Eight-Limb Path of Yoga

Question 1

Yama

Answer 1

Restraints/Abstinence:

One of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga. A collection of external attitudes.

Question 2

Niyama

Answer 2

Observances:

One of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga. A collection of external attitudes.

Question 3

Ahimsa (ahin-sa)

Answer 3

Non-harming, non-violence in action, thought and emotion. First of the Yamas.

Question 4

Satya (sa-tya)

Answer 4

Honesty, truthfulness, straightforwardness, no lying or deceit (towards self and others). Second of the Yamas.

Question 5

Asteya (a-sta-ya)

Answer 5

Non-stealing; physically or energetically. ie. Not attempting to steal another’s compliment by making a joke. Third of the Yamas.

Question 6

Brahmacharya (brau-ma-charya)

Answer 6

Sense Moderation: Conscious self mastery by understanding, purifying and mastering the seven chakras. Mastering the 4 urges of food, sex, sleep, self-preservation. Fourth of the Yamas.

Question 7

Apraigraha (a-prA-gra-ha)

Answer 7

Non-greed, non-miserliness, not hoarding or missing things. *Not entertaining a feeling of lack. Fifth of the Yamas.

Question 8

Shaucha (shau-cha)

Answer 8

Purity, cleanliness, in action, thought and emotion.

First of the Niyamas.

Question 9

Santosha (san-tosha)

Answer 9

Contentment, humility, gratitude, appreciation. *learn from the situation. Second of the Niyamas.

Question 10

Tapas

Answer 10

Tapas means heat.
Accepting, not escaping from some necessary pains as part of the purification and learning process holistic growth, especially concerning mental/emotional suffering connected to selfish, bad or inappropriate behavior that gives rise to guild, regret, shame, embarrassment, sorrow, grief, and thus a wish to repent, learn, be forgiven. If we try to escape these things then we never learn how improve our behavior or have understanding and compassions for other who do the same. Third of the Niyamas.

Question 11

Svadhyaya (sva-dhya-ya)

Answer 11

Study of spiritual books and media. Fourth of the Niyamas.

Question 12

Ishvara pranidhana (ishvara- pranid-hana)

Answer 12

Self-surrender; understanding and surrendering to the one real self. Fifth of the Niyamas.

Question 13

Asana

Answer 13

Posture; an external set of attitudes. One of the three limbs of yoga that addresses the needs of the body, nervous system and sensory mind (asana, pranayama, pratyahara)

Question 14

Pranayama (prana-yama)

Answer 14

Simple techniques (external set of attitudes) that restore natural breathing. These practices lead to mastery of the subtle energies that pervade body and mind. One of the three limbs of yoga that addresses the needs of the body, nervous system and sensory mind (asana, pranayama, pratyahara.)

Question 15

Pratyahara (pratya-hara)

Answer 15

Practices (external set of attitudes) that quiet the senses by gradually withdrawing them from their objects so that they, and the mind can rest. One of the three limbs of yoga that addresses the needs of the body, nervous system and sensory mind (asana, pranayama, pratyahara.)

Question 16

Dharana (da-har-ana)

Answer 16

Part of the meditative process (internal limb)
Concentration; a pure focus is momentarily established but is intermittent. The effort to focus is made again and again.

Question 17

Dhyana (dee-yana)

Answer 17

Part of the meditative process (internal limb)
Meditation Proper; the process of focusing is stronger and therefore can be more relaxed; flowing without pause. The object of concentration is sustained effortlessly in the mind.

Question 18

Samadhi (sa-mad-hi)

Answer 18

Part of the meditative process (internal limb)
The last of the eight limbs, is a state of mind unlike any preceding it. In that state, subject and object are fully integrated and the apparent duality of knower and known disappears.

Question 19

Patanjali

Answer 19

A Sage who codified the many already existing practices into a unified text known as the Yoga Sutura *Suturing (thread) that finely weaves the mind and body.

Question 20

Raja Yoga

Answer 20

The Royal Path (aka: The practices of yoga in the form of eight divisions; ashtanga yoga) So named because it leads to the complete realization of one’s inner nature.

Question 21

Koshas

Answer 21

The five dimensions of personality (sheathes, or coverings). More generally, the collection of layers that surround the true nature of the self and serve as an everyday identity.

Question 22

Annamaya Kosha (aun-na-maya)

Answer 22

The Kosha sheath consisting of food; it is the most visible layer (5th, outer most) of our personality, and it is the one with which most of us identify.
*It is made up of the food we eat, taking in nutrients, eliminating wastes, transforming food into energy, and replacing decaying tissues with new ones.
*Distinctive drives: food, sex, sleep, self-preservation.
SYMBOLIZED IN SENSATION

Question 23

Distinctive Drives:

Answer 23

Food, Sex, Sleep, ,Self-preservation; these primitive instincts in coordination with the senses, lead to our experiences of pleasure and pain. Addicitive habits of living lead to physical imbalance and poor health.

Question 24

Prana

Answer 24

The lines of internal energy that the body is formed along; a living energy that animates the body and sustains the mind.

Question 25

Pranamaya Kosha

Answer 25

The Kosha (sheath) that consists of prana; it is internal to the body (fourth layer) and is more subtle.  
This kosha is accessed through the breath, and it is through training the breath that our emotional reactions, changes in consciousness (wakeful/sleep), fluctuations in energy levels, pain, and stress can be moderated.
**The pranamaya kosha has been repeatedly described as the interface between the body and mind.  Prana is the force that holds the two together, sustaining and regulating life.
SYMBOLIZED IN EMOTIONS

Question 26

Manomaya Kosha

Answer 26

The Kosha associated with the conscious mind, the mental screen upon which inner experience is illuminated (third layer). This kosha provides the self with the capacity for receiving sense impressions, making mental associations, bringing memories into awareness, and coordinating actions.
SYMBOLIZED IN WORDS