If what you are looking for is to carry out the boat's posture simply to get a flatter belly, then you are missing the train, according to Patañjali.
Patañjali, Patanyali or Patanshali, often called the "father of yoga, " was the person who codified his thoughts and knowledge of yoga in the Patañjali Yoga Sutra. In this work, Patañjali compiled 195 concise sutras or aphorisms that are essentially an ethical model for living a moral life and thus being able to incorporate yoga into his life.
Although no one is sure of the exact time Patanyali lived and wrote his sutras, it is estimated that this humble doctor who became one of the greatest sages in the world toured India somewhere between 200 BC and 200 AD
In a world where almost everything is reduced to quick tips and sound fragments, Patanshali seems to fit perfectly with its brief 195 lighting guidelines. But in Patanshali's case, simplicity is deceptive. In fact, researchers still disagree on what Patañjali means in some of his sutras.
Yoga Sutra, is considered the fundamental text in the yoga system, and yet you will not find the description of a single posture or asana in it. This is a guide to live life now. Essentially, Patanyali says, you can't practice asanas in yoga class, feel the stretch, and then go home to play with your children, cook a meal, shout at your employees, and cheat on your taxes. There is more to yoga than that, yoga can help you cultivate the body, mind and spiritual consciousness.
The heart of Patañjali's teachings is the eightfold path of yoga. It is also known as the eight members of Patañjali, because they are intertwined like the branches of a tree in the forest. These are not commandments (although sometimes they sound like them), laws and rules hard and fast. These are Patanyali's suggestions for living a better life through yoga.
The eight members of Patañjali
1- Yama
Yama is social behavior, how to treat others and the world around him. These are the moral principles. Sometimes they are called bans. There are five yamas:
- Nonviolence (Ahimsa): Do not harm any creature in thought or action. In his book Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda Paramahansa asks Mahatma Gandhi for the definition of ahimsa. Gandhi said, "The avoidance of harm to any living creature in thought or action." Yogananda asked if a cobra could be killed to protect a child. Gandhi maintained he would still keep his ahimsa vote, but added: "I must confess that I could not serenely carry on this conversation if I faced a cobra."
- Truth and honesty (Satya): Don't lie. Cheating on your income taxes falls into this category.
- Do not steal (Asteya): Do not steal material objects (a car) or intangibles such as the spotlight or the possibility of your child to learn to be responsible or independence when doing something on their own.
- Celibacy (Brahmacharya): Don't worry; This is not a call to celibacy. Many old yogis were married and had their own families. The person who practices Bramacharya will avoid meaningless sexual encounters.
- Possitivity (Aparigraha): Free yourself from greed, hoarding, and gathering. Do you really need more shoes or another car? Make your life as simple as possible.
2- Niyama
Niyama is internal discipline and responsibility, the way we treat ourselves. These are sometimes called celebrations, do de, or shalts thou. There are five niyamas:
- Purity (Shauca): Purity is achieved through the practice of the five yamas, which help to clear the negative physical and mental states of being. Keep your clothes and surroundings clean yourself. Eat fresh and healthy foods. The next time you joke about treating your body like a temple, remember this niyama.
- Contentment (Santosha): Cultivate joy and tranquility by searching for happiness with what you have and what you are. Seek happiness in the moment, assume responsibility for where you are, and choose to grow from there.
- Austerity (Tapas): Show discipline in the body, word and mind. The purpose of developing self-discipline is not to become an ascetic, but to control and direct the mind and body for higher spiritual purposes or purposes .
- Study of the sacred text (Svadhyaya): Study the sacred texts, the books are relevant to you, that I will inspire and teach you. Education modifies the perspective of a person in life. As Iyengar says, a person begins to realize that all creation is for bhakti (worship) rather than bhoga (enjoyment). "
- Living with an awareness of the divine (Ishvara-pranidhana): Being dedicated to God, Buddha, or what is considered divine.
3- Asana
“The yoga posture is stable and easy, ” says Patañjal. Although Westerners often consider the practice of asanas or postures as an exercise regime or a way to keep fit, Patanshali and other ancient yogis use asana to prepare the body for meditation.
Sitting for a long time in contemplation requires a flexible and cooperative body. If you are free from physical distractions, such as the foot to go to sleep and can control the body, you can also control the mind. Patañjali said: "The posture is dominated to free the body and mind from tension and restlessness and meditation in the infinite."
4- Pranayama
Prana is the vital force or energy that exists everywhere and flows through each of us through the breath. Pranayama is breath control. The basic movements of pranayama are inhalation, breath retention, and exhalation.
"The life of the yogi is not measured by the number of days, but by the number of his breaths, " says Iyengar. "Therefore, he follows the rhythmic patterns of slow and deep breathing." The practice of pranayama purifies and eliminates the distractions of the mind so it is easier to concentrate and meditate.
5- Pratyahara
Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses. Pratyahara occurs during meditation, breathing exercises, or practicing yoga poses at any time when you are directing your attention inwards.
The concentration in the yoga room or the boardroom is a battle with the distraction of the senses. When he manages to dominate Pratyahara, he will be able to concentrate because he no longer feels the itching on the big toe or he will hear the mosquito buzzing in his ear.
6- Dharana
Concentration or dharana consists in teaching the mind to concentrate on a point or image. "Concentration is obligatory thinking in one place, " says Patanyali . The goal is to calm the mind, gently pushing aside superfluous thoughts, fixing your mind on some object, such as a candle flame, a flower, or a mantra.
In dharana, concentration is done effortlessly. You know that the mind is concentrated when there is no sense of the passage of time.
7- Dhyana
Uninterrupted meditation without an object is called dhyana. Concentration (dharana) leads to the state of meditation. The goal of meditation is not unconsciousness or nothingness. Consciousness and unity with the universe is sharpened . How do you tell the difference between concentration and meditation? If there is awareness of distraction, they are only concentrating and not meditating.
The calm achieved in meditation is shed in all aspects of his life, during a hectic day at work, buying at the supermarket, coordinating the Halloween party at his son's school.
8- Samadhi
The ultimate goal of the path multiplied by eight yoga is blissful or absolute samadhi. This is pure contemplation, the superconscious in which you and the universe are one. Those who have reached samadhi are enlightened.
The eight members work together: the first five steps: yama, niyama asana, pranayama and pratyahara are the preliminaries of yoga and build the foundations of the spiritual life. They have to do with the body and the brain. The last three, which would not be possible without the previous steps, have to do with the reconditioning of the mind. They help the yogi to attain enlightenment or the full realization of unity with the Spirit. Lighting lasts forever, while a flat stomach can disappear with a week of compulsive eating.
AUTHOR: JoT333, editor of the hermandadblanca.org family
