Sanskrit Of Yoga Sutras

Question 1

How to approach yoga: 
the application (practice)

Answer 1

1. Practice: enter through your practice beginning with the physical body
2. Focus: grow through focus, fully engaging in practice, building awareness
3. Surrender: let grace happen and free yourself–that’s the point.

Question 2

Approaching yoga: the tools in practice

Answer 2

A. Body
B. Breath
C. Mind

Question 3

Body basics

Answer 3

1. Pelvic floor (mūla bandha)=crucial
2. Mūla bandha is root of uddīyāna bandha
3. Activating here reduces stress everywhere, opens heart, allowing proper relaxation
4. Must release shoulders

Question 4

Breath basics

Answer 4

1. Breathe with sound by controlling from epiglottis and vocal cords (this is not actually Ujjai breathing)
2. Use full diaphragm, expand upper abdomen, side ribs, and chest
3. Firmly support from below your navel (lower abdomen) (creating a c-curve when in āsanas), breathing full and deep
4. Breath steadies and mind, opens body

Question 5

Mind basics–concentration

Answer 5

1. Allow awareness to build from the focus on the breath
2. Attention on pubic bone region during āsana practice
3. Breath at root of focus slows thoughts and mind

Question 6

Approaching yoga–in everyday life

Answer 6

A. Gratitude
B. Humility
C. Selflessness

Question 7

Yoga Sūtras

Answer 7

1. Written by Patañjali
2. Describes the Royal Path, Rāja Yoga, incorporating Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna yoga, Kriyā Yoga and Astānga yoga
3. A profound 196 sentences guiding from mundane to sublime
4. Reference text, scientific manual that requires a teacher to guide you though
5. Based on complete personal freedom
6. Split into 4 books called “pādas” (a quart)
7. Not only theoretical, but guide

Question 8

8 Limbs of Astānga Yoga

Answer 8

Austāu angāni (8 limbs)

1. Yama (internal codes of conduct)
2. Niyama (external codes)
3. Āsana (posture)
4. Pranayama (regulation of breath)
5. Pratyāhāra (withdrawal of senses)
6. Dhāranā (fixing the mind on an object)
7. Dhyāna (meditation)
8. Samādhi (contemplation)

Question 9

Yamas

Answer 9

1. Ahimsā: peace within and outside self–not to be confused with meaning only not killing
2. Satya: kindly telling the truth; to self and others, with actions, words, and thoughts
3. Asteya: not stealing
4. Brahmacharya: harnessing the senses’ power, namely sexual energy; moving towards Brahma, ultimate reality; sexual discipline/respect (not celibacy)
5. Aparigrahā: letting go of the unnecessary, internally and externally

Question 10

Niyamas

Answer 10

1. Śauca: inner/outer cleanliness/purity in thoughts/actions; being comfortable with yourself; being natural, unartificial
2. Santosa: internal contentment; understanding self wholly; content with whatever achievement; trusting you did your best, and willingness to try again if necessary
3. Tapas: “to burn”, a heat which comes from practice; practices that remove artificiality and blockages; best tapas: pranayama; they bring control /discipline over senses, channeling prāna
4. Svādhyāya: self study through scripture/mantra/direct experience; understanding mantra, watching self, not letting ego dominate
5. Iśvara Pranidhānāna: humility/ gratitude/surrender

Question 11

Equilibrium

Answer 11

Samatvam yoga ucchate

Question 12

Expertise in action, not entangled

Answer 12

Yoga karmasukauśālam

Question 13

Action free from agenda or desire

Answer 13

Niscāma karma

Question 14

Vedas

Answer 14

• First recorded mentioning if yoga inside
• “the voice of the lord” as heard by ancient Rsi-s
• Sage Vyāsa organized into 4 classifications: Rg-Veda, Sāma-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and Atharva-Veda
• hymns and devotional rituals
• each Veda divided into 2 parts: work and knowledge . 1st made up of hymns, instructions regarding rites and ceremonies, and rules of conduct. 2nd concerns knowledge of the Divine, the highest aspect of spiritual truth: Upinasads.
• Hiranyagarbha stated as 1st teacher, earlier than Patañjali, but his work has never been found

Question 15

Upinasads

Answer 15

• End section of Vedas
• Literal meaning: “sitting near devotionally” and “secret teaching”
• Śankara (788-820) interpreted them as “knowledge of Brahman”
• 108 in existence. 16 recognized by S as authentic
• S wrote commentaries on 10, which have become the principal Upinisads: Īśa, Kena, Kathā, Praśna, Mūndaka, Taittirīya, Aitareya, Chāndogya, Brhadāranyaka

Question 16

4 Great Truths

Answer 16

Great Truths (Mahāvākyas)

1. Aham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman)
2. Tat tvam asi (that thou art)
3. Ayam ātma brahma (this Ātman (self of man) is Brahman)
4. Prajñānam brahma (Brahman is pure conciousness)

Question 17

Śtuti

Answer 17

That which is heard, referring to ancient texts believed to have been revealed rather than written–primarily the Vedic and Upanisadic texts

Question 18

Smrti

Answer 18

That which is remembered, referring to traditional texts that typically came after the Vedic period

Question 19

6 systems of Indian philosophy that accept authority of Veda:

Answer 19

1. Nyāya: seeks to find truth by correct logical reasoning
2. Vaisesika: focused on understanding categories of existence through rational thought
3. Pūrva Mīmāmsā: a school of logic m, and a reflection on categories of existence, predominantly rituals
4. Vedānta: (end of the Vedas; the study of the Upanisads)–non-dualist philosophy, Advaita Vedānta (believe all is one)
5. Samkhya: a dualistic philosophy concerning prkrti and perusa
6. Yoga: comprises many different approaches of a spiritual practice; built on the base of Samkhya

Question 20

Unorthodox systems of philosophy (don’t accept the Vedas/Upanisads as authoritative scripture

Answer 20

1. Buddhism
2. Jainism
3. Cārvākism

Question 21

Samkhya

Answer 21

Numerical layout of evolution, one of oldest philosophies accepted by almost all others. Created by Kapila. Key text: Samkhya Kārikā. Yoga based on this philosophy.

Sam: balanced m, equal, harmonious, correct, proper

Question 22

5 vrttis

Answer 22

Pramāna: right cognition 
Viparyaya: wrong cognition 
Vikalpa: linguistic creation of non-existent 
Nidrā: deep sleep
Smrtayah: memory