Patanjali Maharishi, often called the Father of yoga, was a great scholar and sage of the first century B.C. He was the first person to codify the system of yoga. He set out the system into 196 aphorisms or sutras. Each sutra is a little nugget of wisdom, an observation on the nature of reality.
The Yoga Sutras outline the system of yoga into 8 different steps or limbs. If we follow these eight limbs with complete dedication, they will lead us to Self-Realization, “oneness” called Samadhi.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga are as follows:
2. NIYAMA– how to relate to ourselves. (Cleanliness, contentment, self-discipline, study and devotion). Spiritual observances.
3. ASANA– practice of yoga poses
4. PRANAYAMA– expansion of vital energy through control of breath
5. PRATYAHARA– calming our senses and withdrawing them from the outside world
6. DHARANA– learning how to develop focused attention, concentration
7. DHYANA– learning the art of meditation
8. SAMADHI– Self-realization, complete absorption, oneness
Begin with the Yamas and the Niyamas. Start to observe your thoughts in the same way you would watch leaves floating down a stream. No judgement. No attachment. Just awareness! This is called yoga darsana. Darsana means mirror. When you observe the thoughts floating through your mind, you then realize how your thoughts control you and lead you by the nose into all kinds of places you don’t want to go. As you become aware of the power of your thoughts, you can begin to control them. This is the first step on the road to self-realization. And as we know every great journey begins with one small step….