The meaning and purpose of what has been described as Ashtanga.

In the ancient text written by Patanjali "Yoga Sutras" is described in brief the usefulness and purpose of the practices to attain the state of Yoga. This text is primarily concerned with describing what is commonly called Raja Yoga , the part that is improving the mental capacity to achieve the state of contemplation, that permits to upgrade consciousness and awareness. The text gives not so much space to the part that is commonly referred as Hatha Yoga, which devotes attention to physical and relational ways of being, so our more visible constituents.
The path described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras is encoded, according to the practical experience of thousands of years, through eight steps , of which the first four can be taken as part of Hatha Yoga, the last four as Raja Yoga. These eight steps are called, in Sanskrit literal translation, Ashtanga, that means eight limbs or components.
Who wants to take the path towards the acquisition of Yoga has to practice the methods connected to these eight steps; without these eight limbs, without this path, it is not possible to reach the state of Yoga.
The eight steps are:
Yama : modes of conduct favorable, that must be not felt as rules to be followed compulsorily
Niyama : useful conditions, but not something that has to be done compulsively
Asana : to reach specific static and comfortable body postures through particular methods engaging, in the same time, body, mind, energy, character, etc
Pranayama : special breathing techniques moving life energy to specific points
Pratyahara : to acquire ability to manage the use or not use of sensory perceptions
Dharana : concentration, ie channeling the mind on what and how long time you want
Dhyana : meditation, ie use the mind to get into intuitive and clarifying states
Samadhi : go beyond the intuitive/clarifying states to reach the state of contemplation, condition that creates awareness leading to the absolute truths.
One might ask now : why gymnastic exercises very striking and dynamic, many times forced and extreme, vigorous and power minded, are called in modern times Ashtanga Yoga?

In my opinion there is no connection .... and according to you ?
Why so many persons agree with this method and follow it?
In my opinion for little knowledge of the topic!
Why happens that so many people want to practice this system?
In my opinion only because they think to be able afterwards to do admirable and glamorous things, also giving themselves a sense of cleverness .... 

 

Probably all this people don't know that this modern system doesn't lead to a totalitarian feel good as suggested by the ancient methods. What was studied and practiced by the ancient sages Rishi is from millennia the only one collection of methods that permit to realize all the highest qualities during life.

Unfortunately, nowadays it is not easy to discriminate between what is useful and what is in reality only something apparently and superficial.

And do you know to What corresponds the meaning of Kundalini? At the next Post....

What Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga mean?

Ha and Tha are two Sanskrit words that mean the Sun and the Moon and represent the two polarities, positive and negative. 

This name aims to underline the importance that should be given to the balance, that is that state of union that brings to the harmony of the opposites, as we said previously , that means the elimination of conflict of any kind.
Raja, also from Sanskrit, means Royal. This name emphasizes the importance of these systems and therefore it was given the name of the highest existing office at that time, the king.
Both systems are indivisible to each other (just as like the other systems that later had been called Karma, Jnana, Mantra, Kundalini, etc.).

Unfortunately, the passing of time has done nothing more than producing subdivisions and make the system less effective because it has been fragmented: the proposals more and more had to move away from its original set. So Yoga was linked to cults and religions, philosophies, lifestyles, traditions, ..... until today, when it is reduced to a semi-acrobatic gymnastics or a kind of stretching or a prenatal method.
The resume of the effective techniques from ancient systems is not evil: it can be useful, but they are not what Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga are, i.e. methods for improvement and evolution of body and inner growth, inseparably together.
Therefore it is essential to remember that the methods for Yoga have their beginning with the use of the body through exercises called Asana, which must be applied simultaneously with all the inner mechanisms that make up the complex machine that is the human being .

Do you know What Asana is? Some guidances in the next Post.