Thread by @pokerbhavik

For those who think Yoga is just about stretching exercises or breathing exercises.

Well that’s just the Tip of the Iceberg

There are 8 Aspects or Limbs of Yoga.

#InternationalDayOfYoga #InternationalYogaDay

#Thread

1) YAMA – Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows

The first limb, Yama, refers to vows, disciplines or practices.

5 Yamas:
•Ahimsa- non-violence
•Satya -truthfulness
•Asteya -non-stealing
•Brahmacharya -right use of energy
•Aparigraha -non-greed/ non-hoarding

2) NIYAMA – Positive duties or observances refers to duties directed towards ourselves,

5 Niyamas: 
•saucha -cleanliness
•santosha -contentment), 
•tapas -discipline or burning of desire), 
•svadhyaya -self-reflection
•isvarapranidaha -surrender to a higher power

3) ASANA
The physical aspect of yoga is the third step on the path
The word asana doesn’t refer to the ability to perform a handstand or an backbend, it means -seat
Only instruction Patanjali gives fr asana is “sthira sukham asanam”, the posture should be steady and comfortable

4) PRANAYAMA
Prana refers to ‘energy’ or ‘life source
Prana also often describes the breath
It can be understood as ‘prana-yama’ which would mean breath control or breath restraint’, or it could be understood as ‘prana-ayama which translate as ‘freedom of breath or liberation

5) PRATYAHARA – Sense withdrawal
Pratya means to ‘withdraw’, ‘draw in’ or ‘draw back’, and the second part ahara refers to anything we ‘take in’ by ourselves, such as the various sights, sounds andsmells our senses take in continuously

6) DHARANA – Focused Concentration
Dharana  means ‘focused concentration’. Dha means ‘holding or maintaining’, and Ana means ‘other’ or ‘something else’. Closely linked to the previous two limbs; dharana and pratyahara are essential parts of the same aspect.

7) DHYANA

Meditation- when we become completely absorbed in the focus of our meditation, and this is when we’re really meditating.
Practice of meditation is definitely not something we can actively ‘do’, but spontaneous action that happens as a result of everything else

8. SAMADHI –Bliss or Enlightenment

We know the word samadhi as meaning ‘bliss’ or ‘enlightenment’, The final step of the journey of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. After we’ve re-organised our relationships with the outside world and our own inner world, we come to the finale of Bliss

@Preetam_M_Rao @AparBharat @iKamalVeda @aphrodite___20 @BesuraTaansane @iPandeySaurabh