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Himalayan Tradition Yoga

What is Yoga at the Center?

The Center’s yoga instruction is rooted in the Himalayan Tradition of ashtanga yoga, which means the “eight-runged yoga”.  Ashtanga Yoga’s eight-rungs, or eight-parts, are the yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and Samadhi.

 

The yamas are the daily lifestyle restraints that free the mind from disturbance.  These are the yoga practitioner’s movement from harming oneself and others (ahimsa), from speaking and acting untruthfully (satya), from attachment to sensory desires (brahmacharya), from stealing from others (asteya), from accumulating material things (aprarigraha).

 

The niyamas are the daily lifestyle observances that bring one in closer contact with the core of one’s being and one’s goal in life.  These are cleanliness of mind and body (shaucha), not letting anything disturb one’s inner peace (santosha), developing will-power (tapas), study of ourselves and the sacred writings (svadyaya), focusing on one’s highest goal/good (ishwara pranidhana).

 

Asana refers to the yoga postures.

 

Pranayama means learning how to control one’s life force by controlling one’s breath.

 

Pratyahara means learning how to withdraw from one’s senses in preparation for meditation.

 

Dharana refers to the concentration that precedes the practice of meditation.

 

Dhyana means meditation, focusing the mind on one point for 12 complete breaths.

 

Samadhi refers to the experience of absorption in the reality of one’s inner core, the Spirit and Source of Life (Pure Consciousness).

 

What are the Benefits of Yoga?

 

Yoga leads to harmony of body, breath and mind. This harmony is achieved through systematic stretching, yoga postures, breath awareness, and relaxation practices. All of these, and more, are part of the yoga instruction offered in The Center's yoga classes.

 

The classical definition of yoga, according to Patanjali, is “mastery of the roaming tendencies of the mind.” (Yoga Sutra 1.2, Tigunait)

The Fond du Lac Center for Spirituality & Healing is

A Sacred Link Affiliate of the Himalayan Institute

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