3. Tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam   (Chapter 1, v.3) 

     Then the seer abides in it own nature 

     This is one of the most important verses in the entire book.  It is based upon the fundamental concepts of purusa and prakrti.  Purusa is universal consciousness, immutable and untouchable; prakrti is “that which uses matter as its bed”.  It is the constantly unfolding, evolving and changing aspects of the universe.  Together purusa and prakrti are the yin and yang of yoga philosophy  They are expressed in the universe and in the individual as spirit and matter. 

     “Tada” translates as “then”, meaning when one is in the state of yoga, then the seer, “drastuh”, abides, “vasthanam” in its own, “sva”, form, “rupe”.  Thus when one is living in the state of yoga, the seer or purusa which already exists within us, shines out. It is no longer hidden by the agitations of prakrti which have been resolved. 

     A simple example can explain this verse.  In order to create a statue, a sculptor merely removes all the stone that is not the statue; nothing is added to the stone.  Likewise, the practice of yoga is not about adding anything to the individual.  Instead, as this verse explains, the state of yoga is that state in which everything which is not equanimity is removed from the citta and thus purusa is free to shine out unabated.  

When you are in a state of yoga, all misconceptions (vrittis) that can exist in the mutable aspect of human beings (chitta) disappears.


yogaḥ - yoga
citta - all that is mutable in human beings; thoughts, mind,
vṛtti - vratthi means work. the work of the mind is to think all the time.
nirodhaḥ - to stop, to stop the thinking process.

Everything is said here. The four words of the second sutra define the “discipline” in a practical way. But then one should know their meaning and mostly how they beckon us. Chitta is the mind field, that is the ocean of perception and reflection. Even deep sleep is included in that world of perception, or cognitive activity. We speak of a mental field as soon as there are a subject and a separate object, that is a center of perception as opposed to the “rest” which is perceived. Everything that can be grasped over there is the mind field.
The meaning of vritti surpasses what we generally mean by thought. The idea of something rolling, of a wave in motion, is the first meaning. It is a more fundamental process than the sole conscious thinking. We can say mental activity of form of consciousness, and that’s how we will translate it most of the time. But here this word definitely bears the meaning of a separation between a perceiving subject and a perceived object. The profound meaning is more easily carved out with the understanding of the next word.
The word nirodha carries in itself the complete essence of spiritual realization, the full grace dawning in the open soul. It is the cessation, the silence. But what is silence? Silence imposed by thought —what we often designate by the word “control”— is not silence” It is an effort, a struggle, an uneasiness: in other words, it is still divisive thought: there is still someone looking after a goal. Nothing new that would allow this cry “from now on!” to be heard in the first sutra. On the opposite, the discipline of yoga is the cessation of something that has hardly ceased until now and which we evoke by the expression chitta vritti. Any perception in which the perceived object is perceived as separate form the perceiving subject is designated by the expression chitta vritti.
This sutra can be translated in two ways, depending on if we translate chitta vritti by “mental activity” or by “mental fragmentation”. “Yoga is the cessation of mental activity” would refer to a temporary cessation, a peace depending on particular circumstances. That would be a mental truce, even if the joy felt in it is definitely different than the joy linked to the objects and circumstance of mundane existence. That is what certain popular meditation techniques propose and it is after all much better than the usual mental agitation of man, because in this truce, the source of mental activity can be perceived. But then it is perceived only in the absence of thought or perception. The one who doesn’t go beyond that kind of meditation eventually finds himself again powerless when mental activity and “the world” come back. Far from being the antithesis of the word, nirodha is its essence, its ultimate accomplishment.
The word lets memory rise form silence. The logos is the word. From the 5th Century B.C. on, this word means, in Greek literature: the word, the expression (as opposed to gramma, the word in the technical sense). In Latin, it was translated by verbum.
But it means much more than that, at least in the beginning. Homer, the most ancient Greek source that reached us, uses it in the sense of “gathering”. The bucolic poet Moschus form Syracuse (circa 270 B.C.) says: Aglaïèn rodou legein, which is: “to gather the brightness of a rose”. While saying this, the poet is gathering for us the brightness of the rose; it is no surprise that later on legein means “to speak”, “to say something”. The word is the gathering of memory: it beckons. To what does it beckons? What does it want to gather? Without any doubt, reality, what is. It wants to signify an existence. In this sense, the word is a concentration, a gathering as oppose to what is diffuse and unexpressed. That must be why the neurological activity associated with language is located in the left hemisphere of the brain.
The word shows: it shows the existence of things, of objects. In Latin, objectum is “what is lying there”. What is lying there in front the word? Objects, for sure. But by giving this answer we do not learn anything about the nature of these objects. The word names the objects according to their form, their color, their sound, etc., according to what the senses can perceive. But then we don’t know anything more about that which is lying there. Our scientific instruments, these extensions of our senses, only add to the description of the phenomena, without ever revealing the identity of the presence of anything. At the atomic and subatomic levels, the spin and the electric charge replaces form and color, but we know strictly nothing more about the presence itself, about bare reality.
Problèma, in Classical Greek, means “that which offers itself to be seen” and it has the same meaning as objectum in Latin. It is really because we are not able to recognize the essential nature of that which offers itself to the gaze that it becomes what modern language calls “a problem”. It is because we don’t grasp the true nature of objects that we blame them for our difficulties.
Scientific observation, man’s usual distraction and ordinary language: all these remains dependant on phenomena. This word comes from the verb phainô, which means “to appear”. A long time ago the word has been reduced to the level of phenomena: forms, colors, spins, electric charges, races, religions, nationalities, opinions, theories, dogmas, etc. Very briefly, when we take an upward plunge, it has gathered us around the presence, the being; it has fulfilled itself during these very moments. To “fulfill the word of the Scriptures” is neither only nor mainly fulfilling prophecies, it is letting the word play its original and final role, that is to gather the presence and gather us in it. Any human being who knows his true nature is an authentic prophet, because he prophesizes, he “speaks for” (the word).
When the word mostly pinpoints the differences between men, it divides them and is no longer the gathering word. When it speaks of the essential, when it beckons to it, it gathers men, which is the essence of the word legein.
How are we to gather the presence? Legein, insists the philosopher Heidegger, also means “to be present there, in front of us”, “letting be present there”. If we could let the presence simply be present in front of us, could we not gather it as it is, in all its purity? This is what Eastern Traditions have kept alive since the beginning: the gathering, meditation. It really is “to let be there”, in the sense of a cessation of fragmentary mental activity, the cessation of the noise of our badly oiled neurons.
The surface level agitation never disturbs the abyssal tranquility of being. Patanjali call such a tranquility nirodha. In fact, nirodha and legein are more or less synonymous. But one has to know what is the cessation, the gathering and the silence of the mind. It is not a cessation imposed by the individual will or some for of coercion: that new form of project would only reproduce the dualistic mental activity, by introducing a distance between what is here and now and what the mind wishes. Such is not the true silence or meditation. How does the cessation dawns in us? We only need to apply the meaning of legein: to let be there, to welcome in peace. It is really to gather the presence as it is, to remain attentive to it; that is to guard it faithfully, to identify with it.
To meditate is to maintain our attention continuously on that, in us, which knows. It is to look after that which is awake and alert. It is to watch that which is at the same time the watcher and the watching. Whether there are thoughts or not, consciousness remains the same. When no ripple appears on the surface, water can be seen as water. But when a ripple gives it some shape, it becomes of kind of wave, but never does it ceases to be water. No surface level motion can make it loose its oceanic nature. To meditate is to let our attention gather the oceanic nature of consciousness. Therefore, nothing can disturb meditation: in meditation, we are never bothered by anything, because whatever “botheration” is perceived and carried by the same consciousness, the same and unique oceanic reality.
So, logos reflects, by its original and subsequent meaning the two aspect of the word: the gathering of the presence (meditation) and its expression. The word first means “to gather”, then “to say”. That man has always tried saying before gathering needs no comment so large is the evidence. The cry “from now on” thrown by Patanjali inaugurates a new era in our life.
The true cessation announced by this sutra is the same that is talked about at the very end of this chapter (I-51), when no seed of duality remains in stock. The memory is then completely empty of its previous impressions based on the notions of subject and object. There is no more question of a difference between mental activity and cessation, between subject and object, between spiritual life and mundane life. Any mental activity is perceived as a modality of the Same, of the One. This goes beyond a mere state of consciousness (such as the waking state, deep sleep state and dream state), because it is reality itself, whereas these states are mere modulations, vrittis. The expression itself reveals it: a “state” of consciousness really means a particular state of consciousness, exactly like ice, liquid water and water vapor are particular states of one and the same reality: water. True cessation is neither sleep —Patanjali designates explicitly sleep as a form of consciousness— nor unconsciousness nor insensitivity. The Spandakârikâ, an important text of the Kashmerian Shivaism tradition, reveals the same reality:

Although that (spanda*) spreads itself into the distinct states of waking, sleeping and others, which are in reality not distinct from it, it never leaves its own nature of subject who perceives.Where there is neither pain, nor pleasure, nor perceptible thing, nor perceiving agent, nor insensitivity, there abides what exists in the supreme sense.

Between the two possible translations of this sutra the whole spectrum of spiritual life is unfolded. Meditation gathers span, taking under its cape not only the cessation of mental activity, but also that very activity. One doesn’t try to empty himself, or to stop thoughts, even subtly. One only recognizes the One, Pure Gaze, through all its modalities, including perception and the absence of perception. It is thus that slowly the dualistic mental impressions loose their grip over the meditator.
In all its sobriety, this sutra calmly announces something immense, unheard of, something that the intellect cannot possibly measure. It is the One. It is the end of mental fragmentation, the perfect cessation: nirodha.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras begin with the sutra ‘Atha yoganushasanam.” 
The sutra means “Now the teaching of Yoga”

The word atha there, the first word of the Sutras, means “now.”

In the Indian culture, atha is symbolic of an auspicious beginning. Atha indicates the beginning just as iti indicates the end. Thus the Narada Bhakti Sutra begins with ‘Athato bhakti-jijnasa.’ The Brahmasutras begin with ‘Athato brahma-jijnasa.’ Vatsyayana’s Kamasutra, again, begins with the word atha. Innumerable other texts begin with atha. 

But of course atha means much, much more than just an auspicious beginning. 

Let us first look at some of these meanings from a contemporary standpoint, particularly as relevant to the modern urban executive, male or female. Later we shall look at how the ancients understood the word atha in the Yoga Sutras. 

The job of an executive today is more challenging than it has ever been in the past. His pace of work is hectic and unrelenting, and the content of his work is varied and fragmented. Much of his work is reactive rather than proactive in nature, requiring him to react to decisions taken by others and actions initiated by others. The decision making processes are disorderly, characterised more by confusion and emotionality than by rationality and frequently involve hard negotiations, organizational politics and self-serving interests of individuals and groups complicating the process. 

While his job involves dealing with his boss and higher executives on one side, it involves dealing with direct and indirect subordinates, peers, lateral superiors and lateral juniors on another side and officials in government agencies, clients, suppliers, colleagues in the same position and important people in the community on yet another. His responsibilities involve supervising, planning, organizing, decision making, monitoring, controlling, representing, coordinating, consulting and administering and he is called upon to play the leader role, the liaison role, the spokesperson role, the entrepreneur role, the resource allocator role, the disturbance handler role and the negotiator role, to mention just a few. And has to do all these under severe constraints of numerous kinds imposed upon him. 

Atha for an executive today means now that such are the conditions and the demands on the executive, he needs Yoga and therefore the teaching of Yoga. 

Patanjali’s yoga can be of immense value to the modern executive. It can help him retain mental serenity even when he is in the middle of his stormy executive life. While storms rage outside, he will still be able to function from that inner serenity. His decisions will arise from his inner calm and not from chaos. The inner calm will help him become more intuitive – and intuitiveness is invaluable when you have to take decisions with insufficient data. Yoga will help the modern executive by enabling him to work effectively even in the middle of hectic and unrelenting work conditions. It will enable him to find meaning behind the disorder of his workplace, meet the challenges of confusion and emotionality there, and deal better with the different levels and kinds of people he has constantly to deal with. It will help him multitask effectively – and his job requires that he supervises, plans, organizes, makes decisions, monitors, controls, coordinates and does numerous other things, many of these at the same time. 

0o0

Man is possessed by a strange madness today. A madness that has taken over the heart of the individual, organizations and society alike. And possessed by that madness, we are all chasing windmills mistaking them for giants, as Miguel Cervantes’ hero, or ante-hero, Don Quixote did in The Adventures of Don Quixote. We all feel compelled to run after things and we frequently have no clue what we are running after or why we are running after it. Of course, we do have our reasons – it is only that these reasons are the same as the reasons of Don Quixote. 

Everyone today seemS to suffering a kind of insanity.

I remember reading a while back Robin Sharma’s international bestseller The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Here are some excerpts from the first chapter of his book where he describes the life of the lawyer Julian Mantle. 

He collapsed right in the middle of a packed courtroom. He was one of this country’s most distinguished trial lawyers. He was also a man who was as well known for the three-thousand-dollar Italian suits which draped his well-fed frame as for his remarkable string of legal victories. The great Julian Mantle had been reduced to a victim and was now squirming on the ground like a helpless infant, shaking and shivering and sweating.

I had known Julian for seventeen years. Back then, he had it all. He was a brilliant, handsome and fearless trial attorney with dreams of greatness. Julian was tough, hard-driving and willing to work eighteen-hour days for the success he believed was his destiny.

For the first few years he justified his long hours by saying that he was “doing it for the good of the firm”, and that he planned to take a month off and go to the Caymans “next winter for sure.” As time passed, however, Julian’s reputation for brilliance spread and his workload continued to increase. The cases just kept on getting bigger and better, and Julian, never one to back down from a good challenge, continued to push himself harder and harder. In his rare moments of quiet, he confided that he could no longer sleep for more than a couple of hours without waking up feeling guilty that he was not working on a file. It soon became clear to me that he was being consumed by the hunger for more: more prestige, more glory and more money.

As expected, Julian became enormously successful. He achieved everything most people could ever want: a stellar professional reputation with an income in seven figures, a spectacular mansion in a neighbourhood favoured by celebrities, a private jet, a summer home on a tropical island and his prized possession — a shiny red Ferrari parked in the center of his driveway.

However, none of these was enough for Julian. He wanted ever bigger cases to win. He wanted his preparations to be more thorough than ever before. He wanted his research into each case to be no less than perfect. 

The more time I spent with Julian, the more I could see that he was driving himself deeper into the ground. It was as if he had some kind of a death wish. Nothing ever satisfied him. Eventually, his marriage failed, he no longer spoke with his father, and though he had every material possession anyone could want, he still had not found whatever it was that he was looking for.

It showed, emotionally, physically — and spiritually. At fifty-three years of age, Julian looked as if he was in his late seventies. His face was a mass of wrinkles, a less than glorious tribute to his “take no prisoners” approach to life in general and the tremendous stress of his out-of-balance lifestyle in particular. He had lost his sense of humour and never seemed to laugh anymore. Julian’s once enthusiastic nature had been replaced by a deathly sombreness. Personally, I think that his life had lost all sense of purpose.

Perhaps the saddest thing was that he had also lost his focus in the courtroom. Where he would once dazzle all those present with an eloquent and airtight closing argument, he now droned on for hours. Where once he would react gracefully to the objections of opposing counsel, he now displayed a biting sarcasm that severely tested the patience of judges.

And then it happened. This massive heart attack that brought the brilliant Julian Mantle back down to earth and reconnected him to his mortality. Right in the middle of courtroom number seven on a Monday morning, the same courtroom where we had won the Mother of All Murder Trials.

Many of us are Julian Mantles. Many of us are Don Quixotes. And what we do with our lives is exactly what Julian Mantle did, what Don Quixote did. 

Atha means when we are driven by the madness of Julian Mantle. Atha means when we are driven by the madness of Don Quixote. 

Atha means when we have awakened to the fact that we are driven by the madness of Julian Mantle and Don Quixote.

Sometimes, by some grace, we get a glimpse into the madness we are living. Atha means when that has happened. 

Introduction to PATANJALA YOGA DARSHANA..
 pantanjala yogadarshana has 4 padas they are ;-

• Samadhi pada
• Sadhana pada
• nebhuuti pada and last one
• kivalya pada.  

an imagination patanjali maharshi ideal 

Patanjali Yogasutra is reference for all this writings...

II. Niyama (Personal Observances)

       Niyama means "rules" or "laws."  These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the yamas, the five niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied. They represent far more than an attitude. Compared with the yamas, the niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves as we create a code for living soulfully

1. Sauca - Purity
The first niyama is sauca, meaning purity and cleanliness. Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect. Outer cleanliness simply means keeping ourselves clean. Inner cleanliness has as much to do with the healthy, free functioning of our bodily organs as with the clarity of our mind. Practicing asanas or pranayama are essential means for attending to this inner sauca. Asanas tones the entire body and removes toxins while pranayama cleanses our lungs, oxygenates our blood and purifies our nerves. "But more important than the physical cleansing of the body is the cleansing of the mind of its disturbing emotions like hatred, passion, anger, lust, greed, delusion and pride." ^vi
2. Santosa - Contentment
Another niyama is santosa, modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have. To be at peace within and content with one's lifestyle finding contentment even while experiencing life’s difficulties for life becomes a process of growth through all kinds of circumstances. We should accept that there is a purpose for everything - yoga calls it karma – and we cultivate contentment 'to accept what happens'. It means being happy with what we have rather than being unhappy about what we don't have.
3. Tapas – Disciplined use of our energy
Tapas refers to the activity of keeping the body fit or to confront and handle the inner urges without outer show. Literally it means to heat the body and, by so doing, to cleanse it. Behind the notion of tapas lies the idea we can direct our energy to enthusiastically engage life and achieve our ultimate goal of creating union with the Divine. Tapas helps us burn up all the desires that stand in our way of this goal.  Another form of tapas is paying attention to what we eat. Attention to body posture, attention to eating habits, attention to breathing patterns - these are all tapas.
4. Svadhyaya – Self study
The fourth niyama is svadhyaya. Sva means "self' adhyaya means "inquiry" or "examination". Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming and accepting our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies.
5. Isvarapranidhana - Celebration of the Spiritual
Isvarapranidhana means "to lay all your actions at the feet of God." It is the contemplation on God (Isvara) in order to become attuned to god and god's will. It is the recognition that the spiritual suffuses everything and through our attention and care we can attune ourselves with our role as part of the Creator. The practice requires that we set aside some time each day to recognize that there is some omnipresent force larger than ourselves that is guiding and directing the course of our lives. ^vii

III. Asanas (Body postures)

       Asana is the practice of physical postures. It is the most commonly known aspect of yoga for those unfamiliar with the other seven limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The practice of moving the body into postures has widespread benefits; of these the most underlying are improved health, strength, balance and flexibility. On a deeper level the practice of asana, which means "staying" or "abiding" in Sanskrit, is used as a tool to calm the mind and move into the inner essence of being. The challenge of poses offers the practitioner the opportunity to explore and control all aspects of their emotions, concentration, intent, faith, and unity between the physical and the ethereal body. Indeed, using asanas to challenge and open the physical body acts as a binding agent to bring one in harmony with all the unseen elements of their being, the forces that shape our lives through our responses to the physical world. Asana then becomes a way of exploring our mental attitudes and strengthening our will as we learn to release and move into the state of grace that comes from creating balance between our material world and spiritual experience.
        As one practices asana it fosters a quieting of the mind, thus it becomes both a preparation for meditation and a meditation sufficient in and of itself. Releasing to the flow and inner strength that one develops brings about a profound grounding spirituality in the body. The physicality of the yoga postures becomes a vehicle to expand the consciousness that pervades our every aspect of our body. The key to fostering this expansion of awareness and consciousness begins with the control of breath, the fourth limb – Pranayama. Patanjali suggests that the asana and the pranayama practices will bring about the desired state of health; the control of breath and bodily posture will harmonize the flow of energy in the organism, thus creating a fertile field for the evolution of the spirit. "This down-to-earth, flesh-and-bones practice is simply one of the most direct and expedient ways to meet yourself. … This limb of yoga practice reattaches us to our body. In reattaching ourselves to our bodies we reattach ourselves to the responsibility of living a life guided by the undeniable wisdom of our body."^viii To this B.K.S. Iyengar adds: "The needs of the body are the needs of the divine spirit which lives through the body. The yogi does not look heaven-ward to find God for he know that He is within."^ix

IV. Pranayama (Breath Control)

       Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy (prana) within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. When the in-flowing breath is neutralized or joined with the out-flowing breath, then perfect relaxation and balance of body activities are realized. In yoga, we are concerned with balancing the flows of vital forces, then directing them inward to the chakra system and upward to the crown chakra.
        Pranayama, or breathing technique, is very important in yoga. It goes hand in hand with the asana or pose. In the Yoga Sutra, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body, respectively. The practices produce the actual physical sensation of heat, called tapas, or the inner fire of purification. It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body. This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to become more calm.^x As the yogi follows the proper rhythmic patterns of slow deep breathing "the patterns strengthen the respiratory system, soothe the nervous system and reduce craving. As desires and cravings diminish, the mind is set free and becomes a fit vehicle for concentration."^xi

V. Pratyahara (Control of the Senses)

       Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means "nourishment"; pratyahara translates as "to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses." In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. It can then be seen as the practice of non-attachment to sensorial distractions as we constantly return to the path of self realization and achievement of internal peace. It means our senses stop living off the things that stimulate; the senses no longer depend on these stimulants and are not fed by them any more.
       In pratyahara we sever this link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw. When the senses are no longer tied to external sources, the result is restraint or pratyahara. Now that the vital forces are flowing back to the Source within, one can concentrate without being distracted by externals or the temptation to cognize externals.
       Pratyahara occurs almost automatically when we meditate because we are so absorbed in the object of meditation. Precisely because the mind is so focused, the senses follow it; it is not happening the other way around.
       No longer functioning in their usual manner, the senses become extraordinarily sharp. Under normal circumstances the senses become our masters rather than being our servants. The senses entice us to develop cravings for all sorts of things. In pratyahara the opposite occurs: when we have to eat we eat, but not because we have a craving for food. In pratyahara we try to put the senses in their proper place, but not cut them out of our actions entirely.
       Much of our emotional imbalance are our own creation. A person who is influenced by outside events and sensations can never achieve the inner peace and tranquility. This is because he or she will waste much mental and physical energy in trying to suppress unwanted sensations and to heighten other sensations. This will eventually result in a physical or mental imbalance, and will, in most instances, result in illness.
       Patanjali says that the above process is at the root of human unhappiness and uneasiness. When people seek out yoga, hoping to find that inner peace which is so evasive, they find that it was theirs all along. In a sense, yoga is nothing more than a process which enables us to stop and look at the processes of our own minds; only in this way can we understand the nature of happiness and unhappiness, and thus transcend them both.^xii

VI. Dharana (Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness)

       Dharana means "immovable concentration of the mind". The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction.  "When the body has been tempered by asanas, when the mind has been refined by the fire of pranayama and when the senses have been brought under control by pratyahara, the sadhaka (seeker) reaches the sixth stage, dharana. Here he is concentrated wholly on a single point or on a task in which he is completely engrossed. The mind has to be stilled in order to achieve this state of complete absorption."^xiii
       In dharana we create the conditions for the mind to focus its attention in one direction instead of going out in many different directions. Deep contemplation and reflection can create the right conditions, and the focus on this one point that we have chosen becomes more intense. We encourage one particular activity of the mind and, the more intense it becomes, the more the other activities of the mind fall away.
       The objective in dharana is to steady the mind by focusing its attention upon some stable entity. The particular object selected has nothing to do with the general purpose, which is to stop the mind from wandering -through memories, dreams, or reflective thought-by deliberately holding it single-mindedly upon some apparently static object. B.K.S. Iyengar states that the objective is to achieve the mental state where the mind, intellect, and ego are "all restrained and all these faculties are offered to the Lord for His use and in His service. Here there is no feeling of 'I' and 'mine'."^xiv
       When the mind has become purified by yoga practices, it becomes able to focus efficiently on one subject or point of experience. Now we can unleash the great potential for inner healing.

VII. Dhyana (Devotion , Meditation on the Divine)

       Dhyana means worship, or profound and abstract religious meditation. It is perfect contemplation. It involves concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. The concept holds that when one focuses their mind in concentration on an object the mind is transformed into the shape of the object. Hence, when one focuses on the divine they become more reflective of it and they know their true nature. "His body, breath, senses, mind, reason and ego are all integrated in the object of his contemplation – the Universal Spirit."^xv
       During dhyana, the consciousness is further unified by combining clear insights into distinctions between objects and between the subtle layers of perception. "We learn to differentiate between the mind of the perceiver, the means of perception, and the objects perceived, between words, their meanings, and ideas, and between all the levels of evolution of nature."^xvi
       As we fine-tune our concentration and become more aware of the nature of reality we perceive that the world is unreal. "The only reality is the universal self, or God, which is veiled by Maya (the illusory power). As the veils are lifted, the mind becomes clearer. Unhappiness and fear – even the fear of death – vanishes. This state of freedom, or Moksha, is the goal of Yoga. It can be reached by constant enquiry into the nature of things."^xvii Meditation becomes our tool to see things clearly and perceive reality beyond the illusions that cloud our mind.

VIII. Samadhi (Union with the Divine)

       The final step in the eight-fold path of Yoga is the attainment of Samadhi. Samadhi means "to bring together, to merge." In the state of samadhi the body and senses are at rest, as if asleep, yet the faculty of mind and reason are alert, as if awake; one goes beyond consciousness. During samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this pure identity. The conscious mind drops back into that unconscious oblivion from which it first emerged.
       Thus, samadhi refers to union

I. Yamas (Universal Morality)

1. Ahimsa – Compassion for all living things
The word ahimsa literally mean not to injure or show cruelty to any creature or any person in any way whatsoever. Ahimsa is, however, more than just lack of violence as adapted in yoga. It means kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful consideration of other people and things. It also has to do with our duties and responsibilities too. Ahimsa implies that in every situation we should adopt a considerate attitude and do no harm.
2. Satya – Commitment to Truthfulness
Satya means "to speak the truth," yet it is not always desirable to speak the truth on all occasions, for it could harm someone unnecessarily. We have to consider what we say, how we say it, and in what way it could affect others. If speaking the truth has negative consequences for another, then it is better to say nothing. Satya should never come into conflict with our efforts to behave with ahimsa. This precept is based on the understanding that honest communication and action form the bedrock of any healthy relationship, community, or government, and that deliberate deception, exaggerations, and mistruths harm others. ⁱⁱ   
3. Asteya - Non-stealing
Steya means "to steal"; asteya is the opposite-to take nothing that does not belong to us. This also means that if we are in a situation where someone entrusts something to us or confides in us, we do not take advantage of him or her. Non-stealing includes not only taking what belongs to another without permission, but also using something for a different purpose to that intended, or beyond the time permitted by its owner.ⁱⁱⁱ   The practice of asteya implies not taking anything that has not been freely given. This includes fostering a consciousness of how we ask for others’ time for inconsiderate behavior demanding another’s attention when not freely given is, in effect, stealing.
4. Brahmacharya - Sense control
Brahmacharya is used mostly in the sense of abstinence, particularly in relationship to sexual activity. Brahmacharya suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths. Brahmacharya does not necessarily imply celibacy. Rather, it means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth. Practicing brahmacharya means that we use our sexual energy to regenerate our connection to our spiritual self. It also means that we don’t use this energy in any way that might harm others.^iv
5. Aparigraha - Neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth
Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary, and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedy. We should only take what we have earned; if we take more, we are exploiting someone else. The yogi feels that the collection or hoarding of things implies a lack of faith in God and in himself to provide for his future.^v Aparigraha also implies letting go of our attachments to things and an understanding that impermanence and change are the only constants.

       The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when these five behaviors outlined above become part of a person's daily life. Thus, the yamas are the moral virtues which, if attended to, purify human nature and contribute to health and happiness of society.

this chart have more than 1500 hasanas....

yoga has 8 parts they are

1. Yama (moral restraints) – how we relate to others

2. Niyama (observances) – how we relate to ourselves

3. Āsana (posture) – how we relate to our body

4. Prāṇāyāma (breath extension) – how we relate to our breath or spirit

5. Pratyāhāra (sensory withdrawal) – how we relate to our sense organs

6. Dhāraṇā (concentration) – how we relate to our mind

7. Dhyāna (meditation) – moving beyond the mind

8. Samādhi (meditative absorption) – deep realization and inner union

Branches of yoga;-

Hatha Yoga or Yoga of Postures
Hatha Yoga is perhaps the path of Yoga you are most familiar with since this is the most popular branch of Yoga in the West. This branch of Yoga uses physical poses or Asana, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation to achieve better health, as well as spirituality. There are many styles within this path - Iyengar, Integral, Astanga, Kripalu, and Jiva Mukti to name a few.

If what you want is a peaceful mind and a healthy body to go along with it, Hatha Yoga may just be the path for you.

Bhakti Yoga or Yoga of Devotion
Bhakti Yoga is the path most followed in India. This is the path of the heart and devotion. Yogis who practice this branch sees the "One" or the Divine in everyone and everything. Bhakti Yoga teaches a person to have devotion to the "One" or to Brahma by developing a person's love and acceptance for all things.

Raja Yoga or Yoga of Self-Control
Raja means "royal". This path is considered to be the King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga sutras.

A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such, respect to oneself and for all creation are vital to this path. They achieve self-respect by first learning to be masters of themselves.

If you wish to learn discipline, then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.

Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the Mind
Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that basically deals with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man's intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and intellect as important and they aim to unify the two to surpass limitations. Since they wish to gain knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and religion for they believe that an open and rational mind is crucial in knowing the spirit.

Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service
Karma Yoga is the path of service for in this path, it is believed that your present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude towards the good and in the process, change their souls, which leads to a change in their destiny.

Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths, Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things.

There are still a lot of misconceptions about Yoga, for instance, Yoga being a religion. Yoga is not a religion. It is more of a set of techniques for us to find spirituality. In fact, Yoga is being practiced by a lot of people from different religions like Christians, Jewish, Buddhists, and Muslims.

Another misconception is that Yoga is an exercise, a way for us to keep fit. It is partly true, but if you think that Yoga is just that then you are greatly mistaken. Yoga develops the body since a weak one is a hindrance to spiritual growth. It does not simply focus on the physical but on the mental and spiritual aspects as well.

yoga

yoga

Yoga (Sanskrit: योग) is a commonly known generic term for the physical, mental, and spiritualpractices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace.

Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge that dates back more than 500" class="related_products_container"0 years ago. The word "Yoga" came from theSanskrit word "yuj" which means "to unite or integrate." Yoga then is about the union of a person's own consciousness and the universal consciousness.