Shri Mataji talks about Patanjali's yoga

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

Shri Mataji was at a Press Conference at Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, Canada

in 1999, when She was asked the question:

 

" What is yoga? "

 

And Shri Mataji talked about the real yoga [union with the Divine] and also

about Pantanjali's yoga. Here is what She said

 

" Yoga actually means the union with the Divine Power which surrounds us. We are

not aware of it [the Divine Power] but it is described in all the religions,

that there is an all-pervading power of Divine love, that one has to get

connected to. That is the real yoga.

 

The other yogas that people talk about, [for example] Patanjali, are from

thousands of years ago, when he started to give this yoga for physical

[fitness]. Then the mental fitness should come, [and after that] the emotional

fitness should come. How to establish that, was the point. And it used to take a

lot of time, as the tradition was that only one person needs to get their Self

Realisation. I think perhaps the reason may be that they would first evaluate

the personality and then give Realisation, because if you give it to anybody

else, they might misuse it and try to exploit people. Another thing was that

formerly, people used to torture all the saints. If you see the history,

anywhere in the world, [you will see that] the saints were all tortured. The

real saints were all tortured. So maybe they thought that the people should be

prepared [and] so equipped, that they could bear the torture. That might be the

reaason, but it was the traditional way, to give Self Realisation to only one

person.

 

But when I was born, I found out that it doesn't work if you have Self

Realisation for only one person, and the Time has come to give en masse

Realisation. So what I did, [the] only thing I put in as my effort, [was] that I

worked on the various people, [their] personality and their kundalini, and tried

to find out what the permutations and combinations are, that torture these

people. Why can't they get Realisation? And by 1970 I found out the methods, by

which it is very easy to raise the kundalini of all the people. That is how it

is working. So Sahaja Yoga means " saha " means " with " and " ja " means " born " .

" Born with you " means it is the right of everybody to get this yoga. " (Shri

Mataji Nirmala Devi - Press Conference, Formal Talk - Vancouver, Canada - 27

June 1999)

 

[The above article has been written in the English way, with the meaning of what

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi gave, being retained.]

 

Appended, is an article of Patanjali. SYs will be familiar with many of the

Hindu words, that are in this article, because we have heard them from Shri

Mataji, also.

 

regards,

 

violet

 

 

 

Patanjali and His Eightfold Path of Yoga - Sherry Roberts

 

To perform the boat posture simply to get a flatter tummy is missing the boat,

according to Patanjali. Often called " the father of yoga, " Patanjali was the guy

who codified his thoughts and knowledge of yoga in The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

In this work, Patanjali compiled 195 sutras or concise aphorisms that are

essentially an ethical blueprint for living a moral life and incorporating the

science of yoga into your life. Although no one is sure of the exact time when

Patanjali lived and wrote down his sutras, it is estimated this humble physician

who became one of the world's greatest sages roamed India somewhere between 200

B.C. and 200 A.D.

 

In a world where we reduce nearly everything to quick tips and sound bites,

Patanjali seems to fit right in with his brief 195 guidelines to enlightenment.

But in the case of Patanjali, simplicity is deceptive. In fact, scholars still

don't agree on what Patanjali meant in some of his sutras.

 

The Yoga Sutra is considered the fundamental text on the system of yoga, and yet

you won't find the description of a single posture or asana in it. This is a

guide for living the right life. Essentially, Patanjali says, you can't practice

asanas in yoga class, feel the stretch, and then go home to play with your kids,

cook a meal, yell at your employees, and cheat on your taxes. There is more to

yoga than that — yoga can help you cultivate body, mind, and spiritual

awareness.

 

The heart of Patanjali's teachings is the eightfold path of yoga. It is also

called the eight limbs of Patanjali, because they intertwine like the branches

of a tree in the forest. These aren't commandments (although they sometimes

sound like them), laws, or hard and fast rules. These are Patanjali's

suggestions for living a better life through yoga. Here are the eight limbs of

Patanjali.

 

 

Yama

 

Yama is social behavior, how you treat others and the world around you. These

are moral principles. Sometimes they are called the don'ts or the thou shalt

nots. There are five yamas:

 

1. Nonviolence (ahimsa)

 

Do no harm to any creature in thought or deed. In his book Autobiography of a

Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda asks Mahatma Gandhi the definition of ahimsa. Gandhi

said, " The avoidance of harm to any living creature in thought or deed. "

Yogananda asked if one could kill a cobra to protect a child. Gandhi maintained

he would still hold to his vow of ahimsa, but added, " I must confess that I

could not serenely carry on this conversation were I faced by a cobra. "

 

2. Truth and honesty (satya)

 

Tell no lies. Cheating on your income taxes falls into this category.

 

3. Nonstealing (asteya)

 

Do not steal material objects (a car) or intangibles such as the center of

attention or your child's chance to learn responsibility or independence by

doing something on his own.

 

4. Nonlust (brahmacharya)

 

Don't worry; this is not a call to celibacy. Many yogis of old were married and

had families of their own. The person who practices brahmacharya avoids

meaningless sexual encounters and, as the well-known teacher B.K.S. Iyengar puts

it, " sees divinity in all. "

 

5. Nonpossessiveness (aparigraha)

 

Free yourself from greed, hoarding, and collecting. Do you really need more

shoes, another car, or to hog the conversation every time you see your friends?

Make your life as simple as possible.

 

 

 

Niyama

 

Niyama is inner discipline and responsibility, how we treat ourselves. These are

sometimes called observances, the do's, or the thou shalts. There are five

niyamas:

 

1. Purity (shauca)

 

Purity is achieved through the practice of the five yamas, which help clear away

the negative physical and mental states of being. Keep yourself, your clothing,

and your surroundings clean. Eat fresh and healthy food. The next time you joke

about treating your body like a temple, think of this niyama.

 

2. Contentment (santosha)

 

Cultivate contentment and tranquility by finding happiness with what you have

and who you are. Seek happiness in the moment, take responsibility for where you

are, and choose to grow from there.

 

3. Austerity (tapas)

 

Show discipline in body, speech, and mind. The purpose of developing

self-discipline is not to become ascetic, but to control and direct the mind and

body for higher spiritual aims or purposes.

 

4. Study of the sacred text (svadhyaya)

 

Study sacred texts, which are whatever books are relevant to you and inspire and

teach you. Education changes a person's outlook on life. As Iyengar says, a

person starts " to realize that all creation is meant for bhakti (adoration)

rather than for bhoga (enjoyment), that all creation is divine, that there is

divinity within himself and that the energy which moves him is the same that

moves the entire universe. "

 

5. Living with an awareness of the Divine (ishvara-pranidhana)

 

Be devoted to God, Buddha, or whatever you consider divine.

 

 

 

Asana

 

" The posture of yoga is steady and easy, " Patanjali says. Patanjali compares

this to resting like the cosmic serpent on the waters of infinity. Although

Westerners often consider the practice of asana or postures as an exercise

regimen or a way to stay fit, Patanjali and other ancient yogis used asana to

prepare the body for meditation. To sit for a lengthy time in contemplation

required a supple and cooperative body. If you are free of physical distractions

— such as your foot going to sleep — and can control the body, you can also

control the mind. Patanjali said, " Posture is mastered by freeing the body and

mind from tension and restlessness and meditating on the infinite. "

 

 

 

Pranayama

 

Prana is the life force or energy that exists everywhere and flows through each

of us through the breath. Pranayama is the control of breath. The basic

movements of pranayama are inhalation, retention of breath, and exhalation. " The

yogi's life is not measured by the number of days but by the number of his

breaths, " says Iyengar. " Therefore, he follows the proper rhythmic patterns of

slow, deep breathing. " The practice of pranayama purifies and removes

distractions from the mind making it easier to concentrate and meditate.

 

 

 

Pratyahara

 

Pratyahara is withdrawal of the senses. Pratyahara occurs during meditation,

breathing exercises, or the practice of yoga postures — any time when you are

directing your attention inward. Concentration, in the yoga room or the

boardroom, is a battle with distracting senses. When you master pratyahara, you

are able to focus because you no longer feel the itch on your big toe or hear

the mosquito buzzing by your ear or smell the popcorn popping in the microwave.

 

 

 

Dharana

 

Concentration or dharana involves teaching the mind to focus on one point or

image. " Concentration is binding thought in one place, " says Patanjali. The goal

is to still the mind — gently pushing away superfluous thoughts — by fixing your

mind on some object such as a candle flame, a flower, or a mantra. In dharana,

concentration is effortless. You know the mind is concentrating when there is no

sense of time passing.

 

 

 

Dhyana

 

Uninterrupted meditation without an object is called dhyana. Concentration

(dharana) leads to the state of meditation. The goal of meditation is not

unconsciousness or nothingness. It is heightened awareness and oneness with the

universe. How do you tell the difference between concentration and meditation?

If there is awareness of distraction, you are only concentrating and not

meditating. The calm achieved in meditation spills over into all aspects of your

life — during a hectic day at work, shopping for groceries, coordinating the

Halloween party at your child's school.

 

 

 

Samadhi

 

The ultimate goal of the eightfold path to yoga is samadhi or absolute bliss.

This is pure contemplation, superconsciousness, in which you and the universe

are one. Those who have achieved samadhi are enlightened. Paramahansa

Yoganananda called it the state of God-Union.

 

The eight limbs work together: The first five steps — yama, niyama asana,

pranayama, and pratyahara — are the preliminaries of yoga and build the

foundation for spiritual life. They are concerned with the body and the brain.

The last three, which would not be possible without the previous steps, are

concerned with reconditioning the mind. They help the yogi to attain

enlightenment or the full realization of oneness with Spirit. Enlightenment

lasts forever, while a flat tummy can disappear with a week of binging.

 

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