The Eight Fold Yoga: A Path to Self-realisation

Description

Page: 367-368

Poonam Singh (Department of Psychology, M.S. College, Motihari, Bihar)

Yoga is necessary for every human if one wants to assert balance of oneself with the environment. Along with physical benefits, yoga creates a sense of balance between body, mind, and soul. In today’s situation, life is too busy full of responsibility, long working hours and busy schedules, and we forget to be happy. Sometimes maintaining a balance between work and personal life becomes difficult which adversely affects one’s health. That’s why it is desirable to spare some time to practice yoga. The present paper has focused to through light on how to practice eight-fold yoga or Ashtanga yoga. It is the path of enlightment and has a central place in the philosophy of yoga. Each step represents a different stage in accomplishing the ultimate interconnectedness with one’s self, as well as with this world. The benefits associated with yoga are increased mind clarity, strength, flexibility, decreased stress, and balances body and mind. Ashtanga yoga includes eight limbs which are Yama (Moral percept: non-destructing, authenticity, insatiability), Niyama (Potentials to cultivate: transparency, gratification), Asana (Postures or movement), Pranayam (Breathing exercise), Pratyahara (Declined response to sensation), Dharna (Attentiveness), Dhyana (consciousness, being at existing time), Samadhi (Ecstatic union: pure contemplation). The first four limbs are linked directly with external cleansing practices, whereas the other four can be considered internal cleansing practices, and control of mind. These limbs are interconnected, and each limb influences the next. Yoga is beneficial for unhealthy as well as for healthy people to improve their quality of life.