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The following is the extract of the talk given by Dr.
Mala Sigh a there india habitat center at the invitation
of the foundation for the universal responsibility of
H.H the dalai lama on 13th and 24th may 2004
According to Patanjali’s “Raja Yoga”
(which is called Ashtanga Yoga also), compiled in “Yoga
Sutra” the textbook of classical yoga deals with
eight steps of yoga practice. These can be conveniently
considered under three heads:
| 1. |
Yoga Ethics or way
of life i.e. Yoga-Carya, |
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a. |
Yama - abstentions
like non-injury, non-falsehood, non-stealing, etc.
to promote external ecology. |
| |
b. |
Niyama -cultivation of purity,
positive attitudes, self-study, etc. to promote
internal ecology |
| 2. |
Yoga practices i.e. Bahiranga
Yoga, |
| |
a. |
Asanas- adoption of body postures |
| |
b. |
Pranayama- control of energy
cycle, particularly breathing |
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c. |
Pratyahara- practices of relaxation
through withdrawal of the senses from without |
| 3. |
Internal yoga practices i.e. Antaranga
Yoga, |
| |
a. |
Dharana- concentration of thought
force on an object |
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b. |
Dhyana- uni-directional flow
of thought force to the object |
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c. |
Samadhi- unitive experience devoid
of subject-object duality |
In the above referred classification, the first two sections
can and have come under the preview of modern scientific
study and research, but the third section has spiritual
connotations, which are not easy to grasp and communicate
intellectually.
Pranayama should be attempted after purifying the mind
and the body through the practice of yamas, niyamas and
asanas. The importance of asanas cannot be overruled as
asanas clean up the body, strengthen the nervous system
by giving massage to the spine in different poses at different
places. When one starts concentration on physical level
with combination of breathing then his mind is one with
body otherwise it becomes mechanical exercise where body
goes in one direction and mind goes in other.
Asanas and Pranayama are interrelated and interwoven.
Performing an asana helps to generate and create energy,
which is used in rejuvenating the body including the nervous
system by giving massage to spine from different angles.
While practicing an asana, one must focus on the inner
body, drawing the mind inward to; sharpen the intelligence,
then the asana becomes effortless as the blemishes on
both the gross and the subtle body are washed off.
“Athaasane dridhe yogee vashee hitmamitaashanaha
Guroopadishtamaargena praanaayaamaansambhyset.”
(Thus being established in asanas and having control
(of the body), taking a balanced diet; pranayama should
be practiced according to the instructions of the guru.)
-Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 2:1
Patanjali clearly specifies that pranayama should be attempted
only after the asanas are mastered (Yoga Sutra-49). Pranayama
is comprised of two roots: ‘prana’ (vital
energy) and Aayama’ (stretch, expansion and extension).
‘Vital energy’ or ‘Prana’ is the
‘force’, which exists in all things, whether
animate or inanimate. Although closely related to the
air we breath, it is subtler than air or oxygen. Therefore
pranayama should not be considered as mere breathing exercises
or deep breathing. Deep breathing tenses the facial muscles,
tighten the chest, makes the skull and scalp rigid and
applies the external force to the intake or release of
the breath. In pranayama, the cells of the brain and the
facial muscles remain soft and receptive and breath is
drawn in and release gently. During inhalation, each cell
of the body is independently felt by the mind, and is
allowed to receive and absorb the prana. There is no sudden
movement and one becomes aware of the gradual expansion
of the respiratory organs and feels the breath reaching
the remotest parts of the lungs. In exhalation, the release
of breath is gradual and this gives the air cells sufficient
time to re-absorb the residual prana to the maximum possible
extent. Pranayama utilizes breathing to influence the
flow of prana in the nadis or energy channels of the pranamaya
kosha or energy body, thus it can be described as the
expansion and extension of energy or ‘Life Force’.
The technique of pranayama provide the method whereby
the “Life Force” can be activated and regulated
in order to go beyond one’s normal boundaries or
limitations and attain a higher state of vibratory energy.
Pranayama begins with simple movement of breathing leading
us deeper and deeper into ourselves by
teaching us to observe the very act of respiration. Patanjali
states about pranayama in Yoga Sutra-50 as,
“The
breath may be stopped externally, or internally, or checked
in mid-motion, and regulated according to place, time
and a fixed number of moments, so that the stoppage is
either protracted or brief.”
The four important aspects of Pranayam are:
a-
pooraka or prolonged inhalation,
b-
rechaka or prolonged exhalation,
c-
antar kumbhaka or internal breath retention,
d-
bahir kumbhaka or external breath retention.
The most important part of prayama is actually kumbhaka
or breath retention. There must be gradual development
of breath control over the function of respiration for
performing kumbhaka successfully. Therefore, in the pranayama
practices more emphasis is given to inhalation and exhalation
at the beginning, in order to strengthen the lungs and
balanced the nervous and pranic systems in preparation
for the practice of kumbhaka. These practices influence
the flow of the prana in the nadis, purifying, regulating
and activating them, thereby inducing physical and mental
stability. Once the mind has been stilled and prana flows
freely in the nadis and charkas, the doorway to the evolution
of consciousness opens, leading the aspirant into higher
dimensions of realizing the“self”
Pranayama is also the bridge between the physiological
and spiritual aspect of human being. Once the external
movements are controlled, there is internal silence and
there is no thought as the mind has been dissolved in
the “self”. One can experience
the elated state of oneness with the “self”
through the practice of pranayama. This is a complex process
composed of all these. It has to be practiced with the
greatest sincerity and precision. One cannot achieve pranayama
just because One wants to instead One has to be READY
for it.
The Aatmadrashan yoga tradition the sessions are designed
in a wholistic approach by combining Yogic Breathing,
Kapalbhati, Anuloma-Viloma (without retention) graduating
to higher practice of pranayama followed by some yoga
stretches, relaxation and meditation in a comfortable
rhythmic flow to stimulate the ‘pranic shakti’
and balance the entire body, mind and spirit. This is
the Aatmadarshan Yoga tradition, which believes in practicing
asanas, pranayama and meditation all together to recognize
one’s inner self. Let us traverse this path of self-discovery,
in tune with the motto of Aatamdarshan Yoga “KNOW
THYSELF”.
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