Yoga is the union of the individual soul with the supreme soul, achieved through the focus on one’s goal. It involves stabilizing the restlessness of the mind, intellect, and senses, as defined by Lord Krishna. This process leads to a separation from the suffering caused by the distractions of the world.

Ashtang yoga has eight limbs:
1. Yama
2. Niyama
3. Asana
4. Pranayama
5. Pratyahara
6. Dharana
7. Dhyana
8. Samadhi

These Ashtanga yogas are divided into two parts:
1. External: It includes the first four limbs—yama, niyam, asana, and pranayama.
2. Internal: It includes the last four limbs—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

a) AHIMSA – It is the renunciation of all forms of violence towards every living being, not causing pain to anyone through thought, word, or deed, and renouncinghostility toward all.

b) SATYA-  It means truth. The words of a truthful person always bear fruit. Truth is simply stating what one has observed, perceived, and heard.

c)ASTEYA- Steya is the taking of another person’s wealth, etc., but not accepting others’ property without violating the rules is called asteya

d)BRAHAMCHARYA- restraint of the subtle senses and protection of the senses is called brahamcharya

e)APARIGRAHA-parigraha means accumulating worldly pleasures like wealth, possesions etc in excess of one’s need, which leads to attachment and greed, which causes mental instability. Stopping and renouncing this tendency is called aparigraha

Rules are based on the tendencies, because they motivate the practitioner to perform yoga

a) SHAUCHA – shaucha means purity. It is of two types-
1) External Purity – Proper washing of the body, wearing clean clothes, consuming good food, and maintaining health through yoga practices
2) Internal Purity –  Internal purity involves eliminating mental impurities and the five afflictions through practices such as concentration, gentleness, sense restraint, and self-realization.

b) Santosh (Satisfaction):
Contentment is not about acquiring more external objects than necessary for yoga practice. It is the cessation of craving for material things. Non-possession is the non-accumulation of external things, and contentment is the renunciation of even the desire to acquire them.

c) Tapa (Penance):
Tapasya is the proper control of the body, soul, senses, and mind through practice. Enduring dualities such as pleasure, sorrow, hunger, and thirst is also considered tapasya. Tapa destroys impurities and purifies the body and senses.
1) Physical: Non-violence, celibacy
2) Verbal: True words
3) Mental: Self-control

d) Swadhyaya (Self-Study):
Studying texts and chanting OMKAR and the Gayatri Mantra is considered swadhyaya. One could also consider reading any other knowledgable text.

e) Ishvara Pranidhan (Devotion to God):
Dedicating all actions and their fruits to God is called Ishvara Pranidhan. This act of surrendering to God is performed by the body, senses, mind, and soul, as well as all other organs.

The state in which the body remains in a particular position for a required period of time without any mental or physical pain is called asana.
By practicing asana regularly, one attains flexibility in the body and attains the perfection of anantasamapayidhya (being free from all desires and absorbed in the external feeling of God).

There are four types of asana:
1. Standing postures
2. Sitting postures
3. Supine postures
4. Prone postures

Pranayam is composed of two words: prana and aayama. Prana is the life force, and all living beings survive on prana (breathing). The process of breathing begins at birth. Pranayam is the regulation of breathing, i.e., stopping or controlling the breathing process.

The necessity of pranayama practice.
1. Location:
– A room with pure air circulation and a quiet atmosphere.
– A symbol of OMKAR or a picture of accomplished individuals on the room’s walls.
– An open ground for meditation.
2. Time:
– Morning
– Midday
– Evening
– Midnight
3. Diet:
– Consume cow milk during the initial period.
– Once the practice is complete, consume pure food.

Withdrawing from the objects that cause restlessness in the mind. Imitating the form of a concentrated mind by freeing the senses from their objects.

Binding the mind to a specific location through concentration.
– Restraining the senses from objects by withdrawing the mind from them and focusing it on various parts of the body.
– Desha refers to the external or internal location of the body where the mind is stabilized.

Continuous thinking on the object of concentration.
– The continuous concentration of the mind on the specific location where concentration is done.

Types of Dhyana:
1. Shool Dhyana: Meditation on the idol of the desired deity or guru, i.e., meditation on gross objects such as idols.
2. Jyoti Dhyana: Meditation on fire, light, or the radiant Shiva Shakti.
3. Sookshyam Dhyana: Meditating on the point-like Brahma Kundalini.

While meditating, when the meditator perceives only the goal out of the meditation and the goal itself, the soul becomes the third plane of the form of God.
– The form becomes like zero, and this state is called samadhi.
– When the mind is removed from distractions and concentrated, that is samadhi.
– Samadhi, the supreme Yoga, is attained by great fortune.
By the grace and mercy of the Guru, one attains devotion to the Guru.

Types of Samadhi:
1. Samprajnat Samadhi (Savikalpa or Sabij Samadhi)
2. Asamprajnata Samadhi (Nirvikalpa or Nirbij Samadhi)