Up to now, we have studied the first five “Angas,” or limbs of yoga. These five limbs were Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara. These were, in a way, preparatory steps to the controlling of the mind. Each of the limbs helps to build on the next level on the path to the mastery of…
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Pratyahara is the fifth of the eight limbs of Yoga. A yogi should master each of the eight limbs to be a complete yogi, one who can attain Samadhi at will for an extended period. We have already touched upon the first four limbs of Yoga, namely Yama, Niyama, Asana, and Pranayama. Pratyahara, the fifth…
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In the West, Yoga is often misunderstood as just a different way of physical exercising. So it is no wonder Pranayama is misunderstood as a breathing exercise. Prana in Sanskrit means the cosmic life force. So Prana is what makes the cosmos come alive. All living organisms inhale Prana as part of their breath. Ayama…
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Yoga is a well-defined, sophisticated science that has been used for centuries to achieve the highest levels of spiritualism. However, it requires perseverance and dedication to make any meaningful progress. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali elaborately describe the eight limbs of yoga to guide the yogi at every level. Niyama means rule or a guideline…
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Yoga is universal. It can be practiced by anyone seeking spiritual realization. Western culture would be very skeptical about the concept of realizing and experiencing God. However, in India, yogis for generations have become enlightened, and their experience proves the power of yoga. If achieving even small targets in our daily life is enormously challenging,…
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In the West, Yoga is totally misunderstood as a set of physical exercises. On the contrary, Yoga is the complete science about attaining the highest level of meditation, Samadhi, and experiencing God. Moreover, it is time-tested, well-structured, documented, and experienced by thousands of yogis over many centuries. To attain Samadhi, one needs a completely tranquil…
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Let us understand this by an example. Say you get fascinated by the pictures of the Himalayas and decide to climb Mount Everest. Of course, you can climb it if you have the will to do it. So, you start by searching for professional help, and when you find one, you pay them the fee…
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To put it mildly: they eat meat because of their sheer ignorance and arrogance. Only humans feel no remorse in hurting another living being as long as they can subdue that being. Killing another living being is allowed even by law when the killing pertains to self-defense. But killing another living creature for mere carnal…
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India has produced innumerable sages and mystics in the last fifteen thousand years. These enlightened beings have guided humanity on the path of spiritualism to encourage every individual towards their own enlightenment. However, most enlightened beings had led a secluded life. That was mostly because there were no means, like the internet, to reach to…
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Or would it be more appropriate to ask if humanity misled religion? Religion has helped humankind to keep its sanity. Every major religion has been founded with the best of intentions. But somewhere along the way, it seems, we lost the ways of our religions, and now we find ourselves standing face to face in…
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