The Essence of Yoga
In the past two decades, yoga has moved from relative anonymity in
the West to a well-recognized practice offered in thousands of studios,
community centers, hospitals, gyms, and health clubs. Although yoga is
commonly portrayed as a modern fitness trend, it’s actually the core of
the Vedic science that developed in the Indus Valley more than 5,000
years ago.
The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj,
which means union with the source of existence. Unity consciousness is
also referred to as the state of enlightenment in which there is
complete freedom from all conditioning and one is no longer constrained
by habit, past experiences or “karma,” and any forms of dogma or
ideology. It is a state of spontaneous creativity, love, compassion,
joy, and equanimity. These are also known as divine qualities.
As yoga has evolved and blossomed over thousands of years, numerous
forms and schools of yoga have developed.
Traditionally there are four
types of yoga:
1. Gyan Yoga - The yoga of the intellect, science, and knowledge
2. Bhakti Yoga
- The yoga of love and devotion
3. Karma Yoga
- The yoga of service and action
4. Raja Yoga
- The yoga of meditation, physical poses, and breathing practices
Raja yoga is frequently referred to as the “royal path to yoga”
because it focuses on practices that take our awareness inward and
promote the integration of the mind, body, and spirit. The classic text
on raja yoga is the Yoga Sutras, attributed to the legendary sage
Patanjali. While the precise dates of Patanjali’s life and writings
remain fuzzy, scholars estimate that the Yoga Sutras was written at
least 1,700 years ago.
According to the Yoga Sutras, “Yoga is the settling of the mind into
silence. When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential
nature, which is unbounded consciousness.”
The essence of yoga is the union or integration of all the layers of
life – physical, emotional, and spiritual. It is a practice for going
beyond the ego’s habitual identification with the mind and body and
directly experiencing our true spiritual self. Rooted in this connection
to spirit, we are able to solve the challenges that arise in life with
greater ease and grace.
The Yoga Sutras, which consists of 195 aphorisms (sutras), describes
the eight branches or “limbs” of yoga, providing a clear roadmap for the
evolution of consciousness from ordinary states of awareness such as
waking, dreaming, and sleeping – to higher states of consciousness,
including the nonlocal consciousness known as atma darshan, cosmic consciousness, divine consciousness, and unity consciousness.
Like anything else, knowledge must evolve and although there are
standard interpretations of the eight limbs of yoga, , we have developed more contemporary perspectives
that are in alignment with our philosophy of spiritual evolution.
Here is a distillation of the standard interpretations of the eight limbs and our contemporary interpretations:
The Eight Limbs of Raja Yoga
Standard Interpretation
Contemporary
Interpretation
1. Yamas
-
Rules of conduct
Spontaneous evolutionary
behavior of conscious beings
2. Niyama
-
Rules of personal behavior
The internal dialogue of
conscious beings
3. Asana
-
Physical postures
Mind-body integration
4. Pranayama
Breath control
Neurorespiratory
integration; awareness and integration of the rhythms, seasons, and cycles of
our life
5. Pratyahara
-
Control of the senses
Tuning into our subtle
sensory experiences
6. Dharana
Mind control
Evolutionary mastery and
expression of attention and intention
7. Dhyana
Meditation
Resonating at the junction
point between the personal and the universal
8. Samadhi
Absorption
Settled in pure awareness;
the progressive expansion of the self
Law of Dharma
Everyone has a dharma or purpose in life. By expressing our
unique talents and using them to serve others, we will experience unlimited
love, abundance, and true fulfillment in our lives.
Integrating the Seven Spiritual Laws and Yoga
Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga interweave the practice
of yoga poses with these seven principles. We have found that even as students
practice the physical postures of yoga, the attention and intention they give
to these principles improves the quality of all aspects of their lives. The
mindful application of the seven spiritual laws promotes success and material
abundance, nurturing personal relationships, peaceful social interactions,
health and well being, and higher consciousness, including intuition,
creativity, insight, imagination, and inspiration.
Even if yoga only enhanced physical fitness, the time spent
in practice would be fully worthwhile. However, while the health benefits are
many, yoga offers much more than just a way to exercise the body. The deeper
meaning and gift of yoga is the path it offers us into the timeless, space-less
world of spirit. Yoga teaches us both to let go and to have exquisite awareness
in every moment. In this expanded state of consciousness, we experience freedom
from suffering. We remember our essential spiritual nature and life becomes
more joyful, meaningful, and carefree.
What are the Seven Spiritual Laws?
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga practice is a consciousness-based
practice rooted in the wisdom teachings of raja yoga and the eight limbs of the
Yoga Sutras. Dr. David Simon developed the Seven
Spiritual Laws of Yoga as a practice for integrating and balancing all the
layers of our life so that our body, mind, heart, intellect, and spirit flow in
harmony.
Law of Pure Potentiality
Our essential nature is pure consciousness, the infinite source
of everything that exists in the physical world. Since we are an inextricable
part of the field of consciousness, we are also infinitely creative, unbounded
and eternal.
Law of Giving and Receiving
Giving and receiving are different expressions of the same
flow of energy in the universe. Since the universe is in constant and dynamic
exchange, we need to both give and receive to keep abundance, love and anything
else we want circulating in our lives.
Law of Karma (Cause and Effect)
Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us
in kind. When we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the
fruit of our karma is happiness and success.
Law of Least Effort
We can most easily fulfill our desires when our actions are
motivated by love, we expend the least effort and we offer no resistance. We
tap into the infinite organizing power of the universe to do less and
accomplish everything.
Law of Intention and Desire
Inherent in every intention and desire are the mechanics for
its fulfillment. When we become quiet and introduce our intentions into the
field of pure potentiality, we harness the universe’s infinite organizing
power, which can manifest our desires with effortless ease.
Law of Detachment
At the level of spirit, everything is always unfolding
perfectly. We don’t have to struggle or force situations to go our way. Instead,
we can intend for everything to work out as it should, take action, and then
allow opportunities to spontaneously emerge.
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