Ch 25

• Yoga is relevant in all domains of life and changes our attitude towards life
• Yoga awakens creativity and enriches relationships with others
• Yoga contributes to self-development and shapes attitudes, thinking, and behavior
• The ego in us is the actor, knower, and experiencer, reflecting the divine spark within us
• Self-concept changes during different stages of life:

  • Infancy: Visual self-recognition by age 2
  • Childhood and Adolescence: Identity development and identity confusion
  • Early Adulthood: Challenge of intimacy vs isolation
  • Middle Age: Concern with generative activities and midlife crisis
  • Old Age: Reflection on life with satisfaction or regret
• Self undergoes continuous change and influences interactions in social situations
• Yoga enhances self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect through asanas, pranayama, and meditation
• Yoga helps in day-to-day activities like studies, relationships, success at work, and health maintenance
• In studies, Yoga improves learning and memory by focusing the mind and reducing anxiety and depression
• In relationships, Yoga promotes cooperation, selfless love, and positive responses to others
• In work, Yoga helps in relaxation, posture, and seeing work as an opportunity for self-expression and growth
• Yoga helps us in our studies by making us relaxed and creative in our work
• Perceive work as an opportunity to be creative, find new ways of doing things, and learn to enjoy routine work
• Yoga shapes our attitudes, thinking, and behavior to become happy and successful
• Healthy attitudes and habits of thinking and living can lead to joyous and effective living
• Do not complain about the environment, focus on making the best of what we have
• Yogasanas help shake off lethargy and idleness, bringing vigor to the body and freeing from tensions and diseases
• Self-education is important in Yoga to train the mind to become strong and avoid negative thoughts like envy and jealousy
• Challenge the intellect to prevent it from getting rusted, make wise decisions, and stay firm with them
• Yoga is excellence in action according to Gita, and it requires motivation to achieve excellence
• Great men and women set lofty goals and work hard to achieve them without laziness in their life
• Yoga harnesses energies in a particular direction, keeping body, mind, and intellect ready and sharp for the work undertaken
• Patanjali compiled Yoga Sutra, which explains the nature of the human mind and its functions
• The mind comprises four faculties: Manas, Buddhi, Ahankar, and Chitta, which are called Antahkaran
• The mind can be found in ever-changing states like Kshipt, Vikshipt, Moodha, and Ekagra, as well as relatively steady states like Jagriti, Swapna, Sushupti, and Tureeya
• The eight-fold path of Yoga, as detailed by Patanjali, consists of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi
• Yamas are five rules of behavior in Yoga that involve exercising restraint on lower animal-like instincts, such as overcoming greed, lust, anger, and envy
• Yamas purify one's mind and behavior and have social relevance
• The five Yamas are:

  • Ahimsa: Not hurting anyone, including animals and plants, and practicing non-violence in thought, word, and deed
  • Satya (Truth): Speaking truth, being gentle, and free from deception
  • Asteya (Not stealing): Avoiding taking what doesn't belong to us, such as money or credit from others
  • Brahmacharya (Restraint on sex-related activities): Channeling energy for personal and social development
  • Aparigraha: Not storing more than what is needed to avoid depriving others in genuine need
• Niyamas are practiced on an individual basis to purify the body and mind
• The five Niyamas are:

  • Shauch: Keeping the body and mind clean, including healthy food habits and purity of mind
  • Santosh: Contentment in every undertaking
  • Tapa: Making sincere efforts and giving up certain pleasures to achieve goals
  • Swadhyaya: Self-study, studying and contemplating on Yoga principles
  • Ishwar Pranidhan: Being in constant contact with God through actions and thoughts
• Asana is defined as a posture in which one can sit comfortably for Yogic practices, keeping the head, neck, and back in a straight line
• Pranayama is about controlling Pranic energy through regulating breathing, improving blood circulation and vital energy flow in the body
• Pratyahara involves withdrawing the senses from external objects and turning them inward, training sense organs to remain quiet
• Dharana is the focusing of the mind on a particular object to improve concentration, which helps in studies and professional life
• Dhyana is maintaining attention on a single object for a longer period, leading to steady contemplation and meditation
• Samadhi is a state where the mind is deeply absorbed in the object of contemplation, losing awareness of itself, and experiencing pure consciousness
• Successfully following the eight-fold path of Yoga leads to becoming an evolved person, free from negative traits, and a lover of humanity