THE THREE LIMBS OF YOGA
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YAMA, NIYAMA, AND ASANA
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💟 YAMA 💟
THE FIRST LIMB, YAMA, DEALS WITH ONE'S ETHICAL STANDARDS AND SENSE O INTEGRITY, FOCUSING ON OUR BEHAVIOR AND HOW WE CONDUCT OURSELVES IN LIFE. BEING IN THE FIRST LIMB OF YOGA, THE FIVE YAMAS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF SPIRITUAL LIFE ON WHICH THE SUPER-STRUCTURE OF SAMADHI IS BUILT. FOLLOWING THE YAMAS MEANS STICKING TO IDEALS AND PRINCIPLES. IT IS ABOUT DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIVE TRAITS THAT WILL TRANSFORM THE HUMAN NATURE INTO A DIVINE NATURE AND ANNIHILATE CRAVINGS AND NEGATIVE QUALITIES. WHEN THE YAMAS ARE TRULY PRACTISED, THE HEART IS FILLED WITH COSMIC LOVE, GOODNESS AND LIGHT.
THERE ARE FIVE YAMAS IN YOGA-
HUMAN MIND IS UNSTABLE. IT CHANGES WITH A FLICK OF A SECOND. THE INTENTION BEHIND"YAMA YOGA" IS TO EMBRACE THE JOY OF LIFE AND GIVE A MEANINFUL DIRECTION TO LIFE. HUMAN BEINGS HOLD ONLY LIMITED AMOUNT OF ENERGY WITHIN. WITH AGE, THIS ENERGY STARTS DRAINING. THE MAIN AIM OF YOGA IS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS ACCUMULATE THIS ENERGY AND TO BE ABLE TO USE IT FOR MEANINGFUL PURPOSES.
💟 NIYAMA 💟
NIYAMA, THE SECOND LIMB, HAS TO DO WITH SELF-DISCIPLINE AND SPIRITUAL OBSERVANCES. THE FIVE NIYAMAS OR RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES AND HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIVING INCLUDE :
- SAUCHA: CLEANLINESS
- SAMTOSA : CONTENTMENT
- TAPAS : HEAT, SPIRITUAL AUSTERITIES
- SVADHYAYA : STUDY OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES AND OF ONE'S SELF
- ISWARA PRANIDHANA : SURRENDER TO GOD
NIYAMA IS A REFLECTION OF ONE'S OWN PERSONALITY. FOLLOWING THESE IMPACTS A SENSE OF PURITY AND DIVINITY WITHIN AN INDIVIDUAL, IT INDICATES A LIFESTYLE THAT IS ORGANIZED WELL AND DISCIPLINED.
💟 ASANA 💟
ASANAS, THE POSTURES PRACTICED IN YOGA, COMPRISE THE THIRD LIMB. IN THE YOGIC VIEW, THE BODY IS A TEMPLE OF SPIRIT, THE CARE OF WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT STAGE OF OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH, THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF ASANAS, WE DEVELOP THE HABIT OF DISCIPLINE AND THE ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE, BOTH OF WHICH ARE NECESSARY FOR MEDITATION.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS AWARE OF THIS LIMB OF YOGA. MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT FOLLOWING SPECIFIC POSTURES BY BENDING/ TWISTING/TURNING BODY IS "ASANA" . IRONICALLY, NONE OF THESE ARE MENTIONED AS A PART OF ASANAS BY PATANJALI IN YOGA SUTRA. PATANJALI'S BASIC ADVICE IN YOGA SUTRA IS PRETTY SIMPLE STHIRA SUKHAM ASANAM (ASANA SHOULD BE STEADY AND STAY COMFORTABLE). IT MEANS THAT ANYTHING THAT KEEPS YOU STABLE AND STAY COMFORTABLE IS ASANA. IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE MAXIMUM BENEFITS OF THIS THIRD LIMB OF YOGA, ONE MUST PRACTICE AND FOLLOW THE FIRST TWO LIMBS (YAMA, NIYAMA). EARLY TEXTS HAVE MENTIONED THAT PRACTISING OF ASANAS IN PERFECT ORDER IS SCIENCE. EXPERIEMENTS AND RESEARCH BY SCIENTISTS HAVE PROVED THAT PRACTICE OF ASANAS HAVE POSITIVE EFFECT ON HUMAN BODY.
RESEARCHERS AND SCIENTISTS HAVE STUDIED HUMAN BODY AND ITS BEHAVIOUR CLOSELY. THE EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED HAVE REVEALED THE HUMAN MIND REACTS DIFFERENTLY IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS SUCH AS WHILE STANDING ERECT, SEATED, LYING, STRAIGHT, LYING ON THE BACK, ETC. STABILITY OF MIND WAS OBSERVED CLOSELY AND THE RESULTS REVEALED DIFFERENT LEVELS FOR DIFFERENT POSTURES. HUMAN MIND IS AT ITS MOST UNSTABLE STATE WHILE STANDING ERECT.
MANY SCIENTIST HAVE ALSO REVEALED THAT FORCE OF GRAVITY HAS A MAJOR EFFECT ON HUMAN BODY. VARIOUS STUDIES ON PYRAMID HAS REVEALED THAT THE SHAPE OF THE PYRAMID IS AN AMPLIFIED-RECEIVER OR RESONATOR OF VERIOUS KINDS OF ENERGY FIELDS SUCH AS COSMIC RAYS, ELECTRO-MAGNETIC WAVES, ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES, GRAVITATIONAL WAVES, ETC. THE ENERGY RECEIVED INSIDE THE PYRAMID INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER. THE SHAPE OF A PYRAMID IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF A TEMPLE (BROADER AT THE BOTTOM AND NARROW ON TOP). THE ASANAS COMPRISING OF DHYANA YOGA - SUKHASANA, PADMASANA, SIDDHASANA ETC. ALSO MAKE UP FOR A PYRAMID STRUCTURE. THESE ARE BROADER ON BOTTOM AND GET NARROWER AS THEY MOVE UPWARDS. THE SCIENTISTS HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THESE POSES WORK TOWARDS PROMOTING MENTAL STABILITY AND KEEP NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF FORCE OF GRAVITY ON BODY.
