wereinyoga

[wereinyoga]

New Post Up on Patreon ❤️☺️

[wereinyoga]

My first video is up, very brief but it’s a start 🥰❤️

[wereinyoga]

The 8 Limb Path of Yoga (short intro)

The Eight Limb Path in yoga is known as Ashtanga and we can view it as something similar to a compass for us. Each limb within the path refers to a certain activity that we can participate in when looking to heal, grow in spirituality, and get closer to the "source".

The Eight Limb Path consists of:

Yama

Ethics

Asana

Yoga

Pranayama

Breath Control

Pratyahara

Withdrawing from the senses

Dharana

Focus

Dhyna

Meditation

Samadhi

Union with the divine 

[wereinyoga]

Pranayama- Controlling the Breath

Pranayama, the term prana refers to the life force while maya refers to restraining and controlling. Together, this term relates to the control of the breath. It is the 4th limb in the 8 Limb Path of Ashtanga yoga.

When meditating or practicing yoga, it is easy for our minds to be distracted by thoughts which is perfectly normal but when you are trying to "empty" the mind, this stands in the way. This is where Pranamaya enters the chat. When practicing Pranamaya, you are using varying breathing techniques to focus the mind on your breath instead of distracting thoughts.

Not only is the goal to focus the mind on your breath, the goal is to also move the prana through the body and up to the crown of our head. Prana, "life force energy" flows through our bodies through these channels of energy known as Nadi, while there are more than 72,000 Nadis in our body, there are only 3 main ones: Ida, Pingala, and Shushumnah. The purpose of the Nadi within the concept of yoga is similar to that of the blood veins within us, pumping blood throughout the body.

Ida refers to the feminine and cooling side of things and terminates out of the left nostril, while Pingala refers to the masculine and heating side of things and terminates out of the right nostril. Now at the crown of our head rests the Shushumah which deals with balancing both sides.

There are different breathing techniques employable that can help keep the mind "on track". Sithali, Ujayi, Brahmari, Kapalabhati, and Nadi Shodhana are among them. There is another one called Bhastrika which is considered by many to be among the most powerful.

When applied, each breathing technique provides us with its own unique benefits. Sithali is a great technique used to cool the body and mind down, often employed after a yoga session to allow the practitioner to bring their session to a close. While there are breathing techniques that can help relax and unwind, there are also some utilized to fire up the body. One of those techniques is the Kapalabhati breath, often referred to as "Skull Shining", it is used to increase energy due to the rapid movement of the abdomen area caused by the rapid and repeated exhales.

Introducing Pranayama into your life does not have to be a complex task, you can start off with the Brahmari breath, simply inhaling as usual while humming as you exhale. As you exhale, you will notice that humming at different tones will provide a different sensation to your body.

The Pranayama is one of my favorite practices and I hope that by reading this brief post, you will consider taking up the practice yourself.

[wereinyoga]

The 5 Koshas

When introduced to yoga, we are introduced to a variety of concepts and philosophical beliefs related to yoga with the star of the show being the Chakras but another concept just as important is the Koshas. According to the Yogic path, we are multilayered individuals, resembling an onion with each layer representing something different and capable of being purified through different activities. Here are the 5 Koshas:

Annamaya

The Annamaya Kosha is the most physical part of our body, it is purified by the food that we introduce to our bodies and the practice of Asana yoga.

Pranamaya

Pranamaya, prana is the life force energy that flows through everything. It flows through us also, it is not our soul but it is the energizing force that moves us. It deals with every moving part of the body and can be purified through the practice of pranamaya and Asana yoga practice.

Manomaya

Manomaya refers to the mind from the ego perspective, what do we think of ourselves,. It is purified by Bhakti or Karma yoga, it deals with our emotions and pieces of our ego.

Vijnanamaya

Vijnanamaya deals with the intellect. Our approach to studying, our dedication, discipline, and how we go about taking in knowledge. This is purified through the practice of Svadhaya, studying, satsang, and meditation.

Anandamaya

Anandamaya, the bliss that we experience when coming out of a meditation or yoga session is a reflection of Anandamaya, purified by Bakhti and a connection to the source.