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Ashtanga Yoga Upaya
Ashtanga: The 8 limbed method...
Yoga: To yoke or link your conciousness to the Universal Self
Upaya: The Path or Way....
Ashtanga Yoga was developed in 200 B.C. by the great Indian Sage Patanjali. As the term Ashtanga suggests, it is an eight-limbed method of acheiving Yoga, or enlightenment. The Asanas or postures that most people think of as yoga, are in fact only one component of the method.
The eight limbs are as follows:
Yama – moral codes
- Ahimsa non-hurtfulness
- Satya truthfulness
- Asteya non-stealing, non-selfishness
- Brahmacharya preserving & refining sexual energy
- Aparigraha sustain the body with pure food
Niyama - purification
- Shaucha view every being as a reflection of the Supreme
- Santosha focus the mind on happiness
- Tapas discipline the body and senses
- Swadhyaya chanting of Mantras
- Ishwarapranidhana selflessness in all actions
Asana – control of the body & senses through postures
- Vinyasa linking posture & breath
- Dristis directing the gaze
- Bandhas muscle locks
Pranayama – control of the breathing
- Rechaka exhalation
- Puraka inhalation
- Kumbhaka breath retention
Pratyahara – steadying the mind
Dharana – single focus concentration
Dhyana – emptiness & meditation
Samadhi – connection with the Supreme