How to practice Yoga

The state of a yogin, the Mahābhārata also narrated, who has overcome sleep, restraint his breath, senses and confirmed himself in the elemental of sattva and who was constantly engrossed in the practice of yoga.^[1] How a yogin should begin his practices of yoga is described in the Mahābhārata, A yogin’s place should be clean, pure, not very high, not very low, the mat made up of darbha grass, covered by deer-skin and cloth. Thereafter the mind will be purified by practising yoga. Holding his body, head and neck straight, steadying himself and fixing his sight on the tip of his nose, without any distraction that is not looking anywhere else, he should give up all the desires born of will and restrain his mind and senses.^[2]

The Mahābhārata gives an account of two types of yogic practices. One is sthūla (gross) and other is sūkṣma (subtle) is prescribed in Vedas. Eight faculties were included by the gross type of Yoga which grants superhuman powers to the aspirant. These are aṇima, laghima etc. Eight means too are prescribed in the subtle yoga namely yama, niyama etc. Yoga has two different aids viz; saguṇa (qualitative) and nirguṇa (devoid of qualities) rules of breath (prāṇāyāma) for concentration of the mind. The concentration of mind is on a certain object which functions as a support in saguṇa type of prāṇāyāma. In nirguṇa prāṇāyāma, for concentration, no support is necessary.^[3] Another point that how a yogin should begin his meditation is explained in the Mahābhārata It states that the aspirant should be first freed from the influence of all pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, joy and sorrow etc; ever existing in their own state, freed from attachments, never accepting anything they live in places separated from their wives and children, without others with whom disputes may arise, and favourable to perfect peaceful mindset. There, restraining speech, such a person sits like a piece of wood, controlling his senses and with mind immersed in the supreme self by the help of meditation.^[4]

For prefect meditation

It states that he should be merging the senses having the mind for the sixth and all the help of the understanding and meditating upon the three states of consciousness viz; the object of thought, the act of thinking and the thinker and abstaining by contemplation from every kind of enjoyment, replenishing his mind with the knowledge that, he is Brahma’s self, laying aside, at the same time all consciousness of power, and thereby making his soul perfectly tranquil, the yogin attains to immortality.^[5] A description of a meditating yogin is presented in the Mahābhārata, who concentrates on the navel, throat, brain, heart, chest, back, eyes, ears, nose etc. while meditating and merges himself in to the ātman which is subtle.^[6] The Mahābhārata explains destruction of sins for sacrifice and states that those who are devoted to breath control, resort to prāṇāyāma, restrain inhaling breath and outgoing breath apāna, pour the prāṇa in to apāna and apāna in to prāṇa as sacrifice, such people are called performers of prāṇāyāma.^[7] The significance of prāṇāyāma is apparent for achieving the final beatitude.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

yaṃ vinidrā jitaśvāsāḥ satvasthaḥ saṃyatendriyāḥ |
jyatiḥ paśyanti yuñjānāstasmai yogātmane namaḥ || Śāntiparva , 47. 55.

[2]:

Bhīṣmaparva, 28, 10-14.

[3]:

Śāntiparva , 316, 7-9.

[4]:

Śāntiparva , 195. 4,5.

[5]:

antarātmani saṃlīya manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni medhayā |
indriyāṇīndriyārthāṃśca bahucintyamacintayan || dhyānenoparamaṃ kṛtvā vidyāsampāditaṃ manaḥ |
anīśvaraḥ praśāntātmā tato'rchatyamṛtaṃ padam || Śāntiparva , 246 -6, 7.

[6]:

Śāntiparva , 300 -39, 40.

[7]:

Bhīṣmaparva, 26-29, 30.