2) Yoga is one of the systems of Hindu philosophy, which was created by the sage Patanjali and recorded by him in the “Yoga Sutras” (“Aphorisms of Yoga”) around the 2nd century BC. e.

Yoga of Patanjali is both a philosophy and a practical method, which includes 8 stages of human improvement:

1. Yama - regulation of external conditions

2. Niyama - regulation of internal conditions

3. Asana - comfortable and stable body position

4. Pranayama - perception of the movement of energies in the body

5. Pratyathara - control of the perception of senses

6. Dharana - the ability to direct our mind

7. Dhyana - the ability to perceive what we seek to understand

8. Samadhi - the ability to become and remain that which we intended to understand.

The philosophy of the Yoga Sutras is closely related to the ancient Samkhya philosophy, the main sources of which are the great Indian epic Mahabharata and the Samkhya Sutras of the sage Kapila.

According to the basic tenets of this philosophy, there are two independent substances: Purusha (the contemplator, the source of consciousness) and Prakriti (matter, nature). It is their interaction that leads to the emergence of all phenomena of this world, from the subtlest to the densest. Every person, being a product of nature, contains within himself a source of true knowledge. But being drawn into the games of nature, he loses the purity of perception of the Contemplator and becomes dependent on the conditions of the external world.

Only a return to inner comprehension allows a person to find peace, equanimity, experience a blissful state of freedom and learn to manage his life based on a true understanding of the essence of things and phenomena of this world.

To achieve this higher state of consciousness, one must calm and balance the qualities of nature in the body, mind and senses. This is what the first five steps of Patanjali’s yoga are aimed at. The first five steps are the regulation of the 5 primary elements of nature (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether (Space)). When the elements of nature in a person are balanced, a person is able to consciously control the unconscious and subconscious areas of his psyche, that is, his animal nature.

The last three steps are possible only with successful mastery of the first five and allow one to achieve higher states of deep insight into the essence of all phenomena of the world.

In the Middle Ages, based on the classical yoga of Patanjali, a special type of yogic practice emerged, called “hatha yoga”. One of the translations of the term “hatha” is “sun and moon.” These are, in essence, two energies that are manifested in the body in two channels: the left - Ida (property of the lunar channel) and the right - Pingala (property of the solar channel).

Ida controls mental energy and corresponds to the parasympathetic reaction in the body (passivity, relaxation). Pingala is associated with vital energy and corresponds to the sympathetic reaction in the body (activity, tension). The main goal of hatha yoga is to balance these two energies in the body and maintain them in a clear balance.

This makes it possible to balance the qualities of nature in the body and promotes the passage of energy through the central channel - Sushumna. It is this energy that is used to awaken higher forms of consciousness.

Hatha Yoga uses the concept of chakras - special energy centers in the human body, each of which is associated with a certain level of consciousness. The lower chakras are responsible for the unconscious plane of existence, the middle ones - for subconscious mechanisms, the upper ones - for consciousness, the seventh chakra - sahasrara connects a person with the superconscious. If the higher chakras in a person’s body remain closed, the person will be under the influence of the unconscious and subconscious layers of his psyche all his life, without being able to consciously control his body, mind and feelings.

The first 7 steps of Patanjali yoga correspond to the 7 chakras in the human body, and the 8th step corresponds to the chakra located above the head.

Hatha Yoga is a precise sequence of certain actions that brings people of different types into the same state: calmness of the qualities of nature in the body, feelings, mind (the first five chakras). This makes it possible to divert energy from external stimuli to the inner world to ensure a process of deep understanding.

When the body, feelings and mind are calmed, energy freely rises through the central channel - Sushumna, awakening all chakras, from the lowest to the highest, and a person has the opportunity to comprehend the highest principle, which by nature is the entire manifested world. As a result, a person leaves the power of external circumstances and becomes the ruler of his life, gaining freedom.

That is why Patanjali’s Yoga is often called “Raja Yoga”, which translates as “Royal Yoga” or “Yoga of Kings”.

Philosophy yoga in a broad sense, we can call it the ancient teaching about the spiritual self-improvement of man, which came to us from the Aryan civilization and developed into the form known today in the religious and philosophical schools of ancient and medieval India. This article will discuss the basic philosophical concepts and concepts of this teaching, which for almost two thousand years has been for many admirers of Indian spirituality an example of wisdom that leads a person to the highest possible goal of his life.

Yoga is one of the Darshanas, the six orthodox (following the spiritual tradition of the Vedas) schools of thought in India. Its theories and principles are set forth in the founding work of this school, the Yoga Sutras, and commentaries on this work. We know practically nothing about the author of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali. In India, since ancient times he has been considered a great teacher, yogi and philosopher who lived in the 2nd century. BC. However, today most scientists agree that, in terms of content and terminology, the Yoga Sutra should be dated back to the 2nd century AD.

Patanjali was not the person who invented the teaching of yoga. We find the origins of the yoga he outlined in the most ancient monument of world culture - the Vedas (~ 2nd millennium BC), the sacred texts of India. The doctrine of the basic elements of yogic practice - concentration, contemplation, control of consciousness and the term itself " yoga» – present in the early Upanishads (~ VI – III centuries BC), commentaries on the Vedas. A special place in protoyoga is occupied by the ancient epic works of India: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (~ 1st millennium BC). The most prominent part of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita. It contains many important parts of the teachings of yoga, it just lacks the systematization and classification of categories - basic philosophical concepts - that is necessary for philosophy. Patanjali acted as such a systematizer, summarizing and briefly formulating ancient spiritual knowledge. The theory and practice of the Yoga Sutras have fully stood the test of time and earned the right to be called classical yoga.

Patanjali's work, like many treatises of that time in India, is a collection of short sentences (sutras). For students, they may have served as a reminder for reconstructing the course of complex oral reasoning. However, for descendants who do not have the opportunity to personally communicate with the teacher, short sutras are often not enough. Therefore, the teaching of classical yoga that exists today was formed, in addition to the original treatise of Patanjali, by extensive commentary literature. In this article we focus on the “Yoga Sutra” and the most authoritative commentary, belonging to the philosopher Vyasa, “Yoga Bhasya” (5th century AD).

Proceeding directly to the philosophy of classical yoga, we will highlight two fundamental categories that contain all being, everything that exists. These are Purusha and Prakriti - spiritual and material substances.

Prakriti (matter) is everything that we see, hear, touch or feel in any other way. This is everything that the most advanced instruments can record, from the smallest particles to objects on a cosmic scale. The concept of Prakriti contains the entire universe, all physical objects and energy fields.

By Purusha is meant the eternal Spirit, the spiritual principle. He is transcendental to Prakriti, that is, he is beyond all Nature. Purusha is the highest part of existence. He does not have the forms characteristic of Prakriti, therefore he cannot be imagined. He is conscious while matter is unconscious. However, one should not identify Purusha with the teaching about God that is familiar to Western people. Purusha is devoid of any personal attributes. The god of classical yoga - Ishvara - is a manifestation of Purusha, but He does not create the world and does not control it. Besides Him, there are other gods in the Spirit, but Ishvara is the highest among all spiritual beings. It also has the most important property for yoga philosophy to connect and separate Purusha and Prakriti.

Before the union of Spirit and matter, the latter is in an unmanifested state. This means that the universe does not exist, and the three basic properties or forces (gunas) of Prakriti are in balance.

Guna sattva is responsible for the principle of clarity, rajas - for the principle of movement, activity, tamas - for the principle of peace, inertia. When Spirit and matter unite, Purusha, as a conscious principle, begins to control Prakriti in a certain sense, causing changes in it. The gunas begin to interact with each other in many combinations and, passing through certain stages, form the objective world in all its forms. In this case, the first product of the interaction of the gunas becomes Buddhi-Mahat. This important concept of yoga philosophy denotes the ideal foundation of the entire future universe. In the course of further evolution, through a series of stages, five primary elements are formed: ether, air, fire, water, earth, from which all objects are composed.

The interaction of the gunas is a continuous change, the consequences of which we observe in our ever-changing world. These modifications determine our sense of time. That is, we can say that a second is not a small period of time, but some change we observe, for example, the movement of the clock hand to the next position. According to classical yoga, time as such does not exist, there is only the moment (now) of change. Any changes are possible in some space, therefore the objective world is also characterized by the category of space.

Unlike Prakriti, Purusha is not subject to change. Therefore, we can say that he is outside of time and space. Purusha is called the Spectator, observing the unfolding picture of change in matter.

Now let's look at the teachings of classical yoga about man. Here it is necessary to understand an idea that is unusual for the consciousness of modern Western man. In the anthropology of yoga, the inner world of a person corresponds to the outer being. A person is considered as a microcosm, which in its structure is identical to the macrocosm external to him. Thus, man is also the result of the union of Purusha and Prakriti.

Buddhi Mahat is the stage of development of Prakriti and the basis of the universe. In it, as a stage in the evolution of matter, individual Buddhi is formed, which is the ideal basis for the human psyche. Subsequently, the remaining elements of the microcosm are formed. These are the organs of perception - hearing, vision, touch, taste, smell; organs of action - arms, legs, organs of excretion and reproduction, organ of speech; the organ of the mind is the mind (manas). So, in fact, everything that we are used to identifying with ourselves, with our self - the physical body, memory, emotions, intellect, mental images, etc. – refers to matter and is potentially contained in the individual Buddhi.

Purusha in man is pure consciousness, his Spirit, his true Self. Yoga presupposes the existence of many “small parts” of Purusha, individual souls that manifest through different beings in Prakriti. Our true Self is eternal and unchanging. It is conscious and directs all processes in the sphere of Prakriti. The model of the union of Purusha and Prakriti in a person is often compared to two people lost in the forest. One of whom is without legs (Purusha), and the other is blind (Prakriti). It is clear that by uniting, they will be able to begin to get out of the forest. Purusha, interacting with Prakriti, fills a person’s individual buddhi, the matrix of all his mental phenomena, with the ability to self-awareness. Therefore, we, not knowing about Purusha, are aware of ourselves in our mental activity.

So, having examined the main philosophical categories of classical yoga, we move on to the theory of liberation, the central teaching about the meaning of human existence, for the sake of which both the Yoga Sutra and the commentary to it were written. Liberation is the separation in man of Spirit and matter, Purusha and Prakriti. Why is such a division necessary? The fact is that a person in his ordinary state does not know his true Self and identifies himself, at best, with his individual buddhi. But the ability of Buddhi to realize itself is no more than an illusion, because only Purusha has true consciousness. We always say to ourselves: “I walk, I feel, I think,” etc., thereby limiting our existence to the framework of Prakriti. As we already know, any manifestations of Prakriti are only consequences of the interaction of the gunas. They are changeable and no form is eternal. We, identifying ourselves with our psyche, become attached to its manifestations and to the forms of the objective world. All our suffering comes from this attachment. Attachments give rise to desires and expectations in relation to the world around us and to ourselves. But the world is changing - people close to us are aging and dying, the things we do do not bring the same satisfaction, negative emotions are replaced by positive ones, any pleasures always end. We want a constant feeling of satisfaction, but this is not achievable, and, as a rule, the more pleasure we get from something, the greater the disappointment later. Yoga philosophy

Moreover, the desire for the forms of Prakriti gives existence to our karma. Karma is a cause-and-effect relationship generated by humans and other beings. By our attraction to one form or another of Prakriti, we determine what we will be like in the future. For example, if we tend to be kind and honest, we want to be valued according to these virtues, which in turn gives rise to our desire to be the same in the future. Aspirations leave, figuratively speaking, imprints (vasanas) in our individual buddhi. Every moment we do something, feel, think, adding new imprints. After physical death, our spiritual essence is embodied in another body (reincarnation), and the vasanas are preserved, determining our future life. As long as our adherence to the forms of Prakriti remains, new imprints are added to the buddhi, which ensures subsequent births. Thus, we are in a series of rebirths (the wheel of samsara), eternally suffering in the changing world of Prakriti.

Liberation from suffering is possible, and the pursuit of it is the highest possible goal of existence.

Through the practice of yoga and philosophical reflection, a person gradually becomes more and more aware of his highest being, Purusha, achieves complete spiritual dispassion, and ceases to internally strive for anything in the material world. Then his karma is no longer created, and he comes to the separation of Spirit from matter, leaves the circle of samsara and achieves absolute liberation. Such a person will not be born again, but he may still continue to live in his present life, being in the constant awareness of himself as an eternal and unchangeable Spirit. This is the state of a god essentially equal to Ishvara. This existence cannot be described in words, but it is difficult to imagine a better existence than that in which even the potential possibility of suffering or any dissatisfaction is absent, and at the same time there is complete awareness.

This is how liberation is achieved.

Yoga

Yoga is a concept in Indian culture, in a broad sense meaning a set of various spiritual and physical practices developed in different directions of Hinduism and Buddhism and aimed at controlling the psyche and psychophysiology of the individual in order to achieve an exalted mental and spiritual state. In a narrower sense, yoga is one of the six orthodox schools (darshan) of Hindu philosophy. The original goal of yoga is to change the ontological status of man in the world.

The main directions of yoga are Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Hatha Yoga. In the context of Hindu philosophy, yoga refers to the system of Raja Yoga, set forth in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and closely related to the fundamental principles of Samkhya. Yoga is discussed in various scriptures of Hinduism such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Shiva Samhita and Tantras. The ultimate goal of yoga can be completely different: from improving physical health to achieving moksha.

In Indian philosophy, yoga is one of the six orthodox philosophical schools of Hinduism. The philosophical system of yoga is closely related to the Samkhya school. According to the teachings of Patanjali, the school of yoga accepts the psychological and metaphysical aspects of Samkhya philosophy and is more theistic compared to Samkhya. An example of the theism of yoga is the fact of adding the Divine Being to the 25 elements of Samkhya existence. Yoga and Samkhya are very close to each other, on this occasion Max Muller said that “these philosophies are colloquially called Samkhya with God and Samkhya without God...”. The close connection between Samkhya and yoga is also explained by Heinrich Zimmer:

The main text of the yoga school is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, who is considered the founder of yoga philosophy. Patanjali's yoga is known as raja yoga, or the yoga of mind control. Patanjali defines the word yoga in the second sutra, which is the key sutra of the entire text. This definition is based on the meaning of three Sanskrit terms. I. K. Taimni gives the following translation: “Yoga is the curbing (nirodhah) of the variability (vritti) of the mind (chitta).” Vivekananda translates the sutra as “Yoga consists of not allowing the mind (citta) to take on different forms (vritti).”

Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras" also served as the basis for the Ashtanga yoga system ("eight limb yoga"), the definition of which is given in the 29th sutra of the 2nd book. Ashtanga yoga is the main distinguishing feature of almost all modern variations of Raja Yoga. Eight steps, or levels of Ashtanga yoga:

• 1. Pit - principles of interaction with the external environment
• 2. Niyama - principles of interaction with the internal environment
• 3. Asana - unification of mind and body through physical activity
• 4. Pranayama - control of breathing, leading to the unification of body and mind
• 5. Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses from contact with their objects
• 6. Dharana - purposeful concentration of the mind
• 7. Dhyana - meditation (internal activity that gradually leads to samadhi)
• 8. Samadhi - a peaceful superconscious state of blissful awareness of one's true nature

Sometimes they are divided into four lower and four higher stages, of which the lower ones are compared with hatha yoga, while the highest stages belong specifically to raja yoga. The simultaneous practice of the three highest stages is called samyama.

The term "yoga" is often used in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad Gita describes yoga as control of the mind, the art of activity, awareness of the supreme nature of the soul (atma) and the transcendence of the Supreme Lord (Bhagavan). Krishna teaches that the root of all suffering is the mind excited by egoistic desires. The only way to stop the flames of desire is to control the mind through self-discipline while simultaneously engaging in sublime spiritual activities. Abstaining from an activity, however, is considered just as undesirable as over-involvement in it. According to Bhagavad-gita, the supreme goal is to liberate the mind and intelligence from material activities and concentrate them on the spiritual platform by dedicating all activities to God.

In addition to Chapter 6, which is entirely devoted to traditional yoga practices, including meditation, the Bhagavad Gita describes the three most important types of yoga:

• · Karma yoga - “yoga of activity”
• · Bhakti yoga - “yoga of devotion”, or “yoga of devotional service”
• · Jnana yoga - “yoga of knowledge”

Although these paths are different from each other, their main goal is practically the same - to realize that God in His personal form (Bhagavan) is the original truth on which all existence is based, that the material body is temporary, and that the Supersoul (Paramatma) omnipresent. The ultimate goal of yoga is moksha - liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara) through awareness of God and one’s relationship with Him. This goal can be achieved by practicing any of the three types of yoga, although in the sixth chapter Krishna speaks of the superiority of bhakti over other ways to achieve the highest goal.

Hatha Yoga is one of the yoga systems described by Yogi Swatmarama in his work “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, compiled in India in the 15th century. Hatha Yoga differs significantly from Patanjali's Raja Yoga: it focuses on shatkarma, the purification of the body, leading to the purification of the mind (ha), and prana, or vital energy (tha). Hatha yoga further develops the seated yogic poses (asanas) of Patanjali's Raja Yoga, adding gymnastic yogic elements to them. Currently, Hatha Yoga, in its many variations, is the style of yoga most commonly associated with the term “yoga.”

Nowadays, yoga has gained immense popularity. This process was facilitated by many trends in modern society, and the development of the Internet and the disappearance of borders for the dissemination of information could make yoga truly accessible to every seeker.

Let's try to figure out: what are the basics of yoga, what is the purpose of yoga, how most modern people understand yoga, what the sages of the past said about this science of self-knowledge, what books about yoga remained as support in practice and what a beginner needs to know on his path.

Most modern people believe that yoga is an effective gymnastics with healing and rejuvenating properties, an activity that relieves stress and gives harmony.

Some people go to fitness centers for yoga classes because they want to improve their figure, relax after hard work, or heal their back.

But, if you and I get acquainted with the basics of yoga and pick up books on yoga that were left to us by the sages of the past, we will find that yoga is understood much more broadly and the benefits of yoga sought by our contemporaries are rather a side effect of regular exercise.

Yoga philosophy. Purpose of Yoga

The word yoga itself comes from the Sanskrit word “yujin”, meaning unification, connection, union or community.

That is, the goal of yoga is to unite our “I”, this formed personality, which we associate, most often, with our body, with a more perfect part of our being.

The perfect and wise part of ourselves is called differently in different concepts, cultures, religions, but this does not change its essence.

This is the divine energy, soul, God, Atman, Absolute, Inner Sage, Universe or Supreme Mind. There are a lot of epithets to express this essence, but the main thing remains - yoga shows the path that can lead from the external to the internal, will allow you to better understand the absolute laws and your place in them, becoming truly useful to this world.

One of the goals of yoga is to be able to control your mind and use this perfect tool for its intended purpose. If the mind is uncontrolled, then it makes us selfish, filling us with fears and anxiety, and does not allow us to be happy, calm and harmonious.

The basics of yoga are described in books left to us from the past.

Here are some books on yoga, in our opinion, the most authoritative and describing the principles and foundations of yoga, both from a practical and theoretical point of view:

• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with commentaries
• Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• Three-volume book of the Bihar School of Yoga
• Hatha Yoga Deepika (B.K.S. Iyengar)

Video about the primary sources of yoga:

Yoga philosophy. Yoga steps

The first and most famous book on yoga, of course, is rightfully considered the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This work, written down more than 5 thousand years ago, includes 196 sutras - short stanzas that are complete in their semantic content. The levels of depth of meaning in each of these sutras are amazing.

This book on yoga contains the philosophical foundations of the ancient science of self-knowledge and is considered one of the most authoritative sources. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe the foundations of philosophy and yoga as an integral system.

This is not to say that this is a book about yoga that should be picked up immediately by a beginner. To put it mildly, it is not for dummies.

The Yoga Sutras rather describe the philosophy and fundamentals of yoga for higher level practitioners. This book outlines the steps of yoga that everyone needs to go through when laying out the mat for the first time. And, by the way, the asanas that are so popular in our time are mentioned only in one sutra: “An asana is a comfortable, stable position.”

The rest of the above list of books on the basics of yoga (you can find them) describe the basics of the practice and philosophy of yoga, and they can be used as self-instruction books for those who have begun to study the basics of yoga.

There are eight steps in yoga, here is their sequence with names in Sanskrit:

1. Niyama
2. Asana
3. Pranayama
4. Pratyahara
5. Dharana
6. Dhyana
7. Samadhi

At the first two stages (Yama and Niyama), the novice yogi is asked to develop in himself a set of moral qualities that are aimed at developing a conscious personality, responsible for his actions.

The Five Yamas are instructions for yoga practitioners on how a person should behave in this world. Non-violence (Ahimsa), truthfulness (Satya), do not steal (Asteya), non-covetousness, non-accumulation (Aparigraha), abstinence from sensual pleasures (Brahmacharya).

The Five Niyamas are commandments regarding the inner world of the practitioner himself. Purity of body, speech and mind (Shaucha), self-discipline and asceticism (Tapasya), contentment, modesty, optimistic attitude (Santosha), self-education (Svadhyaya), dedication to higher goals, development of altruism (Ishvara Pranidhana).

As you can see, all Yamas and Niyama are guidelines for every person, familiar from childhood and necessary for adequate interaction with society and oneself.

It is important to note here that non-violence (ahimsa) is understood as not causing suffering to all living beings without exception, including oneself.

Mudra is a seal, a sign. These are special finger positions that have different effects on the mental and physical body.

Also, for a deeper acquaintance with the techniques of Hatha yoga, you can read the book: Fundamentals of the worldview of Indian yogis.

• Daily regime. Getting up early and following a daily routine. This is the first and mandatory condition for achieving results in yoga practice.
• Nutrition. Light, healthy food, the absence of killer food in the diet, if not necessarily in the initial stages, will become a natural need with proper regular yoga practice.
• Reading. Read books on the basics of yoga, its philosophy and principles, biographies of great teachers, yogis of the past and present. This is excellent motivation and support in the practice of yoga.
• “Information diet” – no TV is extremely important. Focus on information that promotes development.
• Regular practice of Hatha yoga and combining it with activities that involve service. This will allow you to achieve much greater results in yoga over the same period. For a beginner, we can recommend independent classes using one of the above yoga books, or classes