Eight fold path of yoga - all aspects explained, introduction to yoga postures

1. Introduction to Yoga –
Eight-fold path &
Yoga postures
Presented by:
Didi Ananda Krpa
Revised by:
Dharmadeva

2. What is Yoga?
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It comes from root word ‘ yunj’
(Sanskrit)
- which means to unify, to
unite.
It is not like the union of sand
and sugar; but is like the union
of sugar dissolved in water,
which, once merged, cannot be
separated.

3. Yoga as Science
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Yoga is a system of practices that
encourages the harmony and
union of body, mind, & spirit - and
gives a sense of Oneness.
Yoga is really a spiritual science.

4. Shiva – the Father of Tantra
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Shiva lived as a great spiritual
master on this planet more than
7,000 years ago.
He systematized all the
practices of yoga.
He systematized and taught the
science of meditation, which is
the greatest treasure that
anyone can ever give.

5. Raja Yoga
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In the West, yoga has often been
associated with body contortions,
youth, beauty, and long life.
Actually this is only related to one
type of yoga – HATHA YOGA.
Broadly, YOGA is an intuitional
science.
Raja Yoga is known as Astaunga
Yoga, or 8-fold yoga, a systematic
approach to mastery of ourselves.

6. 8-limbed System of Yoga
Yama - external moral /
ethical discipline.
 Niyama - internal moral /
ethical strength.
 Asana - yogic postures.
 Pranayama - proper
breathing for vital energy.


7. 8-limbed System of Yoga (con’t)
Pratyahara - withdrawal of
senses from the external world
to internalize your
consciousness for meditation.
 Dharana - concentration, or
extended mental focusing,
fundamental to yogic meditation.
 Dhyana - process of meditation,
the principal practice of bringing
your mind to ideate on Oneness.


8. 8-limbed System of Yoga (con’t)
 Samadhi
- experience of
unitive consciousness, so as
to feel inwardly one with the
feeling of Infinite Peace /
Cosmic Consciousness.

9. Tantra
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What is Tantra?
It is the basis of intuitional science.
Root words:
– Tan - which means ‘expand’; and
– Tra - which means ‘liberator’.
Origin of all branches of yoga
practices.
Examples:
bhakti yoga
jinana yoga
karma yoga
dhyana yoga kriya yoga
hatha yoga
raja yoga
mantra yoga
astaunga
yoga

10. Important Aspects of Yoga
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Bhakti Yoga - discipline of love and
devotion
Jinana Yoga - discipline of cultivating
highest intellectual understanding
Karma Yoga - discipline of selftranscending action and service

11. Hatha Yoga
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Places special emphasis on physical
postures integrated with harmonized
breathing.
Allows for control over bodily
functions which influence the mind.
Hatha yoga is the science of yoga
that deals with the practice of
asanas (yoga postures).

12. How Yoga Postures Began
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Yoga poses were developed thousand of
years ago by yogis who observed
different animals in the jungles – how
they moved, how they rested, how they
instinctively cured themselves when sick.
The yogis experimented with different
animal postures on their own bodies and
felt the subtle effects of these movements
on their own organs and glands.
After centuries of experimentation, these
postures were refined into a scientific
system of thousands of exercises called
‘asanas’.

13. What are Asanas?
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The root meaning of the word
‘asana’ is a position in which one
feels comfortable.
They are yoga postures which
when practiced regularly, the body
stays healthy, flexible, strong and
hardy.
They also help in preventing and
curing diseases.

14. Asanas – Stationery Poses
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Asanas are practiced as stationary
poses in which the body & mind
are relaxed and composed.
They are accompanied by gentle
movements, deep breathing and
pointed concentration.
They give the same benefits as
vigorous exercises, of stimulating
circulation and increasing the
supply of oxygen to the cells.

15. Asanas vs Exercises
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However, with vigorous exercise
this extra supply of oxygen is
used up during the exercises.
Whereas during the practice of
asanas, energy is accumulated
rather than spent.
The main difference between
asanas and forms of vigorous
exercises is that asanas affect the
internal organs and are not just
like skeletal or muscular
exercises.

16. The Endocrine Glands
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Yoga postures, when properly done,
affect mainly the glands and internal
organs.
The endocrine glands secrete chemical
substances called hormones into the
blood stream which affect both body and
mind.
- For instance, sometimes at ovulation
when estrogen and progesterone
hormonal levels are high, women are
optimistic.
- Whereas, sometimes women can be
unfriendly when estrogen levels are
lowest during the premenstrual time.

17. Over or Under-secretion of Glands
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Over or under-secretion of the
endocrine glands, in people, may
cause not only sickness but various
mental and emotional disturbances.
Can also cause negative emotions
such as anxiety, fear, anger & hatred,
which destroy our health and mental
peace.
The yogic asanas exert a subtle
pressure on the different glands,
restoring a balanced secretion of
hormones, and bring about emotional
equilibrium and mental peace.
They also develop spiritual sentiment.

18. Importance of Asanas
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Balance the endocrine
glands & control the
emotions.
Revitalize the nervous
system.
Improve blood
circulation.
Relax any tensions in
the muscles.
Can correct defective
postures.
Calm the mind.

19. Overall Benefits of Asanas
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Improves muscle
tone, flexibility,
strength and stamina
Easy movement of
the body
Tones the organs
Aids in blood
circulation
Stimulates immune
system
Lowers blood
pressure and
cholesterol
Reduces fat
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Is cleansing
Improves breathing
Reduces stress and
tension
Improves
concentration and
creativity
Creates sense of
well-being and
calmness
Boosts self-esteem
Elevates the mind
Creates spiritual
sentiment

20. Postures and Meridians
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Asanas affect the energy
flow of the body.
There are 12 major
meridians of chi or
energy in the body.
Most of these are related
to a particular internal
organ with which it
transverses.
Yoga asanas directly put
pressure on these key
points, strengthening the
meridians, and if
necessary redirecting the
circulation of vital energy
within them.
Yoga postures as ‘self–acupuncture’
stimulate the meridians of vital energy.

21. Chakras – Psychic Centers
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Chakras are subtle
energy centers along
the spinal column.
These psychic centers
are also related to the
endocrine glands.
They find a psychophysical manifestation
in conjunction with the
glands.
Asanas affect the
chakras.

22. Chakras – Main List
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There are seven conventional
chakras:
– 1st chakra
terranean
= Muladhara
– 2nd chakra = Svadhisthana
- fluidal
– 3rd chakra
igneous
= Manipura
-
– 4th chakra
= Anahata
- solar
– 5th chakra
sidereal
= Visuddha
-
– 6th chakra
= Ajina
- lunar

23. Concentration Points for Chakras
1) Mu'la'dha'ra
- base of the spine,
above the perineum;
2) Sva'dhis't'ha'na - base of the genital
organ;
3) Man'ipura - navel;
4) Ana'hata - midpoint of the chest;
5) Vishuddha - throat;
6) A'jina‘ - between the eyebrows;
7) Sahasra'ra - crown of the head.

24. Asana Practice – for Maximum Effect
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Must be comfortable to the yogi, as
effect on glands and chakras is very
important.
Best practiced in the early morning
before meals and in the late
afternoon or early evening before
meals.
Do 2 - 3 hours after eating;
On finishing, leave 20 - 30 minutes
before eating.

25. Things to Remember
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Breathing control.
Conscious stretching:
- no pain should be felt.
Counter positions or balance:
- must treat the body equally by
stretching each side of body equally
and in opposite directions.

26. Asanas – the Proper Flow
Important
aspects:
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Moving into the pose
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Maintaining the pose
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Coming out of the pose

27. Some basic asanas
- Yoga mudra
A good warm-up

28. Some basic asanas
- Cobra
Counter-balance
the first warm-up

29. Some basic asanas
- Hare Good for memory
and intellect

30. Some basic asanas
- Boat
Good for navel
which is the
controlling
point of the
body

31. Some basic asanas
- Shoulder stand
Helps increase
longevity, invigorates
all the lower chakras,
cures many diseases.
High blood pressure
patients should not
do this asana.

32. Some basic asanas
Complimentary
- Fish
to shoulder
stand

33. Fish posture

34. Some basic asanas
- Spinal twist
(must do both sides)
Activates all
the chakras,
helps in all
diseases,
helps in
longevity

35. Asanas for Spiritual Development
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Remember:
Asanas are not like exercises;
They should be learnt from a
competent acarya (meditation and
yoga teacher).
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Need to:
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– Know the asana
– Know the person
– Fit the asana to the person

36. Stress at Different Levels

37. Yoga and Stress
As part of the evolution of mind, the
crude mind is converted into subtler
mind.
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As the mental scope goes on
increasing, mind undergoes a
psychic dilation / expansion.
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The operative forces of this psychic
dilation are 3 in number:
(1) physical force, created out of physical
clash;
(2) psychic force, created as a result of
clashes in the psychic sphere;
(3) spiritual force emanated from longing
for the Great.


38. Multilateral Mind
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As a result of mental dilation, ie increase in
volume and mass of the psychic body, the
mind acquires more and more potentiality for
multilateral activities.
According to the mental dilation, the physical
body as well gets metamorphosed, and as the
longing for the Great increases, the physical
body develops certain complexities for an
adjustment with the higher psychic demands.
Hence we find that in creatures having
developed sentiments, the physical body is a
composite structure of a large number of
glands with their peculiar activities. The
developed glandular complexity is an
essentiality for facing the psychic clashes in
subtler spheres.

39. Dealing with Life Arenas
For expansion in life and for mental and
spiritual development, individual human beings
need to deal with the:
 physical
 physico-psychic
 psychic
 psycho-spiritual
 spiritual
They also need to deal with the social sphere.

40. Yoga and Balance
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There needs to be a proper balance
between:
physical
mental / psychic
spiritual
This is done for and while the unit
being moves and experiences
spiritual realisation.

41. Spirituality – the Subtlest Pursuit
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The realization of the universality of
one Infinite Consciousness and the
experience of Bliss.
The opportunity to realize and
become conscious of a Supreme
Reality.
One's spiritual ‘fitness’ is determined
by the feeling of Oneness, the desire
to be with the Divine all the time and
the strength of one's will power.
You've got to live it!

42. Spirituality and Yoga
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Yoga is Self-conquest =
merger of unit mind into
Cosmic.
Since the Divine is
universal, there is no
dogma in yoga.
Practices are scientific, so
a system should be
followed to gain the
benefits.
That system is the 8 fold
path and all the practical
steps associated with it.

43. It feels so much better
when you transcend the
ordinary
- its not hard to do.
Contact
www.ananda-marga.info