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Raja

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras with its eight limbs are, ironically, a product of the West. In India and as per my upbringing, Bhakti through the Puranas is the primary path most people follow. However, I think that Raja Yoga is a means to intensify Bhakti Yoga.

  • yama. 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. Study of the Sacred Texts and Mantras
    • ishvarapranidhana. Surrendering the fruits of all action to the Divine
  • asana. Posture
  • pranayama. Breath Control
  • pratyahara. Withdrawal of the Senses
  • dharana. Concentration
  • dhyana. Meditation
  • samadhi. Absorption

asana​

Asana is such a small part of the Yoga Sutras but it is such a big part of western conception of what Yoga is. But Asana just means seat. However, the seat portion and being able to sit for a long time in meditation does incoporate a buch of things.

  • Exercise. Being energized and healthy.
    • Hatha. Being able to be flexible and strong.
  • Diet. Having the food you eat not affect your energy during meditation.

Diet​

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.