Philosophy Subjects

Exploring the influence of the Bhagavad Gita on Iyengar Yoga. In the introduction to her commentary on the Gita Laurie Patton writes … ‘Throughout the centuries, the Gita has been understood as containing three basic instructions for how to live according to these three paths: of action (karma marga), of knowledge (jnana marga) and of […]

The term Citta means consciousness and consciousness is a central theme of Yoga. Ultimately, Yoga aims to study our consciousness and yet the question of how can mind be used to study consciousness presents us with a difficult challenge. How can we become clear enough within ourselves to free ourselves from suffering. We need a

BKS Iyengar writes ‘In order to understand this simplicity of the consciousness and purity of the Self, one needs a matured knowledge (paripakva jnana). We go to educational institutions to acquire knowledge. But to learn yoga, the institution is not outside. You have to step into your own university within the body, the mind and

T-Ph21 looks at the link between asana and pranayama and considers prana and the vayus. An extensive range of articles drawn from diverse sources along with video extracts makes this a valuable resource. ‘All vibrating energies are prana. All physical energies such as heat, light, gravity, magnetism, and electricity are also prana. It is the

‘When the contemplator and the object of contemplation become one, then the seer and the seen become inseparable and one. With the blending together of the subject (meditator) and the object (meditated upon), they become one and this is samadhi. Thus, dharana, dhyana and samadhi are interconnected and intermingled. Patanjali coins a technical term, ”

‘Yoga psychology acknowledges that whilst we exist as a physical entity, we are ultimately much more than our body. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali has classified five layers or kosas to our existence. Our physical presence is undeniable but this is merely the outer layer. The second layer is the physiological form or energetic form.

‘Imprinting is the act of placing a set of images or experiences in the storehouse of our impressions. This body of experience allows us to access something greater than the stretches and breathing exercises. These practices are the vehicle by which we experience directly and clarify our perception’. Goode A, Yogic Imprinting, www.yogamandir.com.au It is

This subject asks – What is Yoga? It identifies that conjunction and dissociation are central to an understanding of why we practice. ‘When the seer identifies with consciousness or with the objects seen, he unites with them and forgets his grandeur. The natural tendency of consciousness is to become involved with the object seen, draw

Prashant Iyengar says ‘What is an ‘object’? An object is something which you can know, something which you can keep in front of you and watch. Yoga, as you are all aware, is something to know yourself with, and how do you know yourself? Basically, the point is that we identify ourselves with the mind

‘The five afflictions which disturb the equilibrium of consciousness are: ignorance or lack of wisdom, ego, pride of the ego or the sense of ‘I’, attachment to pleasure, aversion to pain, fear of death and clinging to life’. Iyengar BKS, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. p.111. ‘These endless cycles of fluctuations are known