Ashtang yog is a highly spiritual discipline that holistically encompasses the body ,mind, atma, and paramatama.
Patangali rishi (200 BCE) composed a sanskrit text known as a yog darshanam, whose shlokas are known as yog sutras. The word yog is derived from the sanskrit root yuj-to unite, to merge with parmatma . Maharshi Patangali 's Ashtang yog comprises of eight factors namely.
1) YUM(self -restraint)
2) NIYAM(external and internal purity)
3) ASANA(postures)
4) PRANAYAM(control of prana with breath)
5) PRATYAHAR(withdrawal of senses from their objects)
6) DHARANA(concentration)
7) DHYANA(meditation)
8) SAMADHI(transcendental realisation)
This means to control passions and diversting the mind from undesirable worldly thoughts and focus them on the atma. There are five factors
i) Ahimsa:It is non-injury in mind,speech and action towards any creature any any manner: mind - not to think maliciously of others,
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speech- not to use foul language ,swear,backbite or quarrel.
action - avoiding injury to a person or creature
Ahimsa in thought is even more dmanding .It requires both interospection and effort. Thinking a bad thought about somebody whom we do not like or have a grudge against ,tantamounts to himsa.
By chronically harbouring vengance, anger or hostility one can never experience shanti within - (bhagwatgita 2/66).
on the contrary they are destructive to an individuals atma,mind and body and also to his family and society. Researchers today also corrobate this. In FOrgivieness (Theory,Research & Practice), the medicla auther cite studies documenting that chronic hostility is associated with negative health outcomes(McCullough 2000:257).
ii)SATYA(truthfulness)
One should live a truthful life in thought,speech and action . Regarding speech ,one should speakthat truth which is also benevolent and pleasing(Manu Smruti 4/138).
Another imprtant factor concerning satya ,is to earn one's living without deceit, fraud, or theft.For the young attending school or college , satya means to work diligently,not to copy from other's, nor to cheat in exam. To observe this satya one must cultivate an understanding that god is omnipresent and omniscient.
iii)Asteya (avoiding stealing possesions of others)
Taking something that does not rightfully belong to one self ,without permission of the owner or by violating the codes of the conduct enjoined by shastras,is known as theft Just thinking of acquiring something that belongs to others is also considered as theft .
Stealing gold (orcurrency in any form )is one of the five greatest sins-Punch Mahapap(ManuSmriti 11/5)
iv)Bhamacharya(celibacy)
Bhramacharya is the observance of eight fold celibacy and to remain engrossed in brahman. For householders the shastras consider bhramacharya as - one who is loyal to his wife ,is a celibate. prior to marriage the shastras forbid pre-martial relations.
As far as Ashtang yog is concerned ,bhramacharya is an extremely important factor in conserving virya(vitual energy) and boosting the spiritual energy in an individual.
Vishaybhog -indulgece in the sense pleasures-ruins a person(vairagyashatak 12).
v) Aparigraha (detached livingb with minimum requirements)
Simple living is the key to happiness . The more possesions a person has the greater his mental burden and the greater the carving to acquire further possessions,either lawfully or unlawfully.The mind needs to be free if material garbage in order to perfect yog.This requires a firm commitment to live a simple life - of simple clothing ,simple food,minimum mateial requirements and comfort, and a maximam detachment from them.
Like yum ,niyam also comprises of five factors:
i)shauch(purity)
Primary purityis neede in sense of external and internal both.The ManuSmriti(5/109)elaborates that purifies the body,truthfulness purifies the mind, the jivatma is purified by knowledge and austries and the intellect (buddhi) is purified by knowledge.
Bathing purifies the body and only after such purification with water , is the body eligible for morningreligious rituals such as puja.
Purity of diet purifies the antahkaran(mind).Purity of antakaran stabilies the mind and meditation . After mastering meditation the basic instincts(vasna) are instantly eradicated.
ii)Santosh(contenment)
Santosh means toremain fully content with whatever god provides and has provided.Craving nature of the human invites misery.During an individual's life ,his karma(prarabdha) will dictate his wealth,health,longevity and possessions.
Acquiring more than what islawfully destined will either be whiled away or remain unused by him.
one should perform karmas deligently , and forsake expectation of their fruits. (gita (2/47)).
iii)tapas(austirity)
Tapas doesnot only mean performing physical austerities . IT also means to tolrate hardships;especially the dualities of heat-cold,hunger-thirst,happiness-unhappiness,honour-insult,gain-loss,and soforth .
tapas means remainig vigilant every moment ,to inculcate that "i am atma ,not this body",toperformonly those action in life that are necessary and helpful,and most importantly,to foresake one's own resolutions and beliefs and toobey the guru's wishea and commands.
iv) Swadhyay(regular study of truthfulshastras)
Bhagwan ved vyasdefines swadhyay as-chanting the omkar(pranv) mantra and studying true shastras with devotion , is called swadhyay or regular study.
v) Ishvar pranidhan(bhakti of Paramatma)
By deep devotionand surrender toIshvar(parmatma)it is possible toattain samadhi.-yogdarshan(2/45)
Asana are the 84 yogic postures,mistakenly reffered to as 'yoga' in the west. Asana is just the third limb of the yog. An asana is mastered when a practitioner can remain quite comfortable in that posture. -yogdarshan(2/46).
As cited earlier ,just by mastering a few orall 84 asana a does not make a yogi . he needs to practice all the factors of Yam and Niyam,prior to practicing asana, as well as those that follow it.
A few practical rituals which automatically incorporate several asans in the daily life of the bhakta are: padmasan(lotus posture) and surya namaskar in the form of the dandvat pranams in the morning puja.
