The Importance of Jnana

[Guest guest]

Hello fellow Yogis. <br><br>Having viewed some of

the other posts in this club I am saddened by the

lack of discussion on Yoga Philosophy. As you all know

Ashtanga, or Astaunga, is the 'eightfold' path of yoga. Yet

there 'seems' a unconscious preoccupation here with

only one of its disciplines, Asana. <br><br>Now in

view of Sadhana, the practice of Pranayama and Dhyana

should be taken very seriously and their methods should

not discussed casually, for obvious reasons, before

the uninitiated and inexperienced. That aside, I

would like to remind everyone that the true practice of

Astaunga is incomplete without strict adherence to Yama

and Niyama. Brahmacakra and Ishvara Pranidhana are

the cornerstones of Yogic existence, and should never

be far from our thoughts. Further, it is the duty of

the Yogi, where possible, to uplift and inspire

his/her fellow companions on the Path of Return, with the

thought Moksha and the eternal bliss that is Parama

Purusha, the Supreme Consciousness. <br><br>Syadhaya too

is essential to the developing consciousness of the

aspiring yogi, especially in a world where the intellect

is constantly bombarded by the mush that passes for

mental stimulation these days. These are my thoughts on

the club. They are meant to inspire not criticise.

<br><br>An enlightened discussion of yoga philosophy would

benefit us all ie. Personally I find comparisons between

Western Metaphysics and Vedanta/Yoga to be espescially

enlightening: for instance, the so called 'post-modern'

explication of the concept of Being/Non Being(Heidegger)in

contrast to Vedic concept of Sat/Asat(Rg Veda)and other

(Upanishadic)conceptions of Being,(i.e Brahma/Atman).<br><br>T.