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abhiyerra

That which you see as
other than righteousness and unrighteousness,
other than all this cause and effect,
other than what has been and what is to be—tell me THAT.
-Katha Upanishad

All life is yoga. - Sri Aurobindo

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. —Einstein

A philosophy of life covers all aspects of life. You don't lead one part of your life with one philosophy and another part with another philosophy. What I have found is that the practice of Patanjali's Raja Yoga with the philosophy of Vedanta can cover all aspects of life internally and externally.

It is a philosophy that is both practical and spiritual. You might ask how a practice of meditation can be a practical philosophy? But I would argue that the limbs as laid out in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are exceedingly practical to an entrepreneur especially as the waves and uncertainty push you from one side to another.

Four Yogas​

BhaktiKarmaRajaJnanaSattvaRajasTamasSamadhiDhyanaDharanaPratyaharaPranayamaAsanaNiyamaYamaSelflessSelfishAtmanivedanamSakhyamDasyamVandanamArchanamPadasevanamSmaranamKirtanamShravanamAdvaitaVishishtadvaitaDvaita

The four paths of Yoga, as I understand it, build on the other. The traditional systems seem to have no real ordering. Any path can be taken as standalone while combining with the other yogas. As is described the yogas sadhanas are each rivers that flow to the same ocean. However, I find that the Four Yogas are easier to conceptualize as a path from worldly to pure consciousness.

Each path yogic path we attempt to grow to be more sattvic.

  • Karma: Selfless Work
  • Bhakti: Devotion
    • Japa: Mantra
  • Raja: Meditation
    • Hatha: Health
    • Kundalini: Energy
  • Jnana: Self-Knowledge

Each of these yogas are built on the gunas. The gunas are: sattva, rajas, and tamas. We all start at a Selfish Karma Yoga state of being. Even starting Yoga is a selfish act. This is a tamasic state of being. As we progress we try to move towards a sattvic state of being. This means following the tenants of each yoga and correcting our actions.

Synthesis of the Four Yogas into Raja Yoga​

I find that the Four Yogas can be synthesized into the Eight Limbs of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Karma, Bhakti and Jnana Yoga can be incorporated into the Niyama limb. While I did mention the structure of the Four Yogas earlier as how to conceptualize going from tamasic selfishness to sattvic pure consciousness the difficulty lies in that each system has its own practices (sadhana).

Having each yoga as a separate path that is followed is like jumping around from one practice to another without any real structure and depth. It is for this reason that I find the Eight Limbs of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras to be a framework from which to practice the Four Yogas together.

  • yama (Karma Yoga). Moral Restraints
    • ahimsa. Nonviolence
    • satya. Truthfulness
    • asteya. Refrain from Stealing
    • bramacharya. Celibacy
    • aparigraha. Refraining from Coveting
  • niyama. Observances
    • saucha. Cleanliness
    • santosha. Contentment
    • tapas. Austerity
    • svadhyaya (Jnana Yoga). Study of the Sacred Texts and Mantras
      • sravana Hearing
      • manana Reflection
      • nididhyasana Meditation and Contemplation
    • ishvarapranidhana (Bhakti Yoga). Surrendering the fruits of all action to the Divine
      • śravaṇa: Hearing. Stories, scriptures, and teachings.
      • kīrtana: Chanting/singing. Japa, mantras, prayers
      • smaraṇa: Remembering. Meditation
      • pāda-sevana: Serving the Feet. Serving the community.
      • archana: Worship. Worship at home or in the temple. Making the home itself a temple.
      • vandana: Prostration/Offering Obeisance. Prayers
      • dāsya: Servitude. Selfless work
      • sākhyatva: Friendship. Prayer in the form of conversation
      • ātma-nivedana: Self-surrender
  • asana (Hatha Yoga). Posture
  • pranayama (Kundalini Yoga). Breath Control
  • pratyahara (Japa Yoga). Withdrawal of the Senses
  • dharana. Concentration
  • dhyana. Meditation
  • samadhi. Absorption

Since Raja Yoga is my primary focus, samyama and samadhi is the goal of the practice. In many cases the approach to the Yoga Sutras is a linear path from the Yama to Samadhi. But the engineer and businessman in me thinks that this is a bit too linear. Instead I start with samyama and figure out the obstacles in my path of citta-vritti-nirodha (stilling the mind). I then work backwards to figure out what is holding me back from stilling the mind. The other limbs are addressed as needed to fill in the gaps to still the mind. This way I can continuously improve my practice and figure out what is holding me back.

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