yoga philosophy
Iyengar yoga is firmly based on the «eight limbs yoga» (Ashtanga Yoga).
The eight limbs are:
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Yama – Ethical disciplines
non-violence (ahimsa)
truth (satya)
non-stealing (asteya)
moderation (brahmacharya)
non-coveting (aparigraha)
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Niyama – Individual disciplines
purity (saucha)
contentment (santosa)
discipline (tapas)
self-study (svadhyaya)
devotion (Isvara Pranidhana) -
Asana – Yoga postures
Asana brings steadiness, health and lightness of limb. A steady and pleasant posture produces mental equilibrium and prevents fickleness of mind.
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Pranayama – Breath and energy practices, consisting of the regulation and refinement of the inhalation, exhalation and retention of breath
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Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the senses
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Dharana – Uninterrupted concentration, with the mind focused steadily on a particular point or object
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Dhyana – Meditation
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Samadhi – Contemplation
In his book «The tree of yoga» B.K.S. Iyengar uses the metaphor of astanga yoga as a tree:
The ROOT of the tree is YAMA, which comprises the five principles of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (freedom from avarice), brahmacharya (control of sensual pleasure) and aparigraha (freedom from covetousness and possesion beyond one’s needs).
The TRUNK of the tree is compared to the principles of NIYAMA. These are saucha (cleanliness), santosa (contentment), tapas (ardour), svadhyaya (self-study) and Isvara-pranidhana (self-surrender).
From the trunk of the tree several branches emerge. One grows very long, one grows zigzag, one grows straight, and so on. These BRANCHES are the ASANAS, the various postures which bring the physical and the physiological functions of the body into harmony with the psychological pattern of yogic discipline.
From the branches grow the leaves whose interaction with the air supplies energy to the whole tree. The LEAVES draw in the external air and connect it to the inner parts of the tree. They correspond to PRANAYAMA, the science of breath, which connects the macrocosm with the microcosm and vice versa. Notice how, when inverted, our lungs give a representation of a tree. Through pranayama, the respiratory and circulatroy systems are brought into a harmonious state.
The mastery of asanas and pranayama helps the practitioner to detach the mind from the contact of the body, and this leads automatically towards concentration and meditation. The branches of the tree are all covered with bark. Without the protection of the bark, the tree would be eaten away by worms. That covering protects the energy flowing inside the tree between the leaves and the root. The BARK thus corresponds to PRATHYAHARA, which is the inward journey of the senses from the skin towards the core of the being.
The SAP of the tree, the juice which carries the energy on this inward journey, is DHARANA. Dharana is concentration – focusing the attention on the core of the being.
The tree’s fluid or sap links the very tip of the leaf to the tip of the root. The experience of this unity of the being. from the periphery to the core, where the observer and the observed are one, is attained meditation. When the tree is healthy and the supply of energy is wonderful, the the flowers blossom out of it. Thus DHYANA, meditation, is the FLOWER of the tree of yoga.
Finally, when the flower is transformed into a FRUIT, this is known as SAMADHI. As the essence of the tree is in the fruit, so the essence of the practice of yoga is in the freedom, poise, peace and beatitude of samadhi, where the body, the mind and the soul are united and merge with the Universal Spirit.