Yoga for Life
Main
articles: Raja Yoga and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Yoga is a group of ancient
spiritual practices originating in India. As a general term in Hinduism, Gavin
Flood, the OCHS (Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies) Academic Director,[1], defines
it as referring to "technologies or disciplines of asceticism and meditation
which are thought to lead to spiritual experience and profound understanding or
insight into the nature of existence."[2] Outside India, Yoga has become
primarily associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga (see
Yoga as exercise), although it has influenced the entire dharmic religions
family and other spiritual practices throughout the world.[3]
Hindu texts discussing different aspects of yoga include the Upanishads, the
Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many
others.[3][4]
Major branches of Yoga include: Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga,
and Raja Yoga. [5] [6] [7] Raja Yoga, known simply as Yoga in the context of
Hindu philosophy, is one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of thought,
established by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Main articles: Raja Yoga and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
In Indian philosophy, Yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox philosophical
schools.[25][26] The Yoga philosophical system is closely allied with the
Samkhya school.[27] The Yoga school as expounded by Patanjali accepts the
Samkhya psychology and metaphysics, but is more theistic than the Samkhya, as
evidenced by the addition of a divine entity to the Samkhya's twenty-five
elements of reality.[28][29] The parallels between Yoga and Samkhya were so
close that Max Müller says that "the two philosophies were in popular parlance
distinguished from each other as Samkhya with and Samkhya without a
Lord...."[30] The intimate relationship between Samkhya and Yoga is explained by
Heinrich Zimmer:
These two are regarded in India as twins, the two aspects of a single
discipline. Provides a basic theoretical exposition of human nature, enumerating
and defining its elements, analyzing their manner of co-operation in a state of
bondage (bandha), and describing their state of disentanglement or separation in
release , while Yoga treats specifically of the dynamics of the process for the
disentanglement, out outlines practical techniques for the gaining of release,
or 'isolation-integration' (kaivalya).[31]
The sage Patanjali is regarded as the founder of the formal Yoga philosophy.[32]
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are ascribed to Patanjali, who, may have been, as
Max Müller explains, "the author or representative of the Yoga-philosophy
without being necessarily the author of the Sutras."[33] Indologist Axel
Michaels is dismissive of claims that the work was written by Patanjali,
characterizing it instead as a collection of fragments and traditions of texts
stemming from the second or third century.[34] Gavin Flood cites a wider period
of uncertainty for the composition, between 100 BCE and 500 CE.[35]
Patanjali's yoga is known as Raja yoga, which is a system for control of the
mind.[36] Patanjali defines the word "yoga" in his second sutra, which is the
definitional sutra for his entire work: