Eliza Tanaka Yoga and Ayurveda in 10 Simple Lessons

1. YOGA

To understand yoga and Ayurveda, we first need a quick overview of yoga, its modern applications and historical roots. Yoga is a broad system with detailed techniques for all aspects of human development, from music and dance to psychology and sociology. It is like a great mountain, on which there are wonderful animals, plants, minerals and a wide expanse, and which must be looked at for a long time from different angles.

The main yoga practice that we see all over the world today is asanas. Asanas apply to all exercises, as well as breathing techniques and mental exercises. Asana is the outer face of yoga and for most people is their first step towards learning it. For most of us, a yogi is a person who looks like an excellent gymnast performing a difficult pose. Asanas have their roots in a tradition called Hatha Yoga. In this tradition, asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing) and meditation form a trinity of spiritual practices aimed at developing our inner energies. Yoga dealing with asanas is sometimes called Hatha Yoga because Hatha Yoga texts contain the most detailed description of asanas. But we must remember that it covers only one aspect of it, and not the whole system.
The tradition of Hatha Yoga has its roots in classical yoga, concentrated in the sutras of the great sage Patanjali (200 BC). These sutras are called yoga darshana, or yoga philosophy. However, Patanjali was not the inventor of yoga, it existed many centuries before him. Patanjali systematized and codified the long tradition of yoga in the form of aphorisms, which to this day remain the best summary of the system, which was acquired in different ways from different methods of yoga.
Yoga of Patanjali is called Raja Yoga or Royal Yoga because of its high level of teaching. This is Ashtanga yoga, or eight limb yoga, because of the eight levels of practice, where asanas are just one of them. Hatha yoga is related to the initial stages of Raja yoga, especially the preparation of the body and prana, and is considered an important step towards their full development.
Patanjali's system of Raja Yoga, in turn, has its roots in the older teachings of Hindu Yoga in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata and Puranas and the Samkhya philosophical system contained in them. These Sanskrit texts explain the various yogic practices of meditation, mantra, initiation and prana development. After Patanjali, the Gita itself is generally regarded as the original text of yoga, outlining an integral approach similar to yoga in the sutras.

In the same way, Krishna, the greatest teacher of the Bhagavad Gita, is often considered the greatest of all yogis.
More and more ancient yoga teachings in India go back to the Vedas, the teachings of the ancient Himalayan rishis, dating back more than five thousand years. The Vedas represent a vast and varied spiritual heritage of the ancient world, much of which is lost or forgotten, and which once spread throughout the world.
Indeed, yoga is as old as humanity itself, and represents a higher spiritual heritage, which, in fact, we all have deep in our hearts, no matter how we call it and in whatever form we imagine. Yoga is part of our eternal search for self-realization, which we all must achieve in this life or another.
Its methods and ideas are important for everyone, regardless of their background, and are applicable at any time when a person is ready to look inside himself and develop an inner life of consciousness and joy.

EIGHT STAGES OF YOGA

Patanjali draws a complete eightfold path of yoga that deals with all aspects of life, internal and external. These eight steps (ashtanga) are as follows:

1. FIVE YAMAS: FIVE PRACTICES OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL BEHAVIOR
Yamas are practices used to eliminate the possibility of wrong, harmful or disturbing behavior. They create the basis of a correct life, peace and harmony - both social and personal. Through these practices, yoga provides a simple model of self-discipline that eradicates the problems that arise from excessive material demands that exist in real life. It provides us with fair ethical laws for yoga teachers and Ayurvedic doctors.

FIVE PIT

First comes Ahimsa, or harmlessness. The basis of any true wisdom or healthy lifestyle is the desire not to harm any living creature - not only man, but any creature, including stones! Remember that harming others - mentally, emotionally or with your own actions, you are always hurting yourself. Harmlessness means the need to avoid any action that may cause harm, and to support those actions that reduce it or protect against injustice and harm.
The second principle is truthfulness. Truthfulness in thought and behavior is necessary for clarity and peace of mind and for creating social interactions to establish trust and avoid conflict. We may deceive others, but we ourselves know the truth about what we are doing.
Not participating in theft means not taking what does not belong to us. This naturally applies to material things, but also extends to psychological factors—for example, not to deprive someone of a good reputation by speaking badly of them. Material things have psychic power. If we take things that do not legally belong to us, their negative psychic force will weigh on us.
Brahmacharya means avoiding sexual misconduct, which is a serious cause of both deceit and harm - both to ourselves and to others. Misuse of sexual energy is a major factor in social and psychological suffering. Sexual energy, when used correctly, is the basis for both healing and spiritual energies.
Non-possessiveness means that we should not think that we actually own things. We must look upon our property as part of the common good, and upon ourselves as a servant for the good of all. Non-acquisitiveness causes the absence of greed and thirst for accumulation, the presence of only a small property is not blamed. It shows the material simplicity inherent in the practice of yoga.

2. FIVE NIYAMAS: FIVE PRACTICES OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, PRINCIPLES OF THE YOGIC LIFESTYLE

Cleanliness refers to external neatness, including following a vegetarian diet.
A vegetarian diet is considered to be one of the most powerful meditation aids and should be followed by all serious yoga students. Integrity and purity also refer to purity of heart and mind. We must be free from mental and physical poisons in order to function at our full potential and with maximum power. A pure mind, free from preoccupation, greed, fear and other emotional entanglements, creates clarity and wisdom. Satisfaction means maintaining balance in everything we do. It doesn't mean being complacent. To remain unperturbed in all life's ups and downs means true satisfaction, santoshi. Being balanced, being able to remain focused and insightful in all actions and life experiences is the key to our success.
Tapas means a discipline based on the constant application of the will to a significant goal, which involves the ability to sacrifice less important things along the way. In any area of ​​life, be it running or business, we need the right motivation and discipline, the will to keep going under any circumstances. Therefore, in order to move the work forward and achieve a higher consciousness, we must remain constant in our practice of tapas.
Self-learning means that we must understand who we are and what our real abilities and needs may be. Each of us has a unique nature and potential that we must unleash. What is good for one person may not be good for another.
Therefore, following this principle, yoga always adapts to our individual basis. All her practices are a means of self-development, and not an external system imposed on us.
Recognition of God or cosmic will is not only a matter of religious ideas. This means the sublimation of the "I" and its needs to a higher consciousness that works throughout our lives and governs this vast universe. With a whole "I" it becomes possible to experience this "whole" sooner.

3. ASANA
The asana consists of physical postures and movements that release tension, remove toxins, and prepare the mind for meditation. These are not only familiar poses, such as the headstand, but also less familiar sequences of movements. This is the first stage of personal practice focused on the physical body - the basis of everything we do in life. The asana, facing other levels, offers even more. By focusing more on the process of asana practice than on performing a single posture, the practitioner can become aware of the workings of their mind and the obstacles created by past experiences. Then the asana can become the embodiment of one of the forms meditation.

4. Pranayama
Excess prana, or energy, is needed to achieve our goals or achieve something significant in life. Most pranayama practices consist of breathing exercises that develop the life force to help activate the energy dormant in the mind and purify the body. These exercises consist of specific types of breathing practice degrees. Asana brings the body into a state of balance so that we can work on our pranas through pranayama.
However, pranayama extends to all ways of developing and controlling prana in the body and mind and to accessing new sources of prana, both internal (through meditation) and external (for example, breathing in the prana of the sun).
Some pranayama techniques are spiritual practices specifically designed to develop a deeper connection between cosmic life and powerful transformative forces.

5. Pratyahara
Pratyahara concerns the various methods of controlling impressions and controlling the senses, which are our main source of contact with the outer world. Everything that we receive through sensations affects our consciousness, just as the food we eat affects our body. Many great teachers have said,