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‘By sustained practice of all the component parts of yoga, the impurities dwindle away and wisdom’s radiant light shines forth with discriminative knowledge.’ –Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (II, 28)

People come to yoga for many reasons but do they really Know About Yoga?. Some do it for the physical benefits such as recovering from an injury, having a fit body, increasing flexibility, building strength and so on. But no matter what the reasons are, they are all valid and there is no wrong or right for practising.

We must remember as well that yoga is far more than just the postures we perform in a class. Particularly these days we seem to be focusing a lot more on the physical mostly; perhaps because we are being constantly exposed to videos, magazines and social media showing fit people do what seems to be almost unachievable but quite impressive poses. (Don’t be discouraged by this if you’re new to yoga!)

Not that there is anything wrong about students and teachers showing off their mastery of postures. However, talking about, learning and teaching just yoga poses could be somewhat limiting your practice, for Yoga is a system of education for your body, your mind and your soul. Thus its meaning ‘to yoke or unite.’

As a matter of fact, the yoga postures called ‘asanas’ in Sanskrit are just one component of what the practice is all about.

Yoga is a combination of all the following 8 steps known as Yoga’s eight-limbed path (Ashtanga) to live fully and be absorbed in spirit, aka reaching enlightenment:

Know About Yoga

1. Yamas (Self control for social harmony) consisting of:

  1. Ahimsa (non-violence)
  2. Satya (truthfulness)
  3. Asteya (freedom from stealing)
  4. Brahmacarya (behavior that respects the Divine as omnipresent)
  5. Aparigrahah (freedom from greed)

2. Niyamas (Precepts for personal discipline) consisting of:

  1. Sauca (purity, cleanliness)
  2. Santosha (contentment)
  3. Tapas (self-discipline and purification)
  4. Svadhyaya (self-study)
  5. Isvara-pranidhanani (devotion to the Lord of Yoga)

3. Asana (Yoga pose)

4. Pranayama (regulation of breath)

5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from their sense objects)

6. Dharana (contemplation of our true nature)

7. Dhyana (meditation on the True Self)

8. Samadhi (being absorbed in Spirit)

This is to say that you can move through the stepping stones of yoga without performing one single posture and you will still be doing yoga.

Integrating all of the components above into your routine can enrich your life in so many ways, helping you live a richer yogic lifestyle, improving your relationship with yourself and others, being mindful on how you move about in your world on & off the mat as well as viewing people and situations with different lenses.

Regardless of the reasons why you practice yoga postures, above all things, please keep practicing. Maybe these words will not resonate much with you at the moment or they might be a little tricky to understand, but maybe in time, when the circumstances are right, you will come across them again and apply them to your flow.

For the first two years of my posture practice, I didn’t  know all these practical concepts existed. Little did I know that Yoga goes so much deeper than just being able to stand on your head.

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