Pratyahara Sutras
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Pratyahara Sutras
Pratyahara () or the 'gathering towards' is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, as mentioned in his classical work, ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' composed in the 2nd century BCE. It is also the first stage of the six-branch yoga (''ṣaḍaṅgayoga'') of the Buddhist Kālacakra tantra, where it refers to the withdrawal of the five senses from external objects to be replaced by the mentally created senses of an enlightened deity. This phase is roughly analogous to the physical isolation (''kāyaviveka'', Tib. ''lus bden'') phase of Guhyasamāja tantra. For Patanjali, it is a bridge between the ''bahiranga'' (external) aspects of yoga namely, yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, and the ''antaranga'' (internal) yoga. Having actualized the pratyahara stage, a practitioner is able to effectively engage into the practice of Samyama. At the stage of pratyahara, the consciousness of the individual is internalized in order that the sensations from the senses ...
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Ashtanga (eight Limbs Of Yoga)
Ashtanga yoga (, "the eight limbs of yoga") is Patanjali's classification of classical yoga, as set out in his ''Yoga Sutras''. He defined the eight limbs as yamas (abstinences), niyama (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption). The eight limbs form a sequence from the outer to the inner. Postures, important in modern yoga as exercise, form just one limb of Patanjali's scheme; he states only that they must be steady and comfortable. The main aim is ''kaivalya'', discernment of ''Purusha'', the witness-conscious, as separate from '' prakriti'', the cognitive apparatus, and disentanglement of ''Purusha'' from its muddled defilements. Definition of yoga Patanjali begins his treatise by stating the purpose of his book in the first sutra, followed by defining the word "yoga" in his second sutra of Book 1: * Sanskrit Original with Translation 1The Yoga PhilosophyTR Tatya (T ...
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Dhyana In Hinduism
''Dhyana'' () in Hinduism means contemplation and meditation. ''Dhyana'' is taken up in Yoga practices, and is a means to ''samadhi'' and self-knowledge. The various concepts of ''dhyana'' and its practice originated in the Sramanic movement of ancient India, which started before the 6th century BCE (pre-Buddha, pre-Mahavira), and the practice has been influential within the diverse traditions of Hinduism. It is, in Hinduism, a part of a self-directed awareness and unifying Yoga process by which the yogi realizes Self (Atman, soul), one's relationship with other living beings, and Ultimate Reality.Edwin Bryant (2009), The Yoga sūtras of Patañjali: a new edition, translation, and commentary with insights from the traditional commentators, North Point Press, , pages xxii, xxix-xxx Dhyana is also found in other Indian religions such as Buddhism and Jainism. These developed along with dhyana in Hinduism, partly independently, partly influencing each other. The term ''Dhyana'' ...
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Drishti (yoga)
Drishti ( sa, दृष्टि, translit=dṛṣṭi; ), or focused gaze, is a means for developing concentrated intention. It relates to the fifth limb of yoga, pratyahara, concerning sense withdrawal, as well as the sixth limb, dharana, relating to concentration. In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, each asana is associated with one of the 8 focused gazes, namely Angusthamadhye (thumb), Bhrumadhye (eyebrow), Nasagre (tip of nose), Hastagrahe (tips of hands), Parshva (side), Urdhva (up), Nabhicakre (navel), and Padayoragre (tips of feet) Drishtis. In some other styles such as Sivananda Yoga, less use is made of the gaze, and fewer types are employed. History The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' define eight limbs of yoga but do not mention the gaze. The sixth limb, dharana (concentration), however requires holding one's mind onto an inner state, subject or topic. The mind can for example be fixed on a mantra, one's breath, or a part of the body such as the navel or the tip of the ton ...
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Kumbhaka
''Kumbhaka'' is the retention of the breath in the yoga practice of pranayama. It has two types, accompanied (by breathing) whether after inhalation or after exhalation, and, the ultimate aim, unaccompanied. That state is ''kevala kumbhaka'', the complete suspension of the breath for as long as the practitioner wishes. Breath retention The name ''kumbhaka'' is from Sanskrit कुम्भ ''kumbha'', a pot, comparing the torso to a vessel full of air. ''Kumbhaka'' is the retention of the breath in pranayama, either after inhalation, the inner or ''Antara Kumbhaka'', or after exhalation, the outer or ''Bahya Kumbhaka'' (also called ''Bahir Kumbhaka''). According to B.K.S. Iyengar in ''Light on Yoga'', ''kumbhaka'' is the "retention or holding the breath, a state where there is no inhalation or exhalation". ''Sahit'' or ''Sahaja Kumbhaka'' is an intermediate state, when breath retention becomes natural, at the stage of withdrawal of the senses, Pratyahara, the fifth of the eight ...
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Lotus Position
Lotus position or Padmasana ( sa, पद्मासन, translit=padmāsana) is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and is widely used for meditation in Hindu, Tantra, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Variations include easy pose (Sukhasana), half lotus, bound lotus, and psychic union pose. Advanced variations of several other asanas including yoga headstand have the legs in lotus or half lotus. The pose can be uncomfortable for people not used to sitting on the floor, and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees. Shiva, the meditating ascetic God of Hinduism, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and the Tirthankaras in Jainism have been depicted in the lotus position, especially in statues. The pose is emblematic both of Buddhist meditation and of yoga, and as such has found a place in Western culture as a symbol of health ...
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Meditation Seat
Meditative postures or meditation seats are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation. Best known in the Buddhism, Buddhist and Hinduism, Hindu traditions are the Lotus position, lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright. Meditation is sometimes practiced while walking, such as kinhin, doing simple repetitive tasks, as in Zen Samu (Zen), samu, or work which encourages mindfulness. Postures in the ''Yoga Sutras'' The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' describe Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), yoga as having eight limbs, one being asana, the meditation seat. The sutras do not name any asanas, merely specifying the characteristics of a good asana, stating: The ''Sutras'' are embedded in the ''Bhasya'' commentary, which scholars including Philipp Maas now believe are by the same author; it names 12 seated meditation asanas, possibly all cross-legged, includin ...
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Chakra
Chakras (, ; sa , text=चक्र , translit=cakra , translit-std=IAST , lit=wheel, circle; pi, cakka) are various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, or the esoteric or inner traditions of Hinduism.Chakra: Religion
Encyclopaedia Britannica
The concept of the chakra arose in the early traditions of Hinduism. Beliefs differ between the Indian religions, with many Buddhist texts consistently mentioning five chakras, while Hindu sources reference six or seven. Early Sanskrit texts speak of them both as meditative visualizations combining flowers and mantras and as physical entit ...
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Ajna
Ajna ( sa, आज्ञा, IAST: , ), brow or third eye chakra, is the sixth primary chakra in the body according to Hindu tradition and signifies the unconscious mind, the direct link to Brahman (ultimate reality). The third eye is said to connect people to their intuition, give them the ability to communicate with the world, or help them receive messages from the past and the future. Location The Ajna chakra is located in the center of the forehead between the eyebrows. It is not a part of the physical body but considered to be the part of pranic system. The location makes it a sacred spot where Hindus apply a tilak bindi to show reverence for it. Appearance The Ajna chakra is described as "a diamond-like lotus of two petals, presided by Hamsa Devata, and Susumna Sakti. It corresponds to the Vijñāna state and Anupama Vak, and to the half matra of the Pranava." It is said to represent the nadis (psychic channels) Ida and Pingala, which meet the central Sushumna na ...
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David Frawley
David Frawley (born 1950) is an American author, astrologer, teacher (''acharya'') and a proponent of Hindutva. He has written numerous books on topics spanning the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology. His works have been popular among the general public. In 2015 he was honored by the Government of India with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India. A prominent ideologue of the Hindutva movement, he has also been accused of practicing historical revisionism. Early life and education David Frawley was born to a Catholic family in Wisconsin and had nine siblings. Frawley is largely an autodidact. He studied Ayur Veda under Dr. B. L. Vashta of Mumbai for a span of about a decade, and obtained a "Doctor of Oriental Medicine" degree via a correspondence course from the International Institute of Chinese Medicine, Santa Fe, New Mexico, a school for acupuncture which closed in 2003 due to "administrative and governance irregularities" and financia ...
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Anandabodhi2
Anandabodhi or Ananda Bodhi may refer to: * Ananda Bodhi Tree, an offshoot of the Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment *Namgyal Rinpoche Namgyal Rinpoche, Karma Tenzin Dorje (1931–2003), born Leslie George Dawson in Toronto, Canada, was a Tibetan Buddhist lama in the Karma Kagyu tradition. Early life Namgyal Rinpoche was born Leslie George Dawson in 1931, October 11, and raised ...
, ordained as Anandabodhi bhikkhu in 1958 {{disambig ...
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Sanskrit Language
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting impact on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Old Indo-Aryan language varieties. The most archaic of these is the Vedic Sanskrit found in the Rig Veda, a col ...
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Himalayan Institute Of Yoga Science And Philosophy
The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy is an international non-profit organization, which promotes yoga and holistic health through yoga retreats, residential programs, health products and services, media publications including ''Yoga International'' magazine, and humanitarian projects. The institute's main campus is located on (1.6 km2) in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania and is the site of most of its residential programming. Branch centers also operate in Cameroon, India, and Mexico. It formerly had centres in Great Britain and Malaysia. The organization was founded in 1971 by the Indian yoga guru Swami Rama. A range of educational programming for yoga teachers is offered by the Himalayan Institute including training workshops, online courses, seminars, and certifications. The institute publishes additional media through the Himalayan Institute Press, including the magazine Yoga International, and sells health products such as the Varcho ...
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