Yama refers to the behavior patterns between the individual and the outside world. It requires a huge amount of inner discipline. Patanjali Yoga Sutra explains five types of Yama or attitudes that a person should must follow in life.

Ahimsa or Harmlessness:  Ahimsa means following a pathaway from violence. Not to injure, showcruelty, harass or harm any one or anybody's feelings. It promotes to live a life full of kindness, friendliness and giving others a thoughtful consideration by introspecting and destroying negative and destructive thoughts from our minds.




Satya or Truthfullness:   This Yama means to speak external cleaning of one self. External cleanliness refers to personal hygiene, while internal cleanliness indicates maintaining a healthy body and mind, with positive thinking. Cleanliness of mind is achieved by the removal of mental impurities, such as jealousy, pride, angerandsoon. On the other hand, the purity of body is attained not only by cleaning one's body parts, but also by consuming nutritious foods and following a vegetarian diet.




Santosa or Contentment:   The second Niyam of Santosa implies curbing the desire, anger, greed and ambition. This Niyam stands for contentment i.e. accepting the truth as it is. That means without complaining or grieving we should accept the things and situations as the yare. Santosa refers to control the extreme of emotions and taking, accepting and admiring the things in the way they are without having the greed to get or have more of someone or something.




Tapas or Austerity:   The third Niyam of Tapas is directed at making our mind pure and clean. It refers to the ability of body to handle the extreme of situations such as heat and cold, hunger and thirst etc. It means generating an instinct in ourselves which helps us to curb and control the inner urges without outer show.




Svadhyaya or study of One's own self:  Sva means own self and adhyaya means to study or to inquire. This Niyam of Astanga Yoga implies that one should try to know more and more about oneself. This Niyam is very important to pure mind and burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies out of ourselves.




Isvarpranidhana or devotion to God:   This Niyam leads us that we should lay all our things to God. Believe in God. And should put our effort only in doing a task and not in result. The end result should be left in the hands of God. This rule also instructs us to spend some time, everyday, inrecognition and realization of the omnipresent force (God), which is larger than us and is guiding and directing the path of our life at all times.




Asteya or Non-Stealing:  Asteya or Non-Stealing is just the opposite of the word to steal. One should not steal things of others. It also means that one should not take something which doesn?t belong to him. If in a situation someone entrusts you with some thing or confides with you,you shouldnot take advantage of him or her. I.e. is to keep yourself away from the things that are not yours. However it is not desirable to speak a truth at all occasions for it could harm someone unnecessarily. Keeping yourself away from lying, cheating, dishonesty and deception fulfill the sayings in this Yama.




Brahmcharya or Sense Controlor Chastity:   Brahmcharya means does not means following a path of total abstinence towards sexual activity. But it suggests that one should formonly those relationships which foster our understanding towards the highest truths and discipline. If sensual pleasures are a part of those relationships then we must take care that we keep our direction and do not get lost.




Aparigraha or Freedom from Desire:   Parigraha means Possession. Where as the opposite Aparigraha implies that we should take only that much which is necessary, and not act greedily, don?t take advantage of things which are not ours. We should take only those things which we have earned oneself. External cleanliness refers to personal hygiene, while internal cleanliness indicates maintaining a healthy body and mind, with positive thinking. Cleanliness of mind is achieved by the removal of mental impurities, such a in ourselves which helps us to curb and control the inner urges without outer show.

The niyamas are the second constituents of Ashtanga Yoga. How we interact with ourselves, our internal world. The niyamas are about self-regulation?helping us maintain a positive environment in which to grow. Their practice harnesses the energy generated from the cultivation of the earlier yamas. According to sage Yajnavalkya, there are ten niyamas and the Bhagavad Gita lists 11 constituents. But Patanjali names only five:

Shaucha or purity :  Shaucha implies both external as well as internal purity. In the words of sage Manu, water purifies the body; truthfulness the mind; true knowledge the intellect and the soul is purified by knowledge and austerity. It advocates the practices of intellectual purity, purity of speech and of the body.




Santosha or contentment :   The second niyama is that of contentment, which is described as not desiring more than what one has earned by his honest labor. This state of mind is about maintaining equanimity through all that life offers. Santosha involves the practice of gratitude and joyfulness?maintaining calm at all costs. This state of mind does not depend on any external causes.




Tapa or austerity:   Austerity, the third niyama, is described in Yoga philosophy as power to stand thirst and hunger, cold and heat, discomforts of place and postures, silent meditation and ritual fasts. It also maintains that the perfect man is he who practices both mental as well as physical austerity.




Swadhyaya or self-education:  According to the commentator Vyas, self-education or swadhyaya consists of scriptural studies. The scripture being, the Vedas and Upanishads together with the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and the Om mantra.




Ishwar-Pranidhan or meditation on the Divine:  Commentators describe Ishwar-Pranidhan, the last of the niyamas, as the dedication of all our actions, performed either by intellect, speech or body, to the Divine. The results of all such actions are by definition, therefore, dependent upon Divine decision. The mortal mind can simply aspire to realize the Divine through dedication, purification, tranquilization and concentration of the mind. This Divine contemplation spills over to all aspects of the yogi's life.

Today even in the busiest lives, one finds life full of sorrows and unhappiness. Patanjali who is called as The Father of Yoga found "Avidya" or spiritual ignorance as main reasons for this unhappiness and pain. The Patanjali?s Yoga Sutra consists of 196 yoga sutras that contains words of Sanskrit. In his Yoga Sutras he gave an eight fold path to Yoga, which if properly studied, practiced and followed in life can take one to the ultimate aim of Yoga i.e Kaivalya or "Moksha".

Asanas:  Aasans means forming postures of body in the form of exercise. It is a practice of moving the body to the postures that has widespread benefits.



Aasans is that part of Patanjali's Yoga sutra which is most familiar amongst people. Normally people who are unfamiliar with Patanjali?s eight fold path to Yoga, are quite familiar with Aasans in Yoga and follow it in their routine life. By performing aasans our body creates, generates and moves energy to all body parts. The various positions in Aasans expand the consciousness that moves in every aspect of our body. These aansans help our body to regain our lost energy and revitalize our body, mind and soul.




The benefits of Yoga Asans vary from maintaining the practitioners well being to improving the health, balance and flexibility. It functions to reduce stress and build stamina. It helps in controlling blood pressure and better functioning of respiratory system. Helps in losing weight and improve concentration.




Stages in Aasans:  




        (1) Arambhavastha:   This first stage is the level of the physical body that is the starting level.




        (2) Ghatavashtha:   The second stage is integrating the mind and body to move in harmony and is called as Ghatavashtha.




        (3) Parichayavastha:   The third stage when the mind and body become one is called parichayavastha.




        (4) Nispattiavastha:   The final stage is called nispattiavastha, which is the feeling of oneness with the soul.

Pranayama is a step in the process of Yoga which aims to unite breath with the mind. Prana implies "Energy" and Ayama is for storing and distribution of that energy?. This fourth limb of Yoga refers to breathing properly and teaches us the correct way of breathing.

Pranayama means exercising the body by inhaling and exhaling the breath, but breathing properly. Breathing properly regains and revitalizes the body. It restores the lost energy and ensures the flow of energy and oxygen in all the parts of body. Practicing Pranayama helps increasing the capacity of our lungs, reenergizes the body and keeps it in a vibrant health.

It is said that Pranayama should be practiced when one gets perfection in Aasans of Yoga. The practice of Aasans removes the obstructions which negatively affect the flow of prana or energy. And after Aasans practice of Pranayama gives better results.

The benefits of practicing Pranayama includes better concentration power, removal of bad body wastes & toxins, strengthening of digestive and metabolism, reduce stress and get way to calmness, better self control and decision making ability. It is a way to spiritual journey through a relaxed body and mind.

Inhaling and Exhaling Breath in Pranayama:  During inhaling each single molecule, fibre or cell of the body is allowed to receive and absorb Energy. When we inhale breath, our lungs expand and there is a flow of energy to all the parts of respiratory system. Exhaling is a natural phenomenon that moves out all the air from the lungs. But inhaling and exhaling properly (Pranayama) gives the air cells sufficient time to absorb the maximum of energy and utilize this energy as a storehouse for our body parts.




Practice of Pranayama requires caution. One must be aware of the various interruptions that occur in inhaling and exhaling breath. Should first check them out and then practice Pranayama. One should not try to take deep breaths or hold breaths for long time. This causes strain and harms various cells. One should hold breath until it is done effortlessly.

Pratyahara the fifth limb of Yoga implies withdrawal of the senses from both the external world and the images or impressions in the mind. Pratyahara can be explained as combination of two words "Prati" and "Ahara". Prati implies "away" and "Ahara" means food or anything taken into ourselves. In simple terms Pratyahara means detachment from all the senses of external world. It means getting away from all the external objects that drives or nourishes our senses. It is at this stage that a Yoga student learns to have control over the Indriyas. Through the routine practice of pratyahara at daily meditation time, we gradually gain positive control over the mind being obsessively drawn towards food or other social, economic, professional objects. Pranayam and Meditation are the practices which can lead us to the path of Pratyahara.

Frustrations are often caused when we are not able to Focus on the things that require higher levels of concentration. The repeated continuation or uninterrupted focus at one point is called meditation or Dharana i.e the seventh limb in Patanjali?s eight fold path to Yoga.. Working with complete focus and concentration is something that satisfies every individual at the maximum. With the help of Dharana, a set of conditions are created that helps the mind focus in one direction and object, rather than diverting in many directions. Dharana is a practice of training the mind to focus and concentrate. The term `dharana` is derived from the verbal root `dhri` meaning to hold, carry, maintain and resolve. While practicing Dharana, the sadhaka holds steady his mind, in terms of concentration or single focus. The stage Pratyahara brings a yoga student away from the external world. The prior limb Pratyahara involves withdrawing the senses from external phenomena; whereas Dharana builds up further concentration upon this by refining it further to the state of `ekagrata` or `ekagra chitta`. Concentrating the attention on one point makes the mind to be stable and calms the disturbance that is created to mind and body because of day to day activities.(Yamala tantra.)

Contemplation is that state in which the tendencies of the concentrated mind begin to flow around one single notion like an uninterrupted stream of oil, and the mental faculties (manas) remain without any outward object.

Contemplation is of three kinds: material (sthula dhyana), luminous (jyotir-dhyana) and subtle (sukshma-hbyana).

(1) In "material contemplation", the image of a deity or one's guru is thought of.




(2)  In "luminous contemplation", the radiance of Divinity or of Nature (Prakriti) is pondered.




(3) In "subtle contemplation", the mind is concentrated on the point-limit (bindu) where the unmanifest becomes manifest, or on the basic coiled energy, kundalini.

"Contemplation is of two kinds, subtle (sukshma) and gross (sthula). Subtle or supersensible contemplation is that of Thy body of runes (mantra-maya-deham), material contemplation is contemplation of Thine image represented with hands and feet. Thy subtle form (sukshma rupa) is the body of Nature which is made of Knowledge (jnana maya). O Arch-Goddess! The mind reaches the supersensible with difficulty, and therefore the seeker's mind should first be concentrated on a material form which will help him to attain Liberation."

"Contemplation is of two kinds, either on a perceptible form (sa-rupa) or without a perceptible form (a-rupa). Contemplation without a perceptible form is beyond the grasp of words and mind, it belongs to the unmanifest, is all-pervading and cannot be pointed to as 'this' or 'that'. It is only through a long process of identification that yogis can cognize it. I explain material contemplation to you to this end alone, that the seeker in his desire for subtle contemplation may practice it, concentrating his mind to attain the object of his desire." (Mahanirvana tantra.)

Material contemplation is usually practiced as a mental form of worship in which the seeker creates in his mind a world of delight around his chosen form of Divinity. There is for the form of each deity a theme for contemplation or a description in Sanskrit couplets, and this theme is the support on which the imagination works to create a world which later it will transcend in order to realize the inner significance of the particular aspect of Divinity he thus worships.

Samadhi is a physical and mental state of body which denotes higher levels of concentrated meditation, or dhyana. Patanjali describes this eighth and final step of ashtanga as a state of ecstasy. All the paths of yoga lead to this stage. This stage is one which most of us are unlikely to attain in this lifetime. At this stage, the yoga expert realizes that he or she and the whole universe are one. There's no difference between you and everything else, and there is an inter connection in between all the living things. What Patanjali has described as the completion of the yogic path is what, deep down, all human beings aspire to: joy, fulfillment, freedom and peace.