,
Dee 12:25
Yeah, that makes sense. So what's the mantra ..i know it’s …
Vee 12:28
okay, so what we are going to say is today is the 12th episode of season one. So it's the final episode. So this is the mantra for the whole season.
Dee 12:38
Okay.
Vee 12:38
The goal is to try to lead a Yoga lifestyle. Right? Don't get confused. yogic lifestyle doesn't mean you leave everything and run to the jungle. Don't do that thing. That’s not what we are saying.
So I've this quote from BKS Iyengar. “Yoga allows you to find a new kind of freedom that you might not have known even existed. And this freedom comes from your lifestyle choices.
Dee 13:01
From our lifestyle choices Uh huh.
Vee 13:01
So we have shared our knowledge about the yogic lifestyle that we try to adhere to. And it starts with the Yama - the first limb, and then Niayama. And then there's self love, self care, being true to yourself, honest.
Dee 13:17
All those things
Vee 13:17
Do everything in moderation. And be indifferent towards both good times and bad thing. Everything is connected
Dee 13:22
Everything is connected
Vee 13:23
So in conclusion, Yoga is not those complicated poses that you see,
Dee 13:26
There is a really nice quote about Yoga. Yoga is not about touching your toes. Yoga is what you learn on the way down.
Vee 13:36
It's amazing. Amazing.
Dee 13:38
So Yoga is definitely not those perfect poses.
Vee 13:41
Yeah yeah Yoga is a..journey
Dee 13:42
It’s a journey. It's a journey.
Vee 13:44
Absolutely. Absolutely. I was going to say… So Yoga is a journey. And we've been trying to live the life of a yogi for about five years now. And it has definitely enhanced our way of looking at life. And we were very happy to share whatever we know in these 12 episodes in the season. And we will come back with season two.
If you have any ideas about what we should cover in season two, please let us know. You've heard us and you have supported us.
Thank you very much for that. You can email us at onestoryavenue@gmail.com and we will add this email in the description section.
So please let us know your thoughts.
Again, the email is onestoryavenue@gmail.com . Thank you again and we will see you in season two.
Dee 14:29
Yes. Thank you.