How is yoga defined?

excerpt from pg 17 New Vibe Yoga Training Manuel, written by Alex Schetzberg Founder of New Vibe Yoga

Yoga is defined in Sutra 1:2 as “yogas citta vritti nirodah", which translates to “yoga is the restraint of the thought waves of the mind.” Yoga is both the practice of quieting the mind and the state that is reached when that practice has been perfected.

Baba Hari Dass, in his exposition on the sutras, further explains that nirodah, restraint, is the process or mechanism by which the mind excludes various inputs in order to focus on a selected object. This ultimately causes the mental consciousness to turn inward and the mind to become aware of its divine source. The outcome of nirodah being perfected is that the Self, which is usually obscured by the fluctuations of the minds, dwells in itself without obfuscation. This state, known as Samadhi, is a state of true peace.

Samadhi is quite a normal state of mind, which someone might drop in and out of at various points during the course of a day, particularly at sunrise and sunset, when the energy is most conducive to spiritual clarity. However, most people have lost touch with the ability to experience the state of Samadhi at all due to disconnection from the rhythms of the natural world. Through yoga practice, we can tune the mind to its natural state and experience Samadhi regularly as part of our human experience.

The term yoga can be derived from either two roots: yugir yoga (meaning to yoke or yuj samadhau (to concentrate). The first derivation is the most commonly accepted, but in the context of the Yoga Sutras, the root yuj samadhau is considered by traditional commentators to be the correct etymology. This is because the practice of concentration leads to Samadhi , when everything but the object of concentration falls away (sampranjata samadhi) and eventually even that falls away, and the self comes to abide in pure consciousness.

Ashtanga : “Ash” meaning 8 “Tanga” meaning Limb

Eight Limb Path

Yamas (Restraints)

Niyamas (Observances)

Asana (Posture/ Physical Practice))

Pryanama (Breath, Extension Life Force)

Pratayhara (Dissattachment from Outside Stimuli, Distraction)

Dharana (Concentration)

Dhyana (Meditation without Concentration)

Samadhi (Bliss, Enlightenment)

Yamas & Niyamas

Yamas are a set of disciplines that help us control our five sense organs and our five organs of action. There are essentially ethical guidelines intended for how we interact with the world. There are five main Yamas—

Ahisma: meaning non-violence. This is the act of choosing not intently cause anything or anyone harm.

Satya: meaning truthfulness. This the act of committing to embodying the truest version of yourself, therforth, moving in truthfulness at all times.

Asteya: Non- Stealing. This pertains to the act of not taking and/or consuming what was not intended for you.

Bramacharya: Withdrawl of Senses.

Aparigraha: Non-Attachment

Niyamas are a set of organized observances pertaining to how we tend to ourselves. There are five main Niyamas—

Saucha: Cleanliness. This pertains to the intentional act of living a clean lifestyle both inside and out. An example of keeping your “outside” clean would be showering daily, before and after, sadhana, and keeping your room and home clean. An example of keeping the inside clean can be spiritual baths, candle gazing, enima cleansing, and/or sound bowl clearing etc

Sanatosha: Contentment. This pertains to acceptance of where you are in life at this moment. Contentment is not synonymous with Satisfied.

Tapas: Austerity & Discernment. This entails using your wisest perception to make choices and decisions in life that are alligned with the overall betterement of your well- being.

Svadhyaya: Self Study. Know thyself and know the Divine.

Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender (to a Higher Power or Greater Consciousness)

“in order to enact your divinity,

you must tap into your divinity.”

— Angeliq Brock

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