Shadanga Yoga |

Asana, the Body Posture

Asanam iti sva svarUpe samAsannata svastikAsanam padmAsanama siddhAsanam etesAm madhye yathestam ekam vidhAya sAvadhAnena sthAtavyam
Asana means to rest in one's original state. After taking up one of the postures like Svastikasana, Padmasana, Siddhasana one should keep them attentively.

2.34 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Asana, the Body Posture

Asana means „seat“. Asanas are body postures that are held over a prolonged period of time with breath control and attentive mind. Asana is the first limb of the path of yoga, it is concerned with becoming conscious of the physical body-it's harmonising and mastery.

A student of yoga will learn postures and reverse postures to create a smooth and powerful body. Asanas are assumend and held after the body is prepared by warming up exercises. An asana is never forced.
Contrary to sports muscular power is used as sparsingly as possible. An optimal shifting of the centre of gravity leads to balance, any muscles that are not needed to support the posture are consciously relaxed. An asana should be kept and held for the duration of at least six deep full breaths. One can rest in it as long as one´s strength allows.
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Pranayama the Breath control

prAnAyAma iti prAnasya sthirata recaka pUraka kumbhaka samghattakarana catvari prAnAyAma laksanAni
Pranayama is the stability of the breathing. The exhalation, the inhalation, the holding of breath and their combination; these are the four features of breath control.

2.35 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Breathing, Pranayama, Mastery of Life Force.
Breathing connects our inner core to the outer world. It is a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious, the connection between body (the past) and mind (the future), solely the breath abides in this moment, in the here and now.

Breath is a measure of time. A balanced healthy person breathes 21,600 times in 24 hours. 10800 of these breaths are of a solar detoxifying and invigorating nature (related to right nasal opening) and 10800 breath (related to the left nasal opening) are of a lunar, soothing and nourishing nature.

Breathing should be steady, deep and uncoerced and the exhalation should empty the lungs as completely as possible. This is the ideal but because of stress, rush and traumatic experiences this balance is unsettled.
Read more about Pranayama the Breath control
Pratyahara, Composure

pratyAhAra iti caitanya turanAgAnam pratyAhAranam vikAra grasanam utpanna vikArasyApi nivrittir nirbhAtIti pratyahara lakshanAm

Composure is like the taming of wild horses. It is the pacifying of interferences, the mastery of the fluctuations of the mind these are the features of Composure.

2.35 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Pratyahara, Composure
Pratyahara is the third limb of the six limbed yoga, literally translated pratyahara means absorption, withdrawal or retreat. In the context of Yoga the term denotes control over the senses, withdrawal into the pure mind, or isolation of consciousness from interfering sense impressions. The term composure is an apt description of this effort.

Body and mind are brought into accord by the practice of yoga. The body is strengthened, kept in a healthy state and cleansed from impurities. But also the inner world is enriched and empowered. Our self knowledge increases and mental skills are acquired that will enrich our lives and ease us when dealing with problems. Read more about Pratyahara, Composure
Dharana, Concentration

dharAneti sa bAhyAbhyantara ekam eva nija tattva svArupa evAntaH karanena sAdhayetyatha yad yad utpadyate tat tan nirAkAre dhArayet svAtmAnam nirvAta dIpam iva sandhArayet

Dharana is the contemplation that whatever appears as the inner or outer world, is one with the primordial mind, one's own original form. That way all fluctuations of the mind fade into the formless. That way one's own self rests unmoving like a flame in the still air of a room.

2.37 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Dharana, Concentration
Dharana in Sanskrit means: support, stability and rest. In the context of the Yoga teachings it refers to the stability of the mind at rest. It is the calm that is achieved by concentration on an object that is able to support the stabilising of the mind. In the preceding three limbs of yoga the Yogi was trainend to keep the body, breath and mind calm and stable. This empowers him to now let his mind rest on a concrete object of concentration intensely, with inner calm and without distraction.
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Samadhi, Union

Samadhi sarva tatvAnAm samAvastha nirudyamatvam anAyAsa sthithimatvam iti samAdhi.

Union is the state of the concord of all principles. Union is without cause, without exertion, permanent and natural.

2.39 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Samadhi, Union
Samadhi is the experience of union. It is the aim of Yoga. Samadhi is described as a natural and spontaneous, (sahaja) holistic and undivided (alakh) stainless (niranjan) state of body and mind. It is not dependant on anything else (NirAlamba) and therefore arises free of one´s own exertion in a natural way.
Samadhi is nothing that can be gained by activities since it is inborn (sahaja). It is a harmonious, realaxed, satisfied and blissful state, that is a natural predisposition of every being. Since it is nothing that can be achieved by effort, it arises on its own when the obstacles (kleshas) and impurities (malas), the causes of difficulties, sorrow, restlessness and suffering, are terminated.
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Dhyana, Immersion

Asti kascana paramAdvaitasya bhAvah sa evAtmeti yathA yadyat sphurati tat tat svarUpam eveti bhAvayet sarva bhUteshu sam drishtis ca.

This (dhyana) is the state of highest non-dualism, whatever flashes through the mind is an expression of the primordial self-nature and all things appear to be equal.

2.38 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH

of GorakshanAtha

Dhyana, Immersion
In the fifth limb of Shadanga Yoga, called immersion (dhyana), the time of the meditations are prolonged, their intensity heightened.

In the practice of dharana, the preceding limb of yoga, the Yogi was taught to reflect with an undisturbed mind on:

1. the primordial nature of his own self
2. the principle of space (akasha, shunya) without form and attributes and its all pervading presence.
3. concrete objects, either actual or imagined.

During dhyana these practices are combined and their scope is broadend.
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The five States

sthUla sukshma kArana turyam turyAtItam iti paNcAvasthA kramena lakshyante

eteshAm api sarveshAm vijNAtA yaH sa yogI sa siddha purushaH sa yogisvara iti param rahasyaM prakashsitam

Gross (sthula) subtle (sukshma) causal (karana), the fourth state (turya), beyond the fourth (turyatita) this is the sequence of awareness of the five states. The Yogi that cognizes all of the states is a Perfected One (siddhapurusha) , a Lord of Yoga (yogishvara). This elucidates the highest secret.

Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati 5.51

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The Yogic Body

ekasthamban navadvAran gRham panchAdhidaivatam
svadeham ye na jAnanti kathaM sidhyanti yoginaH

One Pillar and nine doors has this house of five deities,
not knowing his own body how can the yogi attain perfection?

Goraksha sataka 14 Read more about The Yogic Body

The Life Force

He (Shiva) is manifested first in the initial movement of that breath, which is only filled with life (pranamayah)
and then during breathing in and breathing out (prana),
which in exhaling, creates
and in inhaling, destroys.
In reality, this breath is residing in the heart of beings.
(Svacchanda T. 7.25)

The Life Force, Prana
In the teachings of Yoga we find a description of an encompassing, all pervading and all penetrating life force. In Sanskrit it is called prana and the term does not only denote life force but the act of breathing as well. Prana, inspite of its all penetrating nature is readily available to us primarily in the air we breathe and the food we eat.

According to the teachings of Yoga with the breathing and the food, gross as well as subtle substances are absorbed, distributed and circulated in the body in a huge network of pathways or channels (nadi).

We absorb lesser amounts of subtle energies along with our sense impressions as well. Aside from our intake of food, oxygen and sense impressions, subtle energies are derived from the impact of other natural elements of our environment on our organism. We derive prana whenever we come into contact with other living beings, the earth and vegetation as well as from the impact of energies like light and heat. Life energy is in constant movement, it contracts (sancocha) and expands (unmesha), it vibrates and pulsates (spanda). In the Philosophy of Yoga the most subtle form of life energy manifests as primal subtle sound and vibration (nada, dhvani), which is the origin of gross sounds, of speech, words (vac) and syllables (varna).

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Asana, the Body Posture

Asanam iti sva svarUpe samAsannata svastikAsanam padmAsanama siddhAsanam etesAm madhye yathestam ekam vidhAya sAvadhAnena sthAtavyam
Asana means to rest in one's original state. After taking up one of the postures like Svastikasana, Padmasana, Siddhasana one should keep them attentively.

2.34 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Asana, the Body Posture

Asana means „seat“. Asanas are body postures that are held over a prolonged period of time with breath control and attentive mind. Asana is the first limb of the path of yoga, it is concerned with becoming conscious of the physical body-it's harmonising and mastery.

A student of yoga will learn postures and reverse postures to create a smooth and powerful body. Asanas are assumend and held after the body is prepared by warming up exercises. An asana is never forced.
Contrary to sports muscular power is used as sparsingly as possible. An optimal shifting of the centre of gravity leads to balance, any muscles that are not needed to support the posture are consciously relaxed. An asana should be kept and held for the duration of at least six deep full breaths. One can rest in it as long as one´s strength allows.

Read more about

Sun Salutation on a Chair

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Anfängertips

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Einführung in den Sonnengruß

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Intensiv

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Pranayama the Breath control

prAnAyAma iti prAnasya sthirata recaka pUraka kumbhaka samghattakarana catvari prAnAyAma laksanAni
Pranayama is the stability of the breathing. The exhalation, the inhalation, the holding of breath and their combination; these are the four features of breath control.

2.35 Siddha siddhAnta paddhatiH
of GorakshanAtha

Breathing, Pranayama, Mastery of Life Force.
Breathing connects our inner core to the outer world. It is a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious, the connection between body (the past) and mind (the future), solely the breath abides in this moment, in the here and now.

Breath is a measure of time. A balanced healthy person breathes 21,600 times in 24 hours. 10800 of these breaths are of a solar detoxifying and invigorating nature (related to right nasal opening) and 10800 breath (related to the left nasal opening) are of a lunar, soothing and nourishing nature.

Breathing should be steady, deep and uncoerced and the exhalation should empty the lungs as completely as possible. This is the ideal but because of stress, rush and traumatic experiences this balance is unsettled.

Read more about