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       # Yoga Essentials 🕉
       
 (IMG) Illustration, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti
       
       # Contents
       
       * Notes
       * Eight limbs of yoga
       * Silent meditation
       * Links
       * Books
       
       ## Notes
       
       A yogi knows their own true Self and practices self-control.  They
       integrate their divine better nature with their lower selfish nature.
       Yoga = union, relation (requires balance)
       
       A sadhaka is a person who aims at and believes in such attainment.
       They make a sincere effort to progress along their spiritual path.
       Sadh = exertion, practice (requires a goal)
       
       Śrī Patañjali ... gave general principles and used specifics only
       as examples.  For instance, in delineating objects for meditation...
       he simply gave various possibilities to choose from and then
       concluded: Or by meditating on anything one chooses which is
       elevating.
       
       > These great vows are universal, not limited by class, place,
       > time, or circumstance. --Yoga Sutra 2:31
       
       > Among the devotees there is no distinction due to birth,
       > education, colour, race, wealth, occupation, and the like.
       > --Bhakti Sutra 72
       
       ## The eight limbs of yoga
       
       * Abstinences (yama) - Moral disciplines which regulate our
         relationship with others.
       * Observances (niyama) - Observances designed to organize our
         personal daily lives.
       * Postures (āsana)
       * Breath control (prāṇāyāma)
       * Sense withdrawal (pratyāhāra) - Focusing inward, forgetting
         one's self during a creative act, etc.
       * Concentration (dhāraṇā) - Binding the mind to one place,
         object, or idea.
       * Contemplation (dhyāna) - Continuous flow of cognition toward
         that one object.
       * Self-realization (samādhi)
       
       ## The five abstinences (yama)
       
       * Violence (ahimsā) vs compassion.  Intention of kindness in
         thought, word, and deed.
       * Lying (satya) vs truthfulness.  Right use of words for the
         welfare of all.
       * Stealing (asteya) vs loving yourself for who you are, and not
         envying another.  Being attentively present when others are sharing
         their story, not mentally taking others' valuable time nor
         discounting their feelings.
       * Excess (brahmacharya) vs moderation.  To see that all desires are
         the desire for the Great.  Literally, "walking in Brahman."  The
         actor, the act, the recipient of the act, and the results of the
         action are all part of a unified field, Oneness, or Divine
         Presence, depending on your cosmology.  From this place of
         sacredness, the boundary is set to leave excess behind and live
         within the limits of enough.
       * Greed (aparigrahā) vs meeting your needs so as not to deprive
         others.  Clinging to people, material, and mental possessions only
         weighs us down and makes life a heavy and disappointing experience.
         When we practice letting go, we move ourselves towards freedom and
         expansion.  Use worldly things for their intended purpose, without
         a feeling of ownership nor being owned by them.
       
       ## The five observances (niyama)
       
       * Purity (śaucha)  Capacity to tell between essential and
         irrelevant.  The quality of being aligned in our relationship with
         others, with the task at hand, and with ourselves.
       * Contentment (saṃtoṣa)  Maintain integrity in a grounded
         baseline.  Do not allow outside influences to disturb your inner
         tranquility.  Literally "complete acceptance."  To develop this
         state of mind we can remind ourselves when feeling overwhelmed and
         stressed that behind our anxieties and tensions we have a vast
         reservoir of creativity to solve problems individually and
         collectively.  The obstacles we face can be seen as opportunities
         for positive personal and collective transformation.
       * Discipline (tapaḥ)  Voluntary self-challenge as a means to
         spiritual growth.  Accepting pain as help for purification.
         Literally "that which generates heat."
       * Study (svādhyāya)  The search for true, universal knowledge,
         vs.  mundane, relative knowledge.  This includes study of one's own
         self.  We become like the news, literature, and company we imbibe.
         Examine the stories we tell ourselves and realize that these
         stories create the reality of our lives.
       * Surrender (Iśvara Praṇidhānā)  Resignation to God.  Not my
         will but Thy Will be done.  When you unite your individual will
         with that of a higher principle, all egotism, pettiness, and
         selfishness fall away.  Practiced during meditation.
       
       ## Silent meditation
       
       Meditation style depends on individual temperament.  I prefer silent
       meditation.  You can find tips in the links below.
       
 (DIR) Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson
 (DIR) Meditation instructions by Mildred Mann
 (DIR) Meditation instructions by Swami Abhedananda
       
       ## Links
       
 (DIR) Surya namaskar
 (DIR) Basic asanas
 (DIR) Yoga entries in my log
       
       # Books
       
 (BIN) How to Live Quietly by Annie Payson Call (PDF)
 (TXT) Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill
 (DIR) Wisdom literature, AKA scripture
 (HTM) With Each & Every Breath: A Guide to Meditation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu