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Yoga and the Eight-Fold PathYoga is the Sanskrit name describing a state of Union as well as a wide range of self-transformative disciplines originating in India some 5,000 years ago.
Its principal Sanskrit text is the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali (c. 200 BC). This path consists of eight "limbs" or categories of practice meant to practice holistically rather than sequentially, hence the description of "limbs". The Sutras contain many other descriptions and practices for living a life of freedom. Patanjali describes the path of Astanga (8-limbed) Yoga as follows: (interpreted by Katherine Banbury)
The goal of Raja Yoga, as of all forms or branches of Yoga, is Self-realization. That is to say, it aims at a state of existence in which all misconceptions about Reality (including ourselves) are dissolved. We are who we truly are without pretense. According to universal, revealed, Eternal Truth (Sanatana dharma), present not only in Yoga, but within the core of all major religions and philosophical or spiritual sects, all is One: There is no separation with anything or anyone. Everything and everyone is interconnected and a distinct expression of the unqualified One. Yoga is both the fruition of this state of Union and the application of specific, consistent disciplines to realize the Oneness of everything. Yoga is timeless, it is as pertinent today as it was in ancient times. It is practiced and embodied through direct experience for the benefit of all living creatures. The most direct connection with Yoga is the flow of the breath, which succeeds the power of stillness within, and informs and supports all movement in the body/mind. |
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