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Level 1 – 200 Hour YOGA TEACHER ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Level 1 – 200 Hour ! " YOGA TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL! ! ! Chapter 2: Background and Philosophy of Yoga ! © Santosha Yoga 2013 Teacher Training Manual " " Level 1 – 200 Hour ! " YOGA TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL ! Chapter 2: Background and Philosophy of Yoga ! “The needs of the body are the needs of the divine spirit which lives through the body. The yogi does not look heaven-ward to find God, for he knows that He is within.”" – B.K.S. Iyengar! " We begin this section with self-reflection. The eight limbs – sometimes referred to as the eight steps toward True Yoga – are outlined in the second chapter or pada of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which are foundational texts of yoga and a key component of Indian philosophy. The eight limbs are in fact, the broad structural framework of yoga itself. They are often described as a path toward the union between mind, body and spirit that the practice of yoga inspires amongst its practitioners.! ! The Eight Limbs " " " Eight Limbs of the Yoga Sutra" " ! !1. Yama – or universal morality! !2. Niyama – or personal observances and observations ! 3. Asanas – or body postures ! !4. Pranayama – or control of breath ! !5. Pratyahara – or control of the senses ! !6. Dharana – or cultivating of inner perceptual awareness ! 7. Dhyana – or devotion to, and meditation on the divine! !8. Samadhi – or union with the divine ! © Santosha Yoga 2013 Teacher Training Manual Importantly, only one of the eight limbs pertains to physical postures and exercise. The other seven focus heavily on mediation, spirituality and the cultivation of wisdom. Our training begins with the study of the eight limbs because of their multifaceted nature. For in concentrating on the eight limbs, we automatically begin to cultivate the mind-set and spirituality of a competent yoga teacher. As you study the eight limbs, reflect upon how you might incorporate these principles into your daily life, and consider how you might convey this spiritual wisdom to your students.! ! ! Blog Journal Entry Number 2! ! !" • What do you consider to be an ethical lifestyle?! ! • How have you dealt with challenges to what you consider to be an ethical lifestyle in the past?! ! • How has your yoga practice affected your personal spirituality? ! ! Yama! Yama, or universal morality, is comprised of five ethical guidelines for moral behaviour towards others. These guidelines are:! 1. Ahimsa – or non-violence. This includes non-violence in thought, word and deed. In other words, do not think about or engage in harm toward yourself, or anyone else. ! 2. Satya – or truthfulness. As was the case in Ahimsa, the truthfulness requirement also pertains to your thoughts. Don#t just speak the truth; seek out the truth in your own mind, and do not trick or manipulate yourself. ! 3. Asteya – or non-possessiveness. You should not steal from others, and you should not even desire things that are not your own. ! 4. Bramacharya – or non-lust. This has traditionally referred to celibacy amongst the unmarried, and, in the case of marriage, to abstaining from sexual intercourse with people other than one#s spouse. Many modern yogic practices have adopted a more liberal interpretation of the Bramarcharya guideline. ! 5. Aparigraha – or non-possessiveness. This refers to material objects, the people around you, and even your own thoughts. ! ! © Santosha Yoga 2013 Teacher Training Manual Niyama! While Yama provides guidelines for how to treat others, Niyama is comprised of five ethical guidelines governing moral behaviour towards oneself. These include:! 1. Saucha - or cleanliness. This pertains to cleanliness of both body and mind.! 2. Santosa – or contentment. When one is content, one is satisfied with what one has.! 3. Tapas – or sustained practice. The “tapas# requirement refers to discipline over the mind and body. ! 4. Svadhyaya – or self-study. This involves study of the scriptures and meditation, with the goal of fostering an awareness of one#s soul. ! 5. Isvara pranidhana – or surrender to God. ! " Asanas! Asanas or body postures, comprise the third of the eight limbs, and an important aspect of yoga. It is a part of yoga that in these modern times, tends to be mistaken for the practice of yoga practice in its entirety. Given the fascinating, beautiful and challenging range of asanas that have been developed over the course of history, combined with the tangible benefits of increased strength, flexibility and balance that they inspire, it is unsurprising that asanas have achieved such widespread popularity. However, the eight limbs demonstrate that the physical and mental exercises of yoga are inextricably inter- connected, and asanas must be performed only in conjunction with the other seven limbs in order to achieve a truly rich and complete yoga practice.! Asana is translated from the Sanskrit as “staying# or “abiding.# This means far more than physically “staying# in one posture. Asanas, when performed correctly, help to still and quiet the mind, and they also allow the practitioner to reflect upon a wide range of human emotions, as well as the interconnectedness of her or his body with the rest of the world. Later in this manual, we will be exploring asanas in great detail.! The eight limbs of yoga were created in the Yoga Sutras by Sage Patanjali several thousand years ago. In the 195 sutras, only three sutras were discussed by Patanjali on the topic of asana and were mostly in reference to meditation postures. Asana is defined as Sthira-Sukham or a steady yet firm and comfortable posture. In modern day yoga this definition would tell us that asana should allow our bodies to feel relaxed, strong, and steady for the duration of all the poses.! Pranayama! Pranayama is awareness and control of the breath, and must be practiced in conjunction with asanas and when meditating. Pranayama brings about the benefits of increased health and relaxation, and it stimulates the process of evolution as it fosters © Santosha Yoga 2013 Teacher Training Manual concentration. We will be reviewing a number of Pranayama techniques in a later chapter.! Pratyahara! Pratyahara, or control of the senses, is described as a “withdrawal of the senses from external objects.” It actually translates as the act of “to withdrawing oneself from that with nourishes the senses”. Our senses are nourished by sounds, sights and smells. Therefore, to practice Pratyahara, it is necessary to meditate, and to focus the mind and, therefore, the senses, away from everyday external distractions. Overt reliance upon external objects brings about an almost perpetual state of discontentment, and therefore interrupts our path to inner peace. It is said that through Pratyahara, our senses cease to be our masters, in a sense, and it becomes easier to look inside to find all of the nourishing stability and tranquillity that we need.! Dharana! Dharana is the cultivating of inner perceptual awareness. It has also been translated as “immovable concentration of the mind.” As part of Dharana, we create the appropriate conditions to enable mind to focus its attention in one specific direction, as opposed to stemming out into several different directions. Dharana is achieve through meditation, contemplation and reflection. As stated by B.K.S. Iyengar, the objective of Dharana is to achieve a mental state in which the mind, intellect and ego are “all restrained and all these faculties are offered to the Lord for His use and in His service.” He says that, under Dharana, “There is no feeling of “I# and “mine.”! Dhyana! Dhyana is devotion to or meditation on, the Divine. Like Dharana, Dhyana is achieved through meditation. Once the mind is clear and focused through Dharana in the first instance, it then becomes possible to direct one#s focus onto the Divine spirit. It becomes clear through Dhyana that the external world, as we have traditionally known it, is in fact unreal, and that the real world is the Universal Self, or God.! Samadhi! Samadhi, the last of the eight limbs and the final step in the yogic path, signifies a complete union with the Divine, or “oneness with the object of meditation”. During Samadhi, there is absolutely no distinction between the act of meditation and the object of meditation. The mind ceases to distinguish between the self and the non-self, and, as stated by Doran, “there is only the experience of consciousness, truth, and unutterable joy.” In Samadhi, the liberated soul enjoys a pure identity, and what is called “true yoga” is achieved. Samadhi can only be achieved as a result of great discipline and practice, with asanas and pranyamas paving the spiritual pathway that in turn, helps the practitioner to achieve Dharana and Dhyana.! ! © Santosha Yoga 2013 Teacher Training Manual ! Blog Journal Entry Number 3! ! !" ! • Close your eyes. Picture each of the eight limbs connected together like small steps leading towards True Yoga. Contemplate the eight limbs as an ! !impending journey." ! • Now make a list of what you perceive as challenges that you might face on ! !our journey towards Samadhi. How might you overcome these challenges?" ! • Why do you think this spiritual path is called “The Eight Limbs?”! ! • How could you teach your students lessons about The Eight Limbs?! • Are you practicing yoga if you perform less than or only part of The Eight ! Limbs? ! ! Sankhya Theory and Related Philosophies ! Sankhya philosophy originated from the six schools of Indian philosophy. It is thought that Sage Kapila is the founder of the practice. Currently the philosophy is used in many yoga and Vedanta schools, but has no actual school solely for the philosophy itself. It is thought that in more recent practices of the philosophy in combination with yoga and Vedanta has created a more atheist approach. The philosophy does not practice the belief in a God, but rather focuses on the duality of Purusa (consciousness) and Prakriti (physical matter).! Sankhya philosophy teaches that all knowledge can be obtained through three methods.
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