The first four limbs of yoga fall under bahinranga or external yoga (practices visible from the outside) as explained in tabloid! on 16th April. The next four limbs of yoga fall under antaranga yoga or internal yoga which include pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (single-minded focus), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (state of perfected meditation). These limbs deal with the mind and beyond. To understand this internal journey of yoga, one must understand the aphorism, yogah chitta vriiti nirodah.
Yogah =Yoga; chitta=consciousness; the mind-field; vritti=modifications; nirodah = regulation
Yoga is the process by the help of which we regulate or coordinate between the modifications of the mind. There are only five modifications of the mind – right knowledge, wrong knowledge, sleep, memory and imagination. Though nirodah translates to cessation, it does not imply to stop the modifications in this aphorism.
Chittah or consciousness encompasses the manas (mind), buddhi (intellect) and ahamkar (ego). The agents of the mind include the senses – touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. These senses give information to the mind using which it generates thoughts and ideas. It does not hold the power to judge or take decisions. These thoughts or ideas are put across to the buddhi or intellect which holds the power of discrimination. Ahamkar is the ego which assumes the authorship of the other aspects.
Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses)
In pratyahara one begins to develop awareness. The description of pratyahara is withdrawal of the senses from the objects. However, it is not a matter of pulling inwards and shutting oneself off to the outer world. Rather it is about turning the mind inwards to develop a deep sense of awareness. Firstly of what is happening externally, then to begin observing one’s reaction to the sensory inputs. The next stage is to learn how to maintain equilibrium and develop immunity to the influences/reactions of the senses. This is followed by recognition and harmonization of the internal activity of the mind. This lays the foundation for meditation. In meditation, there is three aspects- subject or observer, object and the process.
Dharana (single-minded focus)
Dharana is single-pointed meditation on a particular object, whatever it may be without any distractions. For example, in a conversation, one is simply listening to the other person carefully, attentively without making any judgements or arguments. One is neither believing nor disbelieving. No questions, no acceptance, just listening. The listener is the observer while the person speaking is the object and listening/witnessing is the process. In this stage there exists the experience of thought and absence of thought.
Dhyana (meditation)
In dhyana, one loses track of the object. The moment one loses track of the object, one also loses track of the observer. Only the witnessing remains. For example, when one is dancing and forgets that she is dancing. In the beginning there is the dancer (subject), the specific dance (object) and the dancing (process). In dhyana, only the dancing remains. In this state, one naturally feels like closing the eyes to meditate.
Samadhi (state of perfected meditation)
Samadhi is when a man never stops meditating even with his eyes open. It is meditation with action, desire, ambition, freedom and a responsibility – to take others towards the same state. It’s a state beyond all knowledge, beyond the limits of time and space. It’s an occurrence.
These experiences are subtle and profound; they cannot be fully understood in theory. The role of a guide or master who can provide a roadmap to an individual into the unknown is essential since the he has already made the journey.
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