About Yoga

A yama literally a “restraint”, is a rule or code of conduct for living virtuously. The yamas comprise the “shall-nots” in our dealings with the external world. Ten Yamas are codified as “the restraints” in numerous scriptures including the Shandilya and Varaha Upanishads, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Gorakshanatha, and the Tirumantiram of Tirumular

Niyama is a set of behaviors codified as “the observances” in numerous scriptures including the Shandilya and Varuha Upanishads, Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Gorakshanatha, the Tirumantiram of Tirumular and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. They comprise the “shall-do” in our dealings with the inner world, and Swami Vivekananda describes them as the second step of Raja yoga.

Pratyahara is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga. At this stage, the consciousness of the individual is internalized in order that the sensations from the senses of taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell don’t reach their respective centres in the brain. With this, the Sadhaka, or disciple, is free to meditate without distractions.

Dharana is a Sanskrit term from the verbal root dhri to hold, carry, maintain, resolve; and it is the sixth stage, step or limb of eight elucidated by Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga. Dharana may be translated as “holding”, “holding steady”, “concentration” or “single focus”. The prior limb Pratyahara involves withdrawing the senses from external phenomena. 

Asana is Sanskrit for “posture”. The plural is used to describe yoga postures; “posture” in this context refers not only to the physical position of the body, but to the position of the spirit in relation to divinity. This idea is often referred to as the “one seat”, by yogis and Buddhists alike. Asanas of yoga are also called Yogasana or Yogaasana. 

Pranayama is a Sanskrit word often translated as control of the life force (prana). When used as a technical term in yoga, it is often translated more specifically as “breath control. Literal translations include A. A. Macdonell’s “suspension of breath” and I. K. Taimni’s “regulation of breath”.

Dhyāna in Sanskrit or Jhāna in Pāli refers to a type or aspect of meditation. It is a key concept in Hinduism and Buddhism. Equivalent terms are “Chán” in modern Chinese, “Zen” in Japanese, “Seon” in Korea, and Samten in Tibetan. Dhyāna’s beginnings are traced to Hinduism, where it is considered to be an instrument to gain self knowledge, separating maya from reality to help attain the ultimate goal of Moksha.

Samadhi is a Hindu and Buddhist term that describes a non-dualistic state of consciousness in which the consciousness of the experiencing subject becomes one with the experienced object, and in which the mind becomes still (one-pointed or concentrated) though the person remains conscious. Sahaj samadhi is the effortless and continual state of perfection of a satguru. It is the eighth and final limb of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali,