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yoga

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

  • “Yogas citta vritti nirodah” Yoga Sutras 1.2
  • “O Arjuna! As the ignorant men work with attachment to action, so should the wise act without attachment, for the welfare of the world.” Bhagavad Gita 3.25
  • “Hail, Hail, Hail, Shri Hanuman, Lord of senses. Let your victory over the evil be firm and final. Bless me in the capacity as my supreme guru.” Hanuman Chalisa
BhaktiKarmaRajaJnanaSattvaRajasTamasSamadhiDhyanaDharanaPratyaharaPranayamaAsanaNiyamaYamaSelflessSelfishAtmanivedanamSakhyamDasyamVandanamArchanamPadasevanamSmaranamKirtanamShravanamAdvaitaVishishtadvaitaDvaitaYamaKarma YogaNiyamaBhakti YogaAsana,PranayamaHatha and HealthPratyahara,Dharana,DhyanaSamadhiJapa YogaSattvaRajasTamasRaja YogaHanuman ChalisaBhagavad GitaYoga SutrasBhaktiKarmaRajaJnanaSattvaRajasTamasSamadhiDhyanaDharanaPratyaharaPranayamaAsanaNiyamaYamaSelflessSelfishAtmanivedanamSakhyamDasyamVandanamArchanamPadasevanamSmaranamKirtanamShravanamAdvaitaVishishtadvaitaDvaitaHathaAsanaPranayamaShatkarmasDevotion & ActionDisciplinePhilosophyHanumanChalisaYoga Sutrasof PatanjaliBhagavadGitaTraditional Four YogasRegrouped Four YogasSynthesis into Raja YogaSynthesis into Three SastrasVivekananda SatyanandaChinmayanandaDayanandaSivanandaRamakrishnaTeachers

Traditional Four Yogas​

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.

Regrouped Four Yogas​

Synthesis 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 (Bhakti Yoga). Observances
    • saucha. Cleanliness
    • santosha. Contentment
    • tapas. Austerity
    • svadhyaya. Study of the Sacred Texts and Mantras. Includes Jnana Yoga
      • sravana Hearing
      • manana Reflection
      • nididhyasana Meditation and Contemplation
    • ishvarapranidhana. 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
  • Hatha Yoga
    • asana. Posture
    • pranayama. Breath Control
  • Japa Yoga
    • pratyahara. 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.

Karma / yama (moral restraints)​

Please do the most unpleasant tasks first unless there is some pleasant thing, which also has to be done that day. In time, you will find that you have peace of mind. You have more leisure, inner leisure. Procrastination is the villain of the piece in taking away that inner leisure. Inner leisure gives you the space to pay attention to those whom you love, and for whom you work so hard. You want to give them a good, comfortable life. Inner leisure gives you the space to spend quality time with your spouse, with your children, your parents, and your siblings. When you are with your spouse, you are with the person totally, absolutely totally. With the pending problems and files inside the heart, you cannot do that because you are not total.

-Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Need for Personal Reorganisation

Plunge into the world, and then, after a time, when you have suffered   and enjoyed all that is in it, will renunciation come; then will calmness come. So fulfil your desire for power and everything else, and after you have fulfilled the desire, will come the time when you will know that they are all very little things; but until you have fulfilled this desire, until you have passed through that activity, it is impossible for you to come to the state of calmness, serenity, and self-surrender.

Vivekananda, Swami; Time, Reading. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (p. 83). (Function). Kindle Edition.

It is useless to say that the man who lives out of the world is a greater man than he who lives in the world; it is much more difficult to live in the world and worship God than to give it up and live a free and easy life.

Vivekananda, Swami; Time, Reading. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (p. 85). (Function). Kindle Edition.

What have I done, O Lord, that Thou shouldst bestow any heavenly comfort upon me? I remember not that I have done any good, but have been ever prone to sin and slow to amendment.

Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chapter LIX

Develop virtues like generosity, forgiveness and love. Mere Yogic Kriyas alone will not help you much. Do self-analysis daily and eradicate your faults and evil, slavish habits. Rectify your defects such as selfishness, pride, jealousy and hatred. You must cultivate a compassionate and loving heart first. At all times you must share what you have with others and practice selfless service. Then only will you get purity of heart. -Swami Sivananda

The mind should be attacked on all sides with every possible type of weapon-with the repetition of God’s Name, study of religious scriptures, devotion, practice of silence, service. Pranayama, Japa, prayer, Kirtan and meditation. All these should be combined. -Swami Sivananda

  • ahimsa (Non-violence)
  • satya (Truthfulness)
  • asteya (Non-stealing)
  • brahmacharya (Celibacy)
  • aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)

The yamas are the moral restraints that need to be followed as a foundation for the practice of yoga. These also coinside with the practice of Karma Yoga. When selfless service is performed without going after the fruits of the action.

I believe that the practice is benefited by applying the principles outside of spirituality. W Edwards Deming, the father of modern quality management is one example of how the principles of business can be applied to spirituality.

A slow continuous improvement both internally and externally with the goal being that you are not attached to the fruits of the action while performing the action.

The question to always ask is: Is what I am doing selfish?

This question is pretty significant as most everything we do is selfish. Even those things we don’t want to do are selfish: I have a task I like and a task I don’t like. I like to code, I don’t like to clean the toilet. The way forward is to just have a routine and do the task whether you like it or not.

So, Karma Yoga is a form of meditation. You continuously bring the mind back to the task at hand.

However, I think the cheat code that Krishna gave in the Gita is to do your dharma. While we don't have prescribed dharma like Arjuna, we do have a path that we may eventually follow. This path is the dharma that we should be doing, even the boring parts.

Notes:

  • Aspire for Sattvic ideal.
  • Live simply and give as much as possible.
  • Name and fame are poison. Do not aspire for those just make selfless service the default.
  • Thoughts are actions. An impure thought is an impure action.
  • No half assing. Put your entire energy into the task at hand. If you are doing two things say like gardening and listening to scripture you are not doing either well. Make time individually for both. Put your whole heart and mind to the task at hand.
  • “The old Samskaras of vanity, cunningness, crookedness, arrogance, petty-mindedness, fighting nature, pride, self-esteem or thinking too much of one’s self, speaking ill of others, belittling others, may be still lurking in your mind.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “Those who engage themselves frequently in hot debates, vain discussions, wrangling, lingual warfare and intellectual gymnastics cause serious damage to the astral body.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “An aspirant should follow the instructions of his Guru and the teachings of the scriptures to the very letter. No leniency should be allowed to the mind. There can be no half measures in the spiritual path. You cannot say: “I will see to them later on. I can devote more time when I retire. I have followed the instructions as far as possible or more or less.” This ‘more or less’ and ‘as far as possible’ business is disastrous to an aspirant. There is neither ‘exception to the general rule’ nor ‘allowing margin’ nor any ‘discount’ in the practice of spiritual instructions. Exact, implicit, strict obedience to the instructions is expected of you.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “Even slight annoyance and irritability affects the mind and the astral body. Aspirants should not allow these evil Vrittis to manifest in the mind-lake.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “Worry, depression, unholy thoughts, anger and hatred produce a kind of crust or dark layer on the surface of the mind or astral body. This crust or rust or dirt prevents the beneficial influences to get entry inside and allows the evil force or lower influences to operate. Worry does great harm to the astral body and the mind. Energy is wasted by the worry-habit. Nothing is gained by worrying. It causes inflammation of the astral body and drains the vitality of man. It should be eradicated by vigilant introspection and by keeping the mind fully occupied.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “Be ever ready to serve. Serve with pure love, kindness and courtesy. Never grumble or murmur during service. Never show a wry or gloomy face when you serve. The man whom you serve will refuse to accept such service. You will lose an opportunity. Watch for opportunities to serve. Never miss a single chance. Create opportunities. Create field for good service. Create work. Live a life of utter devotion to service. Fill your heart with fervour and enthusiasm for service. Live only to be a blessing to others. If you want to achieve this you will have to refine your mind.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “You must not do any work perfunctorily or in a careless, half-hearted manner, without taking any interest. You cannot evolve if you take this attitude of mind. The whole heart, mind, intellect and soul must be in the work. Then only can you call it Yoga or Isvararpana.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • “Do not do anything in a surry scurry, in haste or flurry. Do every bit of work with a cool, unruffled mind. Be perfectly accurate in doing any kind of work. Collect all your scattered thoughts and apply your full mind to the work on hand. Many spoil their work by doing it in haste without reflection or consideration.” -Karma Yoga, Sivananda
  • "A student of Karma Yoga should have an elementary knowledge of Raja Yoga, psychology, Ayurveda, physiology, family medicine, hygiene, Sankhya and Vedanta.", -Karma Yoga, Sivananda

Karma Yoga is also a form of meditation where you want a clear mind. To have a clear mind you need to do a few things:

  • Work on the hardest problem first. When you work on the hardest problem you set yourself to have a clear mind as you are always dealing with the problem that you don't want to do.
  • Make friends with fear. Fear is natural, so you must make friends with it. Don't be afraid of the fear of failure.
  • Success if how much you manage your likes and dislikes. The less you desire, the more you are in control of your mind. Anything you get that you like think of it is prasada.
ahimsa (non-violence)​

To be non-violent means to be able to wield violence in the first place. It comes from a place of strength and not weakness. A weak person who says they are non-violent is just weak.

For Indian Hindus who have a tendency towards anger towards Muslins and Christians:

  1. People converted to Islam and Christianity because of the social chains of caste. They were oppressed by the caste system. Muslims and Christians in India are by blood Indian.
  2. Make it so that Sanatana Dharma is appealing to the people who converted by removing the social chains of caste, class and creed.
satya​

Truthfulness comes in two parts:

  • With others.
  • With yourself.

While not lying to others is staightforward, being truthful with yourself is hard. We tend to lie to ourselves. Thankfully, with the wonderful invention of spreadsheets we can track our actions and see if we are being truthful. As a way to keep myself honest I do the following:

  • Routine based on 30 minute chunks. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I have a routine that is based on 30 minute chunks. Each chunk has a specific task associated with a specific limb / yoga.
  • Spreadsheet tracking my daily reviews of my progress. Each of the things then has a Deming Control Chart that I track to see how I am doing. The nature of the Patanjali's Limbs is that there are external and internal practices. In business these can be regarded as input and output metrics. The things you can control for are the input metrics and this is what I track.

Bhakti / niyama​

The niyamas of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras can be seen as the foundation for the practices of Bhakti and Jnana Yoga. Bhakti eventually leads to Jnana. In this regard I consider the practice of Bhakti and Jnana not as separate paths but as a single path. However, I do think that there is a lot of preliminary work to be done in the Bhakti path before one can move to the Jnana path. A devotion and a set of practices that lead to the stilling of the mind.

The niyama practices seem to be a good framework for the practices of Bhakti and Jnana Yoga. I hope to move from the practices of Bhakti to the practices of Jnana Yoga over time. Incorporating the practices of Jnana into the practices of Bhakti.

saucha​

Cleanliness of the mind involves:

  • Cleanliness of the Body
  • Cleanliness of the Home
  • Cleanliness of the Garden. I added this one as the changing of the seasons and the growth and decay of plants is a way to reflect the changing of the mind.

santosha​

Wherever there is attachment, the clinging to the things of the world, you must know that it is all physical attraction between sets of particles of matter — something that attracts two bodies nearer and nearer all the time and, if they cannot get near enough, produces pain; but where there is real love, it does not rest on physical attachment at all. Such lovers may be a thousand miles away from one another, but their love will be all the same; it does not die, and will never produce any painful reaction. -Swami Vivekananda. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Sanskrit and prestige go together in India. As soon as you have that, none dares say anything against you. That is the one secret; take that up. The whole universe, to use the ancient Advaitist's simile, is in a state of self-hypnotism. It is will that is the power. It is the man of strong will that throws, as it were, a halo round him and brings all other people to the same state of vibration as he has in his own mind. Such gigantic men do appear. And what is the idea? When a powerful individual appears, his personality infuses his thoughts into us, and many of us come to have the same thoughts, and thus we become powerful. Why is it that organizations are so powerful? Do not say organization is material. Why is it, to take a case in point, that forty millions of Englishmen rule three hundred millions of people here? What is the psychological explanation? These forty millions put their wills together and that means infinite power, and you three hundred millions have a will each separate from the other. Therefore to make a great future India, the whole secret lies in organization, accumulation of power, co-ordination of wills. - Swami Vivekananda. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

santosha (Contentment) can be achieved through simplicity and building processes. The problem with modern life is that we are conintuously distracted by new things, new wants, and new experiences. The shastras say we need to do the opposite: reduce our want and needs.

As an entrepreneur this seems counterintuitive and paradoxical that I want to reduce my wants and desires. One of the problems that I have had is that I want to do it all. I was the guy who ended up with 10 different majors in college. In the end I studied History and that was an amazing decision that I was able to dive deep into. I also am the guy that wants to attempt every business idea out there. I attempted futures trading, crypto, real estate, and many other things that I was not equipped to do.

So I have learned to focus on:

  • Ventures. Build asset light, simple to explain businesses that: require minimal capital, can be run with outsourced teams, and are tech infrastructure focused.
  • Investments. Value investing in the style of Warren Buffett.

Further my mornings are completely focused on Karma Yoga and my afternoons and evenings are focused on Bhakti/Jnana Yoga. Throughout the day Raja Yoga is the framework.

tapas​

यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम्

Whatever you do,
whatever you eat,
whatever you offer in sacrifice,
whatever you give away,
and whatever austerity you perform,
do that as an offering to Me. -Bhagavad Gita 9.27

There are two paths: the pleasant and the good. Most of us take the path of the pleasant. But the pleasant is a means of bondage. It ties you to the world. For example, coffee is pleasant but it causes anxiety and withdrawal when you stop so it isn’t good. Further, it does not help with the citta-vritti-nirodha.

The tapas that I perform is simply that I lead a very regulated life where I do essentially the same thing at the same time everyday and minimize my freedom to do things that I want. The reason is simple when I do things I want versus the things that are good for my practice I tend to waste the time.

By having a disciplined set of time for me to do things I essentially don’t want to think. I should do the things at the specific time.

Various forms of tapas are:

  • No coffee
  • Strict Routine
  • No alcohol
  • No news
  • No social media
  • Fasting

svadhyaya​

देहबुद्ध्या तु दासोऽस्मि जीवबुद्ध्या त्वदंशकः। आत्मबुद्ध्या त्वमेवाहमिति मे निश्चिता मतिः॥

“Lord, while I identify myself with my body, I am Your servant.
When I consider myself as Jiva, I am a part of You.
But when I look upon myself as the Atma, I am You.”

Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge and I find that it fits in with the svadhyaya limb of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The study is said to be done in three parts:

  • sravana, Hearing
  • manana, Reflection
  • nididhyasana, Meditation and Contemplation
sravana​

It is easy to jump from teaching to teaching not getting deep into either the practice or the philosophy. There are so many books by such prominent gurus as Swami Sivananda, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Chinmayananda and Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Not to mention the many shastras and the commentaries of Sankara, Ramanuja, and others. You add in the many books on Yoga and the Vedantic texts and you have a mountain of literature.

The problem is that Yoga and Vedanta are not meant to be just studied, they are meant to be internalized and practiced. As part of the Sadhana that I am going through with a basis in Raja Yoga, I find that the best way to approach this is to slow down and read a single text. Start with the practices of samyama and work backwards. My focus in more on the practice of Raja Yoga and stilling the mind then I can focus on the Vedantic texts afterwards. So I am reading in a manner that is

By focusing on a single text I can go deep into that text and build the understanding and practices of that text. I am not continuously jumping around from one text to another allowing me to get deeper into the undertanding of a single text.

Initially, there will be a lot of secondary texts as I try to understand the core of the practice. As I get deeper into the practice I can shift to just reading the core text and then reflecting on them. These texts are:

  • Bhagavad Gita
  • Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
  • Atma Bodha
  • Upanishads
  • Brahma Sutras
  • Yoga Vaishista
manana​

How to Learn a Subject

Based on this knowledge when you want to learn something and learn it deep you should do the following:

  1. Pick the subject
  2. Get a cursory understanding of the subject
  3. Books
  4. Podcasts
  5. YouTube
  6. Message Famous People and Talk to Them
  7. Pick the next layers. Ask a series of questions that you want to answer from the previous layer. This could be the 2-4 topics that interest you about that subject but mostly I’d say use Pareto’s Principle and pick the 20% that will give 80% of the benefit right away.
  8. Learn each layer by books, media, papers, etc. but have specific deadlines for each since knowledge builds on existing knowledge it may be readily forgotten if the existing knowledge isn’t reaccessed.
  9. Break each thing into individual chunks. If you are learning a new movement example for Krav Maga move to individual pieces: the feet, hips, hands, the movement of the hips, the movement of the legs, where you are on the floor and where you should be. I learn systems for how they fit together.
  10. Note the Following:
  11. Fears (i.e Like the Fear of Formulas)
  12. Need to do this because certain aspect of learning is expanding your comfort level and to do that you need to understand that you may get overwhelmed and have to note the fear of the unknown so that you can work through it.
  13. Mental Models of Similar / Adjacent Subjects
  14. Practice with b in mind.
  15. Apply the new knowledge immediately to a small project. Make it immediately usable and test this with your own hypothesis.
  16. This helps you solidify your understanding
  17. Take what you learned and what you applied and systematize it. Since you applied the learning you have made it your own and that much more influential to yourself.
  18. Write it down as a checklist
  19. Create programs that execute what you learn
  20. Goto 3 – Remember what layer you are in when reading or learning something. If you read a book similar to what someone has already written then you are not going to learn anything.– Most business books all have similar topics and cover an aspect but think layers. Example of how something could be broken down:

ishvarapranidhana​

It is funny as someone who was raised in the West, I have always thought of Bhakti with a negative association. Advaita appeals to my Western, Englightenment-infused philosophical bent. But likely due to my childhood samskaras I orient towards Bhakti in a more natural way.

Bhakti is a way to redirect all emotions towards the Divine.

The nine forms of devotion (Navadha Bhakti) are and the practices associated with them:

  • 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

What is interesting in the context of Bhakti is that I also find the Desert Fathers of Christianity and the Sufis of Islam to be very similar in their approach to devotion and there is much to learn from them.

Hatha and Health​

Asana is such a small part of the Yoga Sutras but it is such a big part of the Western conception of Yoga. However, Asana just means seat. If Yoga is the stilling of the mind, then Asanas that let you sit for a long time in meditation are important. Being able to sit comfortably includes:

  • Exercise. Being energized and healthy.
  • Diet. Having the food you eat not affect your energy during meditation. Being gassy also doesn't help.
    • I am currently not a vegetarian. But I am starting to realize there is a reason that meat eating becomes a larger part of a diet of a a growing economy. Meat eating itself is a form of greed. A way of saying that the animal’s life is not as high as your own. As I grow older I am starting to see the value of a vegetarian diet and starting to cut down on meat.

asana​

akhada (Gym)​
LiftPostureBreathing
Squats
  • Legs a little bit wide
  • Shoes pointed 45 degrees out
  • Barbell in the center of the foot
  • Going down all weight is on the legs not the back. There should be no pressure on the back.

Breath on the top Hold on the way down Breath out on the way way

Press
  • Clench butt
  • Tuck in core
  • Arch back to make room for bar
  • Breath in on the way up
  • Breath out on the way down
Bench
  • Back arched
  • Bend the bar like you are bending it down
  • Breath on the way up
  • Breath out on the way down
Deadlift
  • Back straight
  • Clench butt
  • Go up the knees
  • Take breath
  • Hold
  • Lift
  • Breath out on the way down
DayLift
MWFSquats
MWFPress/Bench Press alternate
MFDeadlift
WPull Ups/ Chin Ups

pranayama​

Japa​

pratyahara​

Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses. However, with the world as it is it is easy to move from one thing to the other based on what the current pull is toward. There needs to be a way to pull back to a common thread whenever the senses wander. The way to accomplish this is though Japa. Japa is the repetition of a mantra. It is way to focus the mind away from the senses onto the mantra. This focus is what leads to the next step of dharana.

  • Move one sense at a time.
  • Focus on a single point in between the eyebrows as if looking at the tip of the nose.
  • Repeat the mantra while visualizing the Ista Devata at the point.

dharana​

dhyana​

If the mind is not still during practice (citta-vritti-nirodah), if your back or leg hurts, if your mind is all over the place then the preliminary practices have not been addressed. But as stated, it is better to start with meditation and then figure out how to address the issues that come up.

samadhi​

Haven't reached this yet. But I am working on it. 🧘🏾

Teachers​

The Synthesis of the Four Yogas is not something that I made up but rather extracted from the teachings of various teachers primarily Swami Vivekananda and Swami Sivananda. My practice involves the Ramakrisha and Sivananda lineages. While other teachers are also available I find that these teachers provide me with a good basis.

  • Sri Ramakrishna. Devotion and Bhakti. The teachings of Sri Ramakrishna create a basis of devotion through Bhakti with a focus on experiential. The Sri Sri Ramakrishna Katamrita provides a basis for the harmony of the four yogas through Ramakrishna's Vigyana Vedanta. This creates a spiritual foundation for the practice of the four yogas.
    • Swami Vivekananda. Strength, Courage and Karma. Vivekananda's teachings provide a basis for Ramakrishna's teachings to the modern world. The reformulation is focused on minds that are largely based around Englightenment values. His teachings are amazing reading for people like myself who are Indian and understand the cultural context of Bhakti, but grew up in the West so have a preference for logic and reason which Vivekananda provides. Further, Vivekananda provides a remasuclation of Karma Yoga that is focused on strength and action.
      • Sri Aurobindo. Integral Yoga. I don't know when I will get to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo but in many ways Aurobindo is the Jnana Yogi of the Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda lineage.
  • Swami Sivananda Saraswati. Synthesis of the Four Yogas. Sivananda is an amazing and prolific writer who has provided writings on every yoga. He provides practical instructions on how to practice the four yogas as opposed to keeping them relatively theoretical. His practical instructions are what I use as a basis for my practice.
    • Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Hatha and Systematic Practice. Satyananda takes the teachings of Sivananda and provides a systematic approach to the practice of hatha yoga while incorporating the other yogas. While Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda warned against hatha yoga as it take you into the body as opposed to transcendence. However, I do think that asana are useful while keeping caution around pranayama and mudras. I primarily use Satyananda's teachings for the practice of asana and largely ignore some of the Bhakti and guru aspects of his teachings. This is especially so as there are sexual scandals around Satyananda and his lineage, but I do think his teachings on hatha yoga are useful.
    • Swami Chinmayananda . Jnana and Vedanta. Chinmayananda provide a practical basis for Advaita Vedanta. A basis for the practice of Jnana Yoga in terms of Adi Shankaracharya's Advaita Vedanta. Further, Chinmayananda's writings are light in terms of how he explains the teachings of Advaita Vedanta making difficult concepts easier to understand. As I read it his teachings are intellectually rigorous while Ramakrishna and Vivkananda's teachings are more experiential.
      • Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya). A disciple of Chinmayananda who provides a more traditional and orthodox approach to Advaita Vedanta. While Chinmayananda provides a more modern approach to Vedanta, Dayananda provides a more traditional approach. In a sense it is an evolution to go from Chinmayananda to Dayananda.

Synthesis into Three Sastras​

In the synthesis of the Four Yogas into Raja Yoga I found that the path essentially leads to three sastras that can be the core foundation of the sadhana. While there are endless amounts written on Yoga I found that these three texts provide a sufficient distillation of the essence of the Four Yogas to take with you during everyday life and create a practice.

In essence these three sastras provide a basis for the practice of the Four Yogas.

The three sastras are: Hanuman Chalisa, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Bhagavad Gita. Within these three texts contain the full representation of the Four Yogas.

  • The Hanuman Chalisa represents devotion and action. Being a short 43 verse song it can be remembered and recited throughout the day. Each verse of the Chalisa repreents an aspect of Hanuman's life and virtues to be emulated. Being short it provides an effective representation of Bhakti and Karma Yoga.
  • Yoga Sutras of Patanjali represents discipline. The Yoga Sutras provide a systematic approach to building discpline and practice to still the mind. This stilling of the mind starts incorporating other things including the four yogas, as well as health, meditation, food, and lifestyle. This systematic approach provides a basis for daily life.
  • Bhagavad Gita represents philosophy. Lastly, the Bhagavad Gita is a synthesis itself of the Upanishads. So it represents the philosophical basis for understanding Brahman. The Bhagavad Gita provides the intellectual basis for understanding the Self. This philosophical breakdown provides a basis for Jnana Yoga. Undestanding the Bhagavad Gita is the culmination.

So I do think that in a busy life these three sastras provide a sufficient basis for sadhana. It is not always possible to practice, or meditate or stay within a routine. But being able to recite or memorize and understand these three sastras provides a sufficient meditation wherever you are.

Hanuman Chalisa​

Bhagavad Gita​

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali​

Bibliography​