Intro to Yoga, Sutras, 8 Limbs Flashcards
What are the 8 limbs of yoga in order from the bottom of the pyramid to the top?
Yamas, Niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyhara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi
What does “yamas” mean and what are the yamas?
Yamas means restraints/ morals in how we relate to the outside world. They include ahimsa (non violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non stealing), brahmacharya (non excess), apraigraha (non possessiveness)
Ahimsa
Non violence
Satya
Truthfulness
Asteya
Non stealing
Brahmacharya
Non excess
Apraigraha
Non possessiveness
Define Niyamas and list them
Niyamas are observances or moral involving how we relate to ourselves. Self discipline. They include sauca (purity), santosa (contentment), tapas (self discipline), svadhyaya (self study), pranidhana (surrender)
Sauca
Purity
Santosa
Contentment
Tapas
Self discipline
Svadhyaya
Self study
Pranidhana
Surrender
Asana
Postures
Pranayama
Breath
Pratyahara
Sense withdrawal
Dharana
Intense and steady focus
Dhyana
Absorption/ meditation
Samadhi
Integration / oneness (super consciousness)
What are some general elements of ahimsa (nonviolence)
Courage, balance (powerlessness), self love (projection, help v support, comparison), compassion
What are some general elements of satya (truthfulness)
Real v nice, belonging v growth, cultivating trust
What are some general traits of asteya (non stealing)?
We steal from others,the earth, ourselves, and the future, contentment with what we have
What are some general traits of brahmacarya (nonexcess)
Celibacy, gratitude, stepping away from social pressures
What are some general traits of aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
Freedoms from attachment, enjoying the moment wholly and being willing to let go
What is Kriya yoga and its 3 elements?
Certain practical hints to practice in our daily lives and prepare us for more subtle practices; tapas (to burn/refinement), svadhyaya (self study), isvara pranidhana (surrender to the supreme being)
What are the 5 kleshas?
Ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred / aversion, fear of death/ clinging to bodily life. They go in order.
Purusha
True self or seer
Prakriti
Nature or seen
Samyoga
Union, the perfect marriage of purusha and prakriti (seer and seen). Necessary to see and understand the ego before we let it go.
What is the definition and 4 types of avidya?
Ignorance, the cause of samyoga (perfect union)
Dormant, feeble, intercepted, and active / sustained
Viveka
Discrimination—telling the original basic truth from its ever changing names and forms (wood example). Cultivated by practice and non reaction.
Enumeration list sequence
Brahman (state of consciousness, eternal now), leads to purusha, then Prakriti (and who), then awareness, then mental and emotional energy (spirit prana), then biological energy (prana viyu)
Enumeration list sequence part 2
Prakriti leads to knower (Buddhi) leads to sense of self / ego (ahamkara), which includes the mind, the 5 senses, the 5 organs of action, the 5 subtle elements, and the 5 elements
What are the 5 organs of action
Speech, hands, foot, genitals, anus
What are the 5 subtle elements
Sound, touch, color, flavor, odor
E.g. feeling air on our skin, tasting water
What are the 3 Gunas
Sattwa/Sattva : bliss / pure, rajas: sporadic, anxious (the mind), tamas: lethargic (the body).
What are nadis
Knots in the gunas, fear may be tied within. Our goal is to separate them again and balance them out
How does patanjali define yoga?
The experience gained by controlling the modifications of the mind
What are the 5 states of the mind
Restlessness, one pointed, suspended, infatuated, distracted
What is Nirohda Chitta and its 3 levels?
Restraint of the mind ; ahamkara (ego), buddhi (intellect), and manas (desire)
What are the 5 types of mind fluctuations?
Right knowledge (direct perception, inference, scriptural testimony), misconception, verbal delusion, sleep, memory
Samskara
Mental impression
What are the 4 levels of concentration in pursuit of Samadhi
Gross objects (candle), subtle elements (color red), tranquil mind, I-ness
What is the 5 point path to Samadhi
Faith, vigor, memory, contemplation, discernment
What are the 9 obstacles of the mind and their 4 consequences?
Disease, fullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground, slipping from ground gained; despair, distress, trembling, and disturbed breathing
Prajna
Ultimate wisdom, higher knowledge outside your own experience which can only be understood without the mind
What is Samapatti and it’s 4 levels
Lower level samadhi, the practice of meditating on the subtle and gross objects only. Reasoning, reflecting, rejoicing, pure I-am-ness, knowable, and knowledge.
What 3 qualities do all objects have?
Word, object, and knowledge
What 4 attitudes should we cultivate with 4 types of people?
Happy people: friendliness, unhappy/suffering people: compassion, virtuous: delight, wicked: indifference / disregard
What is the religious association of yoga?
It is one of six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophical traditions
When did yoga originate
Around the 5th and 6th centuries. It is mentioned in the Rigveda, a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.
When was the first mention of “motion” yoga
In the Bhagavad Gita which was written in the 2nd to 3rd century and was the first fully fledged yoga scripture.
When did the Patanjali Yoga Sutra come out?
Around the year 400
When did Hatha (physical) yoga texts emerge?
Around the 11th century
When did yoga become popular in the west?
Around the 1980s, after the success of Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th and early 20th century. Only physical yoga was popularized initially.
what two ways do we work towards ceasing the fluctuations of the mind?
Practice, non-attachment
