Articles

For a lay person; we who live ordinary lives and are more concerned about worldly matters, Patanjali has drawn up the Eight Fold Path of Yoga - known as

‘Ash - tanga Yoga’
Eight - Limbs of Yoga

The Eight Fold Path has been drawn up very systematically and methodically.  The First two steps - Yamas and Niyamas - together form the moral/ethical aspect of Yoga; and are designed to clean the mind of all impurities so as to bring about clarity in thought and thereby in action. They regulate our social and personal behaviour, to ensure a disciplined and constructive organised life.

While Yamas talks about an Individual in relation to Society and the outside world; Niyamas are mainly concerned with our private practices.

. . . AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE MEANING OF ‘AHIMSA YOGA’

‘Ahimsa . . . is the very first commandment of Yama - the first limb of Ashtanga Yoga. That is how important Ahimsa is to Yoga and the reason why Ahimsa is known as the entry-point of Yoga.

Our body is made up of two nervous systems, namely; sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic system is also termed as ‘fight/flight’ system. This system leads to a rise in blood pressure, fastens the respiration rate and spurts the stress hormones. In ancient times, this situation was faced when people had to fight against the dangerous animals. And in today’s modern world these circumstances are a result of tension related to office work, traffic, etc. So when this system is highly invigorated, one tends to go through health hazards such as migraines, heart disease and ulcers.

On the other hand, the parasympathetic system keeps the blood pressure level low and reduces the speed of breathing. In situations where the blood is not anymore gushing towards the muscles, it then moves on to the immune, glandular, reproductive and digestive systems. This is time that our body takes to make up for the harm caused during our day to day combats. Studies have revealed that extended and deep breathing supports the actions of this system and permits the reposing and curing to take place. In short, the person practicing yoga goes through breathing meditations known as pranayama. This meditation assists the parasympathetic nervous system.

The excellence of the respiration rate is the mirror of the fineness of the mind. Our mental, psychological and emotional states are linked to the speed and deepness of our breathing rates. For instance, short and quick breaths are witnessed when one is frightened. On the other hand, when one is totally calmed or sleeping, deep and long breaths are the case. So our mental condition has an impact on our breathing, thus we can select to change this breathing rhythm to alter our mental condition.