Raja Yoga: The 8 Limbs of Patanjali Explained with Akshay Bhat

0:00 Hey there, before we get started on this week's episode, I would love to ask for your support by reviewing this podcast. We want to share yoga with as many people as possible and this free resource, this podcast is one of the ways that we can do that. And the best way that you can help support us is by giving us a review.

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0:32 This is your host, Michael Henry. And this is a continuation episode with Akshay Bhatt, who is back in the house. Hi, Akshay. Namaste, namaste. So welcome back. Depending on when we released the last episode, we did talk a lot about the clashes, but as it related to the second chapter of the sutras and we spoke about as well Kriya.

0:55 So that's kind of how we went along the journey. So today's going to be a continuation episode to that one. So if you haven't listened to that one, I suggest listening to that one. So yeah, last time we talked about Kriyas in the set, in the sutra second chapter. And then we went through the forms of suffering, which are the glaciers, which just as a review was a video, which is suffering almost like a loss of identity or identity crisis is the way that I described it,

1:22 disconnected from the truth. And then Asmita, the second one, which is the false ego wanting expectations, very much related to the identity as well. So those ones are actually very similar, followed by raga, which is about the experience of pleasure, happiness and basically ultimately being attached to maybe chasing those types of things.

1:46 And then quickly or closely connected is devecha, which is the avoidance of or the resistance to, let's say, the opposite of wants and desires. So maybe like avoidance of of suffering of certain of certain ways, but very closely related to raga yoga as well. It's just in the kind of the opposite form. And then the last one, benivacia, which is the fear of death, safety and survival.

2:13 So those are the five related forms of suffering, which ultimately we work through through the practice of, if I remember correctly, Swadhyaya tapas and Ishvara pranidhana, which just allows us to kind of clear self reflect, purify through heat or energy rising and then ultimately surrendering Ishvara pranidhana to our higher self.

2:37 And that and that kind of prepares us for what we're talking about today, which is Raja yoga, Raja yoga, Raja yoga. So not to be confused with raga yoga, yeah, which is one of the clashes, the forms of suffering. So yeah, thanks, Akshay for the last episode and for continuing with us today.

2:57 So how do we want to kick this off with regards to Raja Yoga? Raja Yoga, yeah, it's the king among all the yogas because it's the path of willpower. Where other streams of yoga, Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, Karma yoga is the path of action, and Jnana yoga is the path of wisdom.

3:26 Raja Yoga is the highest among all of this because it's the path of willpower. So Patanjali's Ashtanga yoga, the 8 limbs of yoga is a part of Raja Yoga where I think many people misunderstand Ashtanga as just, you know, the old school Ashtanga practice. But actually Ashtanga means Ashta in Sanskrit is 8. Anga is the limbs.

4:03 So it's the eight limbs of yoga where we systematically adopt yoga to our lifestyle. So Ashtanga, even though the actual physical awesome practice Ashtanga, you know the set series and the Ashtanga ate limbs of yoga, even though they has the same name, they're they're speaking separately.

4:28 Yeah, that's what I'm saying. OK, so let's see if I remember this. You said bhakti yoga devotion. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, yeah. Karma, the path of action. Path of action. Raja, we talked willpower and there was another one that I missed. What was the other?

4:44 One Nana Yoga. Yana Yoga. Yeah, Nana yoga is the path of wisdom finding the truth. It's the yoga of the truth, right? So Raja Yoga willpower, How do we deconstruct that? How? What does that actually mean? So here the practice is not merely doing something, it is actually whole lifestyle. Like in Patanjali's yoga we practice first yamas and niyamas.

5:21 The the Yamas and niyamas is, you know, the fundamental principle for our life to follow the the part of light, the part of, you know, choosing the Dharma. That is what makes the difference here. Because Patanjali is not asking us to do certain things like in Dhyana yoga. You have to do the self enquiry with the questions and with the knowledge with the sutras.

5:58 It's enquiring something. But here is it's the way of being, the way of lifestyle. Actually, if we say why do we actually practice Patanjali's yoga is to overall clear the samskaras in the deep underneath the mind, there is samskaras sitting and how do we clear that?

6:33 That's why the Raja yoga is very powerful. It goes little bit deep into our behavioral patterns and how we react to the things and what's actually going on inside. Like we can, we can bring that up and see what's really happening. So like the conditions, the patterns, the things that we do, maybe unconsciously, yes, without even realizing it, we react in certain ways.

7:05 So some scars, I've also heard it named a different way, not samskaras, but samkara maybe slightly different. OK, so the, the Raja yoga, the willpower is ultimately to work through the 8 limbs of yoga Ashtanga you mentioned yamas, niyamas, the 1st and 2nd limb to ultimately move the energy and process of those samskaras or those conditions and those patterns. OK, so.

7:37 Very important is to understand you know what is the light the the Purusha is the light and the Shakti you know what is around Purusha is the Shakti means musculine and femiline energy. We have to understand here because if we see in the Sankhya also Sankhya yoga is also a philosophy of the Raja Yoga where they explain that Purusha, the consciousness is is like stillness is like our true identity.

8:24 It's, it's the light within the consciousness and outside the consciousness is all this, you know, intellect, mind and the senses, our eyes, ears and motor senses, hands, legs, excretory organs, reproductive organs. So all of this is considered as the Prakriti, the the energy, and the Purusha is the the stillness within, the light within.

9:03 He's merely A observer. So the whole idea of Patanjali's Raja Yoga is to observe both of this and achieve inner stillness. That's samadhi. So Parusha, the light, the consciousness and the prakarti energy. Yes, moving motion.

9:30 And then when it as it relates to the sun scars, you're basically saying that the IT sounds like the energy is almost kind of related to the Prakriti. Prakriti and Samadhi being the 8th limb. Yes, OK, so here if we see if we just like, how do we apply this to our life that the the body needs are very different and the self needs are very different.

10:03 Body is getting tired, but self is not tired. Self is in the state of always mere observer. Body is going up and down energy, but the self is always in the stillness, in the constant energy. So body is getting hungry, sleep is needed.

10:29 All of this for the body. But for the self the needs are like silence, going to the forest, meditation, listening to the soothing music. So we have to recognize, you know, Purusha and Prakriti in our daily life. It's like understanding what is consciousness and what is outside the consciousness, what is surrounding the consciousness that brings the change in our our self that we can really recognize the the stillness with him.

11:09 So the parusha, is that what you would be calling like the true self? Yes. OK, so that the needs of parusha are ultimately silence, stillness, to observe, to witness. Yeah. And the body, the physical needs, the physical world is more related to, let's say we call Maslovs, you know, food, shelter, water, sleep, correct.

11:32 And maybe any other things that might fall into that. OK. That's really helpful. Yeah, so Patanjali reminds us in the 2nd chapter that we we have to really try to connect to the consciousness. The essence of consciousness is vibrations.

11:52 You know, we can feel our the OM vibrations. So Patanjali mentions that we have to meditate on the OM. That's the easiest way to tap into our vibrational frequencies. That is coming from the consciousness. So when we chant Om we have to recognize, you know when you are chanting ohm like ohm the the ma vibration going up and down, up and down that we have to recognize and slowly that will reach the silence.

12:40 Like silence is the true abode, you know, true home for the consciousness. So the Patanjali explains that we have to practice pranava. The ohm chanting is the easiest way to tap into the consciousness I. Don't know if this is right, but the way that I can translate this in my brain is it's almost like you need a like a soft bridge into silence. You can't go from like loud energy to just like complete silence.

13:12 It's almost like it, it doesn't have like like an easy connection versus something as simple as ohm. And I'm sure there's other types of vibrational energy that can help to get you towards that silence. But it's almost kind of like when you go, oh, and then it eases off. It's almost kind of like an arc, kind of like in a yoga class compared to that, you know, we kind of build heat, energy goes, and then eventually we soften the energy and then the energy softens all the way through till

13:44 Shavasana, silence, peace. Correct. So the Ohm has this, you know, characters, the Om has this, the innate nature that is also explained in the Yoga Sutras, like Om remains unaffected by the birth life and the death. It doesn't go in the cycles like we are going in the our own patterns, right? We we have our schedule, we have our things going on and we want to repeat the things.

14:24 So we are going in some patterns in life. But Om is free from all of that. So Patanjali explains the the characteristics of the consciousness in the 2nd chapter that Om is free from all of these kleshas. Like our mind, we experience the kleshas, Panchakleshas are there with us but Om is beyond that. It is simply by the philosophy is like this that I am thinking and I am the observer of the thinking and I am beyond that. You know, the beyond what I am

15:15 experiencing, I am that because what we can the the experience of the consciousness is not there. It's here. It's here with us. That's where the potential is guiding us that the the way to stillness is by not going to the mountains, by going to Himalayas or sitting in the caves, but by, you know, observing our own patterns, what is going on that will help us to understand and find out the the inner stillness within.

15:56 So the ohm, it's almost like a moment of reprieve from the mind. Yeah. And you know, I don't know if there's there. I know there's some numbers and some patterns here as it relates to like how many ohms equate to something.

16:11 But I've been in situations where, I mean, some yoga classes will do like 3 ohms seems to be like a standard. And then you get into the asana, maybe some pranayama. But I've also been in situations where it's like 9 or do it until something changes kind of thing. So can you speak anything to that with regards to just like, yeah, the number of times we ohm, if there's any significance there or anything at all?

16:36 Yes, 9 is a very significant number, but not in the yoga class for the self practice. Waking up in the morning, practicing om as recalling my identity right? What makes us observe the thoughts, the space inside the mind that I am that, that that means all this existence, the consciousness here within me, I am that and my thoughts are here in between, how much space I have.

17:16 That's what makes us the the difference of experiencing the life. If we are with the thoughts constantly, the thoughts are going on, going on. How do we stop? We have to 1st slow down with our breathing exercise or practising asanas and after that sit for OM meditation for 9 rounds just chant OM and in between the OM we have to observe the silence especially the makara and end of the makara there silence comes.

18:00 That's where we meditate and slowly the the pause we can observe in between the thoughts and the pause we can observe in between the breath, the stillness is there. In between the asana, stillness is there. And slowly, slowly, the the stillness will reveal us the identity, the true identity. So within the silence, truth is revealed. Yes.

18:37 I think I'm following everything up to this point. Where's the best place to go? So Raja Yoga, the willpower, the the 8 limbs, ultimately allowing us to free ourselves of those samskaras, those conditions, those patterns moving towards more Purusha, the light, the consciousness.

18:54 Patanjali's connection to consciousness through home and the simplicity of the home, the silence in between, the bridging of the almost like the end of the ohm into that silence is where we can find moments of peace, moments of self reflection. Yeah.

19:11 So then maybe we can just speak quickly to the other limbs. So Asana, the third limb. Yeah, asana here the asana practice is stiram sukum. Asanam means one asana. We are seated theorem is the connection to earth that for example if we are sitting here and I am not aware of the position where where I am seated in the sit bone.

19:47 I am not aware if I am sitting on the tailbone, my back is curving means energy flow is disturbed. So theorem is the practice of constant awareness of the foundations. So the foundations of asana in the standing asana in the feet, in the sitting asana in the sit bone, in the bottom of the sit bone and in the shoulder stand and inversions. It is opposite the the shoulders when we go to the Sarvang Asana. The foundation has changed into the shoulders. So when it comes to like arm

20:31 balances, handstand, pinchamaya rasana, would that still be shoulders but through the hands? Through the arms, yes. Yeah, the proper shoulder alignments that will bring the change in even in the handstand, because you know that if the shoulder is not open here, So what happens?

20:52 The back will curve naturally, right? So that's called theorem. Theorem. So depending on the position of the body seated standing inversions, yeah, the the foundational point is called theorem and we're focusing or the ideally we're building from that foundation in an awesome practice, correct, Which sounds about right. Yeah.

21:12 OK, great. Theorem and sukum. Sukum is the ease of the asana. So that comes sometime you know, after the asana for example, you are in the boat pose and like core muzzle is burning and you are like oh this pose is so intense and teacher is counting 543.

21:37 It takes a year. You know, where is the ease there? The ease comes after we release the pose. There is some kind of wow, even though the posture was intense, it brings some kind of ease after. And some, some people have this experience, they do the pigeon pose, king pigeon pose for the first time and there is so much of joy and so much of you know, happiness comes from doing asanas.

22:13 So the ease is coming. Also the ease means it's alignment. Also doing the posture in the wrong alignments 'cause injuries right. So the proper alignments that is very important to create ease in the asanas. So Patanjali is asanas thiram sukum asanam. So asanam is the alignment.

22:45 Yeah, in the sukum, if we have to, you know, create joy in the posture, then we need the the alignments. Right. OK. So the Asanam, the alignment allows us to find the sukum, the ease. Yes. But all needing to start from this theorem, which is the foundation. Correct.

23:08 OK, Stirum sukum asanam. Stirum Sukum, Asanam and Patanjali later says by constant, you know, repeated practice of the asana, the efforts to do yoga becomes effort free means the efforts that we are putting. For example, the beginners come to yoga in the teacher training.

23:39 First week so much effort is needed. Second week the yoga gets a little bit easy, so Prayatna you don't need so much of energy to put in the slowly, slowly by consistent practice you you will create ease in your practice.

24:01 Prayatna Shaitelia and mind learns how to rest. Suppose if we do yoga and with our mind has become restless and mind has become disturbed and going here and there, then we have to really consider what I am practicing, what's my intention for the practice? Because ultimately if the mind control not happens, then what is the benefit of yoga, right?

24:38 Just stretching may be gymnastic practice is better. So here the yoga is mainly for the mind control to to bring the mind into silence. So when it comes to the physical practice, which a lot of people are generally more interested in at the beginning, you know, they usually don't understand a lot of what we're talking about. I'm assuming most of the listeners have some an idea and we're just helping to kind of fill in the gaps. But when it comes to the

25:10 practice, you said repeated practice leads to more or or more effortlessness or ease in the practice itself, which, you know, a logical mind would say, oh, that makes sense because you're becoming stronger and it's becoming more familiar.

25:24 Your body's getting used to doing those movements. So it's becoming easier in that way. So what would you say to that as it relates to the yogic way? Is it about the physical benefits? Yes. But is it also about maybe the ease of the mind not needing to work as hard?

25:40 Yeah. In those particular practice or those asanas? Yeah, that mind starts to enjoy the practice. The mind comes to body. That's when there is ease, when we are doing something. If if the ease have to come out, that means mind is not going to future or the past. It is here with the body, slowly with the Hata yoga and asanas, we learn how to bring the mind to the body through breathing. When we are in the asana what what we are doing ujjai breath and the drushti, we are focusing

26:25 on one point in the body and the foundation. From the foundation energy goes up where we are looking and with exhalation we go back to the foundation. That kind of creates the energy of ease and slowly, slowly that enhances in our day-to-day life. Also, maybe you know, people, people were saying earlier during the COVID times that before joining yoga, they were not sleeping very well.

27:02 You know their sleep patterns were disturbed and the deep sleep was not coming by. After practicing with me for few months, their sleep pattern got better and their other activities like walking, jogging, hiking, yoga helped them and even the mental activities like their concentration got better. Their creativity gets better like this. The ease is found in other activities that what we are doing.

27:40 Because I think a lot of even myself think about that physical, the physical ease, it gets easier physically the sukum of the asana. But ultimately it's just the the sukum, the ease of life. It's almost like they say yoga's preparing you for life. Yes, you know, in different situations and how your body sure can withstand or resist certain challenges, but also your mind, yes, maybe your emotions potentially as well. As we release some of those samskaras, those patterns and conditions and maybe that ease

28:11 in that space can also be felt. Yeah. OK, so then Pranayama. Pranayama. Yeah. So pranayama means we understand this as breath work but pranasya aaya Maha prana ya Maha. Here Patanjali is talking about the pranas. Breath is the manifestation of the prana.

28:38 But doing the breath work, you know, we are tapping into prana may be a little bit, but here the the idea is to elongate or stretch the duration of the breathing. You know the the definition of pranayam Patanjali gives is tasmin sati shwasaprashwasayoho gati viche daha pranayamaha.

29:11 It's so simple that. Tasmin Sati. You establish in yourself, in the body and observe. Keep on observing the duration of inhalation, how long I am inhaling. And how long? I am exhaling. And. Observe the way the breath is moving.

29:40 Like sometimes. The breath is rushing. Sometimes the breath is very relaxed and ease, ease is there in the breathing. Sometimes the breath is very deep like that tasmin sati shwasa praswasa yoho gati viche daha. So really understanding how the breath works. Throughout our.

30:09 Our life, right? Like when we are angry. How is my breathing? And when I am. Relaxed in the nature, How is my breathing? Like this to. Really observe the the patterns of breathing. That's what is Pranayam. I talk a lot about that. From the physical perspective as it relates to the nervous system and how your breathing pattern changes depending on what you're doing and.

30:39 Whether it be an Austin A? Practice or a conversation or a stressful moment or a challenging moment or a happy moment. Yeah. Your breath will. If unconscious to, it will follow into whatever, let's say some scarred pattern that it has. And when we can find those?

30:56 Moments of let's say consciousness or Purusha to actually witness and notice the breath. Those moments, then it might reveal. That pattern that might. Feel a little bit more rigid or short, or maybe even holding the breath with not even realizing it correct. So.

31:15 Pranayama, the 4th limb, is very much about elongating the breath, witnessing the breath, and almost exploring and just. Learning about the. Breath. And not just like in a simple form, inhale, pause, exhale, pause. But every moment has a new exploration of breath. Correct, Correct.

31:33 Also the emotions that we are getting caught into. So you know most. Of the time we think that why there is so many thoughts, why I'm distracted, why I'm feeling like this, You know, there are so many thoughts like this, but the thoughts are coming into the screen because there is underlying emotion that we are ignoring.

32:04 The emotions are suppressed or emotions are repressed, or we express them, but we never, you know, let go of the emotions. So here. The Pranayam practice is to actually. Feel the. Emotions and let go of that. Letting go of the.

32:32 Emotions that is also a part of the pranayam. The pranic body carries all this. You know the waves. The waves of emotions arises with the breath as we notice when the person is angry, the breathing pattern is so fast. And when person?

32:57 Is happy. The breathing is very, very different. So different emotion. Different way of breathing. By understanding breath, we are understanding our emotions. That's a big, powerful statement right there, yes. Because the breath is.

33:15 So simple, right? It's so easy to just. Ignore it. Forget. About it be like, Oh yeah, breathing. I get it. It's important. But it's like every moment is. A new moment to learn about yourself, correct. Which you know what's spirituality? Ultimately, you can simplify it all the way to the breath. Hopefully we can't hear that chainsaw that's outside. It's getting getting louder and louder. It's cutting the grass, so if you can hear that, apologies, but we're going to continue on

33:45 anyway, so maybe we can move through the last four limbs. Yeah, which you'll have to help me. I know Pratyahara is one of them, but let's go through the 5th and the 6th 1 and I'll let you lead with that so. Yama and Yama Asana Pranayama Pratyahara is like turning the attention inward from the census as the turtle is the expert in the pratyahara practice. If we see the turtle, it just takes the head in, legs in. When there is a danger, it goes in like that. That is, the actual practice of

34:25 the pratyahara means withdrawal from the sensual attractions. Another example. In the nature is the honey bees and they go in search of the, you know, sweetness, the fragrance from the flowers and they sit on this beautiful flowers, but they never get lost.

34:51 They do their job very well. You know they never. Get lost. They go so far away from home, so many different flowers and they never smell the flower. They just do their job. That is the. That's like the example of pratyahara.

35:09 Even though we live in this world where we have tons of tons of attractions of the senses, but yet we remain unattached, you know, not attached to the senses. We become the master of the senses. That is what is Pratyahara is. Yeah, withdrawal of the senses.

35:33 So, you know, sight, sound, smell. It makes me think of like blindfold yoga. Blindfold yoga, which I've never. Officially done before, but there's moments where I feel so connected that I can close my eyes and just flow through the practice. And it's, you know, it's a different experience. Yeah.

35:52 Sometimes I open it up being like, oh, where's my foot? Oh, where's my hand? Right. But that's kind of what we're talking about, is withdrawal of the senses. In fact, when I go to sleep at night, I use an eye mask. I use earplugs to try to help that practice in itself, mostly for the sleep, Yeah.

36:08 And then there's also these examples of like they call dark rooms, dark room. Therapy, dark room therapy and. Also, I would say the pasta is an element of that. Because it's silence, there's less stimulation, less. It's almost like it sharpens your senses because of the practice. Would you say yes?

36:27 Yes. This can be like a intermediate level of all of these practices in the beginner level in India, usually on the 11th day of the moon, we do this Eka Dashi fasting, you know, so morning no breakfast, no lunch, just just directly getting the dinner. So during this time drinking water or if you get dizzy some fruits.

36:55 But most of the time you are you are doing the Jappa like Om chants or any of the mantra given by gurus, you will be doing that. And this time especially when you are fasting, you feel so hungry. You know the senses are playing like yes this is the time of fasting. This is when I get so hungry.

37:19 And the attractions are more and more when you are little bit far away from you. Take a detachment from their daily life and you just sit with yourself and just breathe and don't do anything. That itself is a pratyahara practice. Oh wow, I never thought.

37:40 Of it that way. So fasting, yeah, is part of pratyahara? Yes, absolutely. That's cool. Fasting is. Because when we are fasting, we can really see that so many patterns. It's, it's going to come up like even the eating patterns that, oh, this time I go get the coffee. The coffee is in the fasting and the desserts. You know, we create some patterns by eating right, that the tongue is creating some patterns. So it helps to withdraw from the senses. What about diets?

38:25 Does diets have anything to do with this? Like, you know, keto diet or low carb diet or, you know, things like that? Yeah, in yoga. We, we have satva, rajas, tamas, so tamasic diet which after eating the food become lazy and lethargic.

38:45 You know, those kind of food like maybe cooked 4 hour and then, you know, cooked in the morning and evening we eat it and some fermented foods and heavy meats and grains. That causes lots of tamas and some are rajasic food, which is like, you know, coffee and spices and red meat.

39:11 And all of this causes, you know, gives so much energy, but also makes the mind more running. And. Satvik diet which is the balanced diet which has fruits and you know properly cooked for if you cook now you have to eat before 4 hour right?

39:33 So something. Very fresh and after eating the food you will feel light. You don't want to lie down and you know it's the there is Thomas in the food. So Thomas to me. Is like heavy heavy. It's like a heaviness, Yeah. And rajasic is like energizing, fiery, like stimulating almost to a point of maybe out of balance. And.

40:01 Satva. Satva is the balance. In between, Definitely correct. So there's been conversation about the nervous system. Are you familiar with polyvagal theory? No so polyvagal. Theories about the nervous system and how the nervous system has a the fight or flight.

40:18 You're probably familiar with that, the sympathetic flight response. And then there is another. The other side of it is called the dorsal vagal complex, which is like the low depressed side if you will likely like unmotivated, uninspired, emotionally flat, freezing response, disassociated response.

40:38 And then the middle of that. Which is the balanced nervous system. You're you're, you're activated, but you're calm, you're stimulated, but you're, you're restoring at the same time. So I've heard it be compared to the gunas, which is what you're just describing.

40:51 The gunas, the Thomas being the, the depressed kind of lower, the heaviness, the kind of pulling you down energy. And then the rajasic, which is more the stimulating the fight or flight, the activating, Yeah. And then Satvik, which is in the balanced, correct. So yeah, I've heard that comparison like, oh, it kind of matches up very similarly, even though Poly vagal theory is like somewhat of a new and it's a theory and it's kind of under review right now.

41:17 But as it relates to the gunas it seems to line up pretty. Yeah, similarly, I'd say this is the. Fundamental nature of anythings Satva, rajas, Thomas. Some food have more rajas like chilies, ginger, cinnamon. It is energizing and the coconut and fruits and you know flower teas. This is all Satvik and Tamasic is. It's going to take you down.

41:52 And. It's good to eat at the night a little bit Tamasic food because tamasic tamas is important because we go to the deep sleep. Without tamas there is no deep sleep. If you are Raja sick in the mind, for example, drinking coffee at 4:00 and at the night 9:00 PM where you have to go to sleep, your mind is hyperactive.

42:19 That's why the people cannot fall asleep. Not because body cannot rest but mind have become hyperactive. So the slowing down of the mind is also pratyahara practice. Because mind. Is also a census. Mind is not something you know inside.

42:45 According to Yoga Mind is inner census. It is like. Master computer, but you are the boss. Computer is not. The boss AI is not the boss, but I am the boss. Who is I? The I. Is the the source the source? OK, I tried to throw you off there but. You're too dialed in for me.

43:16 OK. So Pratyahara, the guna is the balance between, we talked about diet and food, but ultimately stimulation or under stimulated heaviness, balance in between. The fasting was an interesting thing for me. So with drawing of the sensations of desire for food or appetite, and then of course the senses, the ones that I was more familiar with, which is like, you know, even closing your eyes is a practice of pratyahara. You know.

43:45 Blindfold yoga, similarly covering the ears, earplugs, all of these things. And what is that actually leading to? Specifically, what is the practice of pratyahara helping us with? It's helping us. To center ourselves, it's the practice of finding our center. There is some values that resides in US. Finding those values, finding the way of life. Because so many things going on in this modern society, there is we are bombarded by the informations, we are bombarded by stimulations.

44:29 Pratyahara really helps to find our core. And take. That into the next step, that is the meditation, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. So the IT just makes. Me want to make a connection here with Janana Yoga? Yeah. The wisdom. The truth, the self inquiry, it also makes me connect a little bit to silence.

44:56 And we talked about silence and how there's power in the silence with regards to what might reveal itself as a truth. So pratyahara almost actually feels very similar to that. It's like withdrawing from the senses. You said helps to bring us closer to our center.

45:11 Well, what is our center? What does that actually mean? Does it mean more to the truth, more to the reflection, the self inquiry, the wisdom that exists there already? And pratyahara, you know, withdrawal from, let's say, food or all these senses and things like that is almost minimizing the noise, just like kind of noise to be able to actually even see it or be witness to it, Correct.

45:39 Yeah. And that helps the prayer of Paris. For, like you said, meditation in samadhi, yeah. Only when this is aligned then we can reach the samadhi. But when? When? I close my eyes. I have a job, you know, I have this. Then the pratyahara. Is not has happened that our we are still identifying ourself with the job, still identifying myself with the things I am doing or I was.

46:12 This is what I am, the identity. So this is Pratyara is not happening here. So because the Yoga is clearly saying that the Purusha, the light within, is beyond the mind and he is not the mind, The mind is the senses. Because the mind is there, I understand, I perceive, but I am not the mind. So.

46:45 We have to go one step ahead in the Raja Yoga that is real, you know, really a transcendence of the mind. For example, if we want to know some stories in India, you know the Ramakrishna Parama Hamsa. He's one of the great.

47:09 Yogis in in those days. When is those days? I think. Around 18161816. Yeah, OK. So like 200 plus years ago, 200 years ago. OK, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. And he's also called as the Mad Yogi, the Mad King. But the mad Yogi, OK, I like where the story is going.

47:31 Keep going so. He was having this experience of the samadhi when he was young. He was walking in the Paddy fields and looking at the white clouds coming together and touching. He had the first experience of samadhi. So he was gone from this world for many years, many days, you know, from there he understood that he is the ultimate consciousness and he became Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. From there, his journey began.

48:12 Samadhi is not the end of the yoga, it is the beginning that I understand. I am this, that. How can I manifest this whole thing? What is what I am experiencing here? So he started. As you know, the madness, madness of the yoga practice with he was worshipping Goddess Kali in Kolkata. So he was so mad that he really wanted to see the Kali and Kali is not coming.

48:51 Kali, he's praying every day, he's doing everything he can, but he wants to see the divine mother Kali. So one of the day what he does, he takes the sword and Kali is the ferocious farm, you know, with the swords and all of this.

49:10 And he was ready to behead himself. He was there. In that moment he realized the the presence of the Kali means he was, he was really a mad scientist. To enquire. And find out the truth about yoga. And not only Hindu goddess he worshipped the the Tantra practice. Also he has learnt he worshipped Jesus, he worshipped the Islam gods.

49:42 So he's really a mad scientist. We have to read about Ramakrishna Pramamsa and how he experiences yoga as as one which is beyond the religions also. To experience the. Highest. Just to kind of keep it. On track with where we're at for the limbs, we still have last three. We mentioned samadhi, we mentioned meditation, you mentioned Diana.

50:14 So let's kind of continue off after the pratyahara just to kind of like complete the cycle for us. Yeah, yes, Dharana. Next next is the next step is the dharana. So the definition of dharana according to Yoga Sutra is Desha Banda Chittasya Dharana.

50:36 It's the easy sutra. You can repeat Desha Banda Chittasya dharana. So Desha. Means the you know the where to place the mind. OK, Banda is where I am keeping the mind, where I am locking myself in Desha Banda Chitta is the all mind that is the dharana. So here Patanjali is saying keeping the mind in one place is the dharana practice.

51:13 Where can we see? This when I am washing the dishes. I am washing the. Dishes. I am just washing the dishes for washing the dishes. But my mind. After some time thinking about making tea or making this while washing the dishes. So.

51:36 Dharana is lost there, so it's like focus. Yes. Just just doing, just being and just there like that. That is the dharana completely. Engulfed and it's almost like a flow state maybe, yes. Or do you say related to flow state?

51:55 Do you are familiar with flow state? Yeah, yeah. So like playing an instrument for example, correct. Or running or playing a sport. Or, you know, doing. Art, something like that, Just falling into that focused almost mindlessness, correct?

52:12 And bringing, putting effort to bring all that thoughts into what I'm doing. That when I am. Washing the dishes, I can hear, you know, I want to cook this. I want to do that. Just let go of that and bring your attention here in what you're doing.

52:33 So it's like presence. Yes. It's it's constantly Dharana is constantly bringing the attention to one object. And what is that? Object that is the object of meditation. For example, if I if I am doing om chant for 9 times I might get hundreds of thoughts. Not every day when I wake up ohm ohm my mind is working. So you speed up the chance like ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm ohm and constantly come back to the ohm sound. So the mind will lose its power and mind will become. Here in this.

53:25 Moment what object we are focusing mind will come there. It's also a technique of concentration, for you might have done the the trataka, the candlelight meditation. You know you are. Gazing at the the flame and the gazing goes on for one minute, 2 minutes like that and then you relax the eyes with the palming and later once you close your eyes you will visualize the flame at the eyebrow center.

54:06 And you try. To bring all your thoughts to regather the information, the color of the flame, how shape was shape of the flame, all of this that is dharana. If you see most of the yoga techniques, it's all taking us to dharana. All these meditation teachers, they are saying they are teaching meditation, but they are teaching only dharana technique because nobody can teach you meditation. Meditation can happen on its own because this space of meditation is you cannot.

54:53 You know, nobody can enter there. Only you are there in that space. That's why nobody can teach you meditation. This is the. Dharana. Then from. Dharana, we go to the Diana. This is the. Next step. So I have a thought. Before we go into Diana, yeah, you made me think of because you mentioned the flame and camping is something that I do a lot when I go home to visit family in Canada. And we all sit around a fire as a family, like 20-30 of us. We just stare at the fire, we

55:35 talk and but it's just like a moment of everyone's just kind of like watching the flames and the way that you're describing, you know, almost like this focused energy. And I've always kind. Of wondered like what is it about the flames that just makes you just stare like almost like into the abyss of nothingness, but it's so like peaceful almost yes I feel like you just described it for me yes yes.

55:59 Yeah, mind is also like a flame. Mind is the energy, right, Energy which is coming up. So flame if we see it is always going upward direction never goes flame never goes downwards or here and there. It is always going upward direction. So the flame concentration is is really good for the mind. Mind rises, its vibrations.

56:29 It's almost like. When you're staring at the flame or the fire, it's like the mind looking in the mirror and seeing. Itself. And how chaotic it is, just like the flame. Yes, that's. Interesting. OK, cool. Thank you for that Dharana.

56:45 Dhyana and here dhyana is when you drop all your effort for the object of meditation. Suppose you are meditating on Om and in the dhyana you drop all your effort to meditate and the meditation happens there. For example.

57:13 You know you are meditating on the flower. It's beautiful meditation to do in the before you go to sleep, meditate on the flower. And. What happens after some time? Your concentration is on the flower. You try to bring all your creativity towards flower, all the energy towards flower and after some time you drop all your effort and you become the flower. Your mind has to become the flower and you rest there. You rest.

57:54 In that meditative state. And what happens? You might stay in becoming flower for few minutes. Few seconds in. The beginning, when it reaches minutes, you know you are not there. The eye that arises, the ego is not there.

58:19 There happens the. Meditation. So. My teacher used to tell this uninterrupted flow of consciousness, uninterrupted flow of consciousness towards the object of meditation, that is the dhyana. So. Mind becomes absolutely no questions, no informations, nothing is there nirvishayam mana.

58:54 Mind becomes an empty bowl. It becomes absolutely here in the in the space. That's why in the meditation people experience expansion and people experience so much of joy and so much of presence. It's because mind becomes empty.

59:22 Only hurdle for me to become become the Buddha is my mind. Truth is here only when the my mind is working. I am not the Buddha. If mind becomes. Empty. Everything is here. That's what is the meditation. You know, you're making me think. About with all of this is like a lion tamer, lion tamer, a lion tamer.

59:58 Are you familiar with this person? So a lion tamer is a is a is a job where they tame the lion. Or they're it's like a circus, you know, circus. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So circus, they have animals and stuff like this, elephants and I don't know what else, but, you know, they'll have tigers or lions that will they'll perform, which is not a very ethical thing.

1:00:19 But the point is, is the lion tamer is taming the lion so that the lion can perform for the audience to witness and. Everything that we're. Talking about is almost like the practice of yoga, the practice of ashanga. You know this willpower is is. Cultivating.

1:00:35 Your own inner lion tamer, but you're not taming the lion or taming the mind. So it's like the mind tamer. It's kind of what this is all making me think about. It's like everything is just focusing on how do we reduce the chaoticness of the mind? How do we reduce the chaoticness of the lion, which could be unpredictable.

1:00:53 And you know, so it's like, it's the same thing. The mind is unpredictable. So we're trying to ultimately tame the mind or ease the mind. And all of the. Stuff that we're talking about, Correct? Correct. That's the whole yoga, right?

1:01:08 So Chittabrati Nirodhaha, Yoga, Chittabrati Nirodhaha Chittabrtis are all of this, Yeah. And when? Chittabrati Nirodha happens when all this Chittabrati has, you know it disappeared. Chittabrati Nirodhaha then the seer, the meditator experiences the dad rushdhu swarupay awastanam means I establish in myself the joy is coming in myself.

1:01:44 Not from, you know, strawberries, not from the chocolate brownies. So the joy is coming from within. That is what is the the whole idea of the Patanjali is yoga is is first, slowly, slowly. It's not like building. It seems like it's actually cutting everything. Like you take a rock and then you start removing all the unwanted things and in the end what remains is you. The pure bliss.

1:02:22 Is remaining there. That's what is. Patanjali's yoga is the Raja. Raja Yoga. The King. Yes, that's all. Coming together. Now. OK. Which all leads us to. Samadhi. Yes Samadhi is like we already saw this stories of the yogis which is beyond our perception also like how can Ramana Maharshi is one of the great teacher in India called Ramana Maharshi?

1:03:00 How? Can he sit? For, you know, for few years in meditation, about 14 years, he was in the meditative state. And you know, the after coming out of the meditation, it's not because he wanted to, you know, he wanted to come out of the meditation that was not there.

1:03:28 That's why he was sitting there for 14 years. But what? We are doing we also reach the state of samadhi sometimes maybe for a fraction of 2nd. So my teacher used to say this, that when you eat this gulab jamun, have you tried the the Indian sweet?

1:03:53 It's so sweet and so much flavors. And when you put it in your mouth like a nice sweet, you can imagine nice cake and what happens? The flavors are bursting out. And for a second you feel like, yes, I am not there, but just there is this experience, you know, like, like a blossoming experience.

1:04:22 Yeah. Bliss. Bliss. Yeah. So that. Is what is samadhi and it's beyond our perception, beyond time. One of the samadhi that we experience is deep sleep. So in the deep. Sleep. Am I aware of the time? Like for example we can make a note today that exact time that I fall asleep.

1:04:58 Not possible because sleep is beyond time and when I am asleep do I know where I was sleeping? I don't even know. That I am here in Bali, in here somewhere. I don't know that, and I don't even know who I am in the sleep.

1:05:26 That is the experience of samadhi itself, the deep sleep. So it's. Not that Patanjali is telling us that, you know, you have to reach some transcendental state. No, no, it is our fundamental state. Samadhi is. Our fundamental nature, nature of our being itself, is samadhi. So he's not taking.

1:05:56 Us somewhere to Himalayas or the caves, but he's taking very close to our self. That is the samadhi, the ultimate bliss. I feel like I'm going to sleep differently tonight now. I'll be thinking about. How I'm about to enter Samadhi, but yeah, that's the way.

1:06:20 I mean, I didn't see it entirely like that. So that's actually a great perspective to share. Thank you. But moments of bliss momentary, you know, capturing of bliss, which can be sometimes joyous moments. Maybe it's with like a puppy or a baby or, you know, a partner or a friend.

1:06:36 There's, you know, maybe it's like a sporting event or something where there's just like this feeling of just joy. It's like a it's like a it's more than joy though. It's just like a blissful state. And I think about that sometimes of like, this is this is really what life is, is to feel these little moments in there. You know, they can be rare sometimes, but sometimes they're rare because we're not paying attention, because the mind, the lion is too noisy, too chaotic

1:07:05 for us to even notice and witness those moments of bliss or Somani that are actually revealing themselves in our lifetime. Yes, Yeah. In I feel like it's all the moment of moment of surrendrance. When? The moment of surrendrance is there.

1:07:23 The bliss has never left us. It is. It's like so much bliss is there, Tantra says. You know, outpouring joy. It's not like the bliss is going to end so continuously. Bliss is flowing. Surrenderance is the. Way. The pure surrenderance. We could just be floating on bliss forever, yes? Which is probably why he.

1:07:54 Stayed in meditation for 14 years since he was just riding the wave, the surf wave of bliss. Absolutely, yeah. When, when there was, you know, a person who comes to Ramana Maharshi, he had so much questions that time. He, he was already famous in India. He's famous all over the world.

1:08:14 That time there was number radio. No, nobody captured him. But he was so famous. So there was a guy from the West comes to India, questions many of the people in the northern part of India and his his questions were not really answered well.

1:08:34 So he comes down to South, South India, Arunachala, where Ramanamarshi was there, he was staying there and he comes to Ramanamarshi's presence. He sees him. And the question that he wanted to ask has already disappeared.

1:08:55 Just in his presence. Yes. And he's, he's trying, you know, he's like, what question I wanted to ask is forgotten already. It's gone. So. He asks. Ramana that you know this happens, it's happening to me. I came with the question and now I am free. And Ramana says yes, you go around the Arunachala mountain, you know, go for he sent, he was sent for big trial walk. So something.

1:09:31 Like this Ramana Maharshi is very you know you go to their presence of the yogis, your mind will be already joyful, right? It's. Because the frequency of the the residents of their. Whether it's meditative. State or just their being is you're entering their field and it's almost like it cleanses you in a way.

1:09:55 Yeah, yeah. 100% that's cool. I mean you can. Feel not necessarily to that degree, but certain people when we're tuned in enough and we enter into their presence, their space or, you know, yoga teachers. I mean, this is a yoga podcast to some degree.

1:10:13 And there are some teachers, some facilitators where we enter the room or we enter the space and we feel differently within their presence, correct. And you know, we talk a lot about. Actually, we don't talk. That much about it, but you know, queuing and sequencing and the asanas and the meditation and the breathing and all that stuff is great and there's some technique to it and some structure to it. But at the end of the day, presence is the most powerful thing that you can do for

1:10:40 somebody, correct? You call it holding space. You can call it just being intentionally there, dedicated to something higher than yourself, not self-conscious, but self aware. And that in itself is probably the most impactful thing that we can do for people is to be present 100. Percent in the presence only there is love, right? Ultimate experience of the love is here in in the presence. So if I love someone, the best thing that we can do is really be present with them.

1:11:17 That's the best thing. We can do, we don't need to give them money or car or anything. Yeah, or advice or. Yes. Just be with them. Be with them. So much of love. Yeah. And that's so. Hard, right? Because you feel like you need to do something. The action I need to, I need to do something to help this person.

1:11:36 I need to, you know, maybe they're uncomfortable and I want to resolve their suffering. I want to take away their suffering. But. It's like it's their. Suffering. You can't take away someone else's suffering. All you do is absorb and then you both suffer.

1:11:53 But if you can be present with them, that might actually ease their suffering. Absolutely, and that's enough. Yeah. Correct. So hopefully. That's a nice. Take away for for somebody listening, but that's, that's what I think about sometimes is like, and I used to have a huge issue with that as I'd see someone suffering, whether it be my partner, you know, they're emotionally upset, they're going through something, someone's dealing with a loss, a death,

1:12:17 some sort of challenge. And it's just like, Oh my God, I want to help them. I want to, you know, and the help is more of an action state, a masculine state as opposed to just being like, I think you just need to to, you know, be with them, sit there with them, you know, connect with them in in a way that doesn't need to actually do anything more.

1:12:39 Yes, yes. And I. Think that's the most impactful? Thing and I try to remind myself of that. Correct, correct. Yeah, Purusha is the observer, so we have to really be with them and in the presence. Just observe and listening and being. That's more than enough.

1:13:02 The energy will. Shift automatically. OK. Well, we got through it. The chainsaw outside has stopped. It's actually the cutting the grass, but can't hear it anymore. So yeah, that was really helpful. Thank you. Akshay. Going through Raja Yoga, willpower, Ashtanga, the 8 limbs, ultimately parusha, light consciousness ultimately moving towards that but then also playing with the fact that we have this.

1:13:33 Prakriti Energy. Which is rising, falling, shifting the body's wants, desires, needs. All these things are kind of happening. It's like the lion. Yeah, right. And the path of Ashtanga is ultimately helping to tame that lion in different ways from the yamas, niyamas, pranayama asana, correct? Yeah, all the way through.

1:13:53 To ultimately finding these moments of bliss. Yeah. Stillness, presence. So there you go. That's why they call it the king of yoga. Yes. Yeah. To. Taking us to the source to the source. OK, well. Thank you so much. I don't think I have any other questions.

1:14:11 I'm actually going to let that sit for the audience as well. Thank you for tuning in this week. How do you feel about maybe we can play your mantra just to close off the Oh sure. Unless you want to do 1 fresh. What do you think? Yes, we.

1:14:24 Can do a Patanjali prayer. You want to do Potanjali prayer. OK, cool. So yeah, thank you for tuning in, guys. We'll just close off with this mantra from Akshay. So once he's finished, we'll just end the podcast so that you can kind of enter into whatever state that comes for you. So I imagine finding a comfortable seated position or somewhere where you can feel somewhat relaxed. If you're at the gym, you're driving or anything like that, it'll probably be a little bit

1:14:48 tricky. But just know that this is going to be here for you at the end of this episode if you want to come back to it. Otherwise, Akshay, I'll leave it to you. This is the. Patanjali Prayer. Thank you.