Previously, we learnt about the importance of breath. Now let’s turn to an important text, which considered to be the foundation of yoga and meditation: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali described the ways of overcoming the afflictions of the body and the fluctuations of the mind.
About the Yoga Sutras
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a short text. His words are direct and traditionally believed to be of divine provenance. There are 196 aphorisms (or Sutras, as they are called), covering all aspects of life. Each word is precise, conveying a wealth of thought and experience.
The book is divided into four chapters (or padas). The first pada amounts to a treatise on dharmashastra, the science of religious duty. Dharma is that which upholds, sustains and supports one who has fallen or is falling, in the sphere of ethics, physical or mental practices. The goal of dharma is emancipation. So, if dharma is the seed of yoga, emancipation is its fruit. The first pada, therefore, is directed towards those who are already highly evolved in the spiritual sphere.
In the second pada, Patanjali comes down to the level of common folks and helps them to discover spirituality. Here he coins the word kriyayoga. Kriya means action, and kriyayoga emphasises the dynamic efforts to be made by the practitioner.
The third pada speaks of the divine effects of yoga. While this may sound appealing, Patanjali also warns us to ignore any temptations during the spiritual pursuits.
In the final pada, the yogi experiences a passive state of oneness between seer and seen, observer and observed, subject and object. This is the ultimate goal of yoga.
Pranayama: Regulation of Breath
In the second pada, Patanjali talks about pranayama. Prana is the force of life which permeates the universe and plays with it. Ayama means expansion, restraint and control. In other words, Pranayama is the art of regulating the life force.
Patanjali wrote about pranayama, but he was not the first one to teach it. The ancient yogis discovered pranayama while making use of the breath to maintain the entire human system, comprising the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, digestive, excretory and reproductive systems with optimum efficiency and harmony.
What does Patanjali teach us about the art of breathing? We will learn in the next part of this series.
Reference books: Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S. Iyengar
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