8 Fold Path of the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Steps of Selftransformation

8/16/2019 8 Fold Path of the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Steps of Selftransformation

1/17

8 fold Path of the Yoga Sutras and The8 Steps of SelftransformationI wrote this article to show you how the “8-fold path” of the Yogasutras (Also know as 8 rungs of

Yoga Sutras)and the “8 steps of Self-transformation” written y Swami !ama in his ook “"he#ath of $ire and %ight &”' eautifully complement each other hen you initially read these two

outlines of practice it may appear as if they are two different paths' and you ha*e to choose

one or the other +ut my hope is that after reading this article you,ll see that they can oth e

implemented in your practice

ON THIS PAGE:

8-fold Path of Yoga Sutras1) YAMAS

2) NIYAMAS3) ASANA4) PRANAYAMA5) PRATYAHARA6) DHARANA7) DHYANA8) SAMADHI

8 Steps of Self-transformation1) REGULAR PRACTICE

2) INTERNAL DIALOGUE3) POSTURE4) BREATH5) DETERMINATION6) LETTING GO7) INTROSPECTION8) WITNESSING

•

• 27

•

•

•

• 5

•

•

•

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#8%20FOLDhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#YAMAShttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#NIYAMAShttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#ASANAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#PRANAYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#PRATYAHARAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#SAMYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#SAMYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#SAMYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#8%20STEPShttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#REGULAR%20PRACTICEhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#INTERNAL%20DIALOGUEhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#POSTUREhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#BREATHhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#DETERMINATIONhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#LETTING%20GOhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#INTROSPECTIONhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#WITNESSINGhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#YAMAShttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#NIYAMAShttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#ASANAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#PRANAYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#PRATYAHARAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#SAMYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#SAMYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#SAMYAMAhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#8%20STEPShttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#REGULAR%20PRACTICEhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#INTERNAL%20DIALOGUEhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#POSTUREhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#BREATHhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#DETERMINATIONhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#LETTING%20GOhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#INTROSPECTIONhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#WITNESSINGhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#8%20FOLD


2/17

t!

YOGA SUTRAS AND ITS 8-O!D PAT"

"he Yoga Sutras contains an 8-fold process. y applying this process to the mo*ements within

#rakriti the "#$%&'% are gradually remo*ed' thus increasing the le*el of non-attachment "his

process makes the function of (**&+ sharper' more %'tt,+-' so it can then e applied to the

more sutler le*els within #rakriti "he goal of the Yoga Sutras is to e ale to set aside

(.+/*&'&) all mo*ements in the mind-field' which happens when one ecomes non-attached

to all the *ittis within #rakriti "his includes the 0.'%/the most fundamental uilding locks

of #rakriti/and also %'tt,+- (**&+ itself. then the Seer will rest in its true nature and this is

called Yoga

#hat is the 8-fold path$

0ere are the names of the steps1Yamas' 2iyamas' Asana' #ranayama' #ratyahara' 3harana' 3hyana' Samadhi "he last three

together are called Samyama

Rungs or lim%s

It is said that these steps are like rungs on a ladder. one step at a time is taken in se4uential

order +ut these 8 steps ha*e also een called lims' *iewing them in this way' they all work

together and each gets stronger y practicing them all "his last comment is mostly related' to

the Yamas and 2iyamas of the 8-fold path' as you will see that these 56 commitments will

e*ol*e' strengthen and deepen throughout your practice

t!

&' YA(AS

"he Yamas are commitments toward the apparent e7ternal manifestation and how you relate to

it It starts with ahimsa #racticing ahimsa is gradually mo*ing your whole eing' internally and

e7ternally' to a stance of complete non-*iolence toward yourself and your surroundings

#racticing eing mindful of others and to not hurt them or push against them "his does not

mean that you allow other people to use you or to walk all o*er you' ecause you do not want

to hurt them In other words' it doesn,t mean that y allowing others to li*e their life' in the

sense of not pushing' you allow yourself to get hurt in this process' this is not ahimsa In

ahimsa there is a alance etween selflessness and taking care of yourself' etween

supporting others in their processes and eing mindful of your own "his alance etween

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/gunashttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/gunashttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20up


3/17

ahimsa toward yourself and the e7ternal world will estalish itself o*er time "his means you

will progressi*ely e ale to not hurt others or push against others' while eing gentle to

yourself Also when you practice this 8-fold path' you will increasingly enoy a stance of non-

attachment' in which less of “your” desires need to e fulfilled and selfless ser*ice naturally

happens Sometimes ahimsa means that you lo*ingly guide' correct' or interfere with

someone,s eha*ior in a way that may appear as himsa' as pushing or harming' ut it is done

in the spirit of ahimsa (you ha*e a stance of non-*iolence in your heart) "his is ust like a

mother who can lo*ingly ut sometimes strongly interfere with the child' to assure its safety

and growth Ahimsa is a way of li*ing that can e felt in the heart and estalishes a relationship

etween you and the manifestation around you' and how you interact with it

9radually' this relationship is e7panded y applying the practice of li*ing in "ruth (satya) and

li*ing in non-stealing (asteya) #racticing' these three Yamas in your life will ha*e an influenceon the degree you are ale to e in constant awareness of +rahman (rahmacharya) Seeing

e*erything in and around you as +rahman' you will naturally gain a stance of non-

possessi*eness (aparigraha) toward the manifestation around you and all the aspects of

yourself "hus all fi*e Yamas are commitments to impro*e your relationships with others' who

are all appearing as manifestations within +rahman "hat is why +rahmacharya is also in this

list. when you go through life and its relationships you rememer and walk in +rahman

consciousness "hen how can you hurt another: ;r lie to another: ;r steal from another: ;r

possess anything: It is all +rahman<

t!

)' NIYA(AS

hen your relationships in the e7ternal worlds are in alance' you can then di*e into the inner

world' hence the 2iyamas come after the Yamas "he 2iyamas are fi*e commitments related

to you. they will intensify your inner process It starts with purity (shaucha). which is the result

that naturally comes when you are reasonaly grounded in all the Yamas' and can e practiced

along with the Yamas $or e7ample' your ody will ecome more alanced and pure when you

practice ahimsa related to food y not eating food that hurts the ody' or y not ha*ing

thoughts in the mind-field that are harmful and thus impure Shaucha is practiced oth mentally

and physically #urity (shaucha) is the starting point for where all the other internal practices

take off

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20up


4/17

As you ecome more and more pure' contentment will arise' which is the second niyama.

santosha ;ne may think that contentment is one of outcomes of the practice of meditation' ut

you will see as you go through the rest of the 8-fold path that contentment is mentioned far

efore meditation is mentioned' meditation is rung numer = $rom this platform of

contentment you can really start to do the deeper practices hen we use a metaphor of a

lake' shaucha has made the water clearer and santosha can e seen can e as the di*ing

oard from where one can di*e deep into the inner world' to one day reach the ottom of the

lake. #ure >onsciousness ithin this purifying process of shaucha and resting in the

contentment of santosha you will see that the senses are the iggest distraction "he senses

constantly pull you upward to the surface of the lake to indulge themsel*es in the

manifestation "hey constantly cra*e sensory impressions and want to e7press themsel*es

"hus' the ne7t commitment is related to the senses' and is called tapas

hene*er a desire awakens it has a power of wanting. depending on the degree of

attachment' this power can e strong or weak hen this desire is mindfully not eing fulfilled

y ignoring it' it will create resistance 0a*e you e*er stopped doing something' for e7ample'

stopped drinking coffee in the morning which has een a hait for the past &6 years: "he first

few days you will encounter the power that this desire' this hait' contains' ut you do not gi*e

into it Yet the desire for coffee persists and seems to resist your efforts to ignore it "o

withstand this resistance' to maintain your con*iction' to not indulge into this acti*e desire

ecause of the commitment to purify yourself is tapas. training of the senses "his process is

e7perienced as going through the fire since it feels like you are urning off the attachments of

the desires "his fiery process is the purification of the senses themsel*es +y which you will

learn to control the senses' ecause you will control what to do and what not to do

"his fiery process will allow you to direct the senses to more sutle le*els of yourself It also

calms the senses so that when you hear the teachings you can comprehend them etter ith

a pure mind and calm senses you can really study and in4uire into the nature of the Self' using

the sacred te7ts to guide you in this process "his is called S*adhyaya And then< ooh' how

wonderful< when you start to comprehend these teachings' when the nature of the Self is

emraced in understanding' a process of surrendering into the creati*e source can happen'

which is the last 2iyama' called Ish*ara pranidhana

You may think this is a complete process in itself' which in a sense it is? Actually if you are ale


5/17

to accomplish of any one of these Yamas and 2iyamas completely' it will lead you all the way

to Self-reali@ation "here is incredile depth in each one of them standing on its own' ut there

is eauty in their order and therefore we gradually practice them all together

t!

*' ASANA

"he 56 commitments are done while you are mo*ing around in the manifestation' ut can also

e practiced while you are settling in for this third step of the 8-fold path Asana is a steady'

stale' and still meditation posture that is at the same time comfortale

hat if you were ale to e in a stance of non-harming when you sit in your meditation asana:

0olding on to tension could e *iewed as a way of harming yourself' which is not ahimsa' so

let go of all the tension If you would e honest' truthful' practicing satya' you would not hide

any discomfort from your conscious mind-field' or lie to yourself. is your posture truly stale

and steady: Another suggestion for asana is to make the ody still' without motion If you are

still mo*ing while you sit for meditation you are stealing your own time (asteya) +eing aware of

+rahman (rahmacharya) will help you rememer that the ody is not who you are. thus you

need to go eyond it' which can happen if you make it still' steady and comfortale So' do not

possess the ody (aparigraha) it is not who you are #urifying the ody will help release the

tension >ontentment supports the process of eing okay with ust sitting still for a while Also

control of the senses (tapas) supports the meditation asana. for e7ample' you want to e ale

to control the karmendriya of motion' so that you can sit still S*adhyaya and Ish*ara

pranidhana ha*e an effect on your meditation posture' ecause they will lead you eyond the

ody >onclusion- all the 56 commitments together will lead to “sthira sukham asanam”. a

stale' steady' and comfortale meditation posture

nfortunately' ecause the maority of the yoga practitioners think that yoga is purely a

physical practice for the ody there is a general misconception on this third rung "hey think

that this rung means doing yoga asanas only. and that these asanas are mentioned in the

Yoga Sutras +ut asana here is only related to your meditation posture You could say that all

the other asanas are part of shaucha' purifying the ody y doing yogasanas "hen it is also

worth mentioning that if you purify the ody in a different way (say y walking' swimming'

#ilates' or oints and glands practices) you do not necessarily need to do yogasanas It all



6/17

depends on your preference of what you like to do to purify your ody so that it can sit

comfortaly' stale' steady and still

Buestion1 how can I attain a good meditation posture:

Answer1 according to the Yoga Sutras. practice the yamas and niyamas

"he cluster of Yoga Sutras that talks aout asana (&CD-&C8) gi*es us two suggestions to get

to “sthira sukham asanam”. a stale' steady' and comfortale meditation posture 2amely1

5) rela7ing or loosening of effort'

&) and allowing attention to merge with endlessness' or the infinite

"he first one speaks for itself' as we already talked aout it' that of letting go of the tension and

ecoming still' y reducing effort "he second one is fun to e7periment with E7pand your

awareness from the edges of your ody forwards' ackwards' side ways' up and down as far as mind can stretch' all the way until infinity You will find out for yourself if this instruction of the

Yoga Sutras works to get a stale' steady' comfortale posture?

t!

+' PRANAYA(A

After the ody is put in its position' the reath needs to e regulated "he Yoga Sutras gi*e the

instructions how to do this. y slowing' decelerating' or raking the force ehind the inhalation

and e7halation' and y regulating the mo*ement of inhalation and e7halation' this is called

reath control and e7pansion of prana (&CF) Also' it mentions that inhalation' e7halation and

the transitions etween them are regulated in place' time' and numer' with the reath

ecoming slow and sutle (&G6) hat is right place of reathing: "he diaphragm? You can

focus the attention on the reath' either at the diaphragm' up and down sushumna' or the

ridge of the nostrils >ontrolling the reath in its time and numer means that you gradually

slow down the reath' making it smooth' 4uiet' without pauses and in a ratio of two-to-one

According to the Yoga Sutras' this will lead to an e7pansion of prana

+reath is only the *ehicle for prana' ut y first regulating the reath you will get access to the

flow of prana You can “feel” this when the reath ecomes so slow that you are arely aware

of your reath ut you still feel something “flowing” or you feel a presence of energy hen you

di*e into this feeling you lea*e the reath ehind. you di*e eyond the reath You are now in



7/17

the field of prana itself' where you are not aware of the mo*ements that happen on the surface.

which are the wa*es of inhalation' e7halation and the transitions etween them "his can only

occur when sushumna is awakened "o open sushumna nadi' prana needs to e regulated

enough so that it lea*es pingala or ida (the right and left channels) and is willing to flow in

sushumna nadi. which happens when you make the reath slower and slower' in a ratio of two-

to-one "his is what is meant when the Yoga Sutras talk aout the fourth pranayama. where

you di*e eyond the mo*ements of the reath into the depth of prana itself 2ow you will e

ale to direct your attention toward a chosen oect

Yoga Sutra &G& tells us that y practicing this fourth pranayama the *eil of karmasheya thins'

or e*en *anishes "his means that y calming the reath' which is the means through which

you can start to regulate prana' the *eil etween the conscious and unconscious mind thins

"his thinning of the *eil will increase the access you ha*e to all the mo*ements ehind the *eiland e*erything that is stored in the deep unconscious

t!

,' PRATYA"ARA

2umer G on the list' pratyahara' happens automatically when you start to regulate prana' it is

a result of numer C It is mentioned in the Yoga Sutras that when numer C/pranayama' is

done well' numer D' concentration' occurs It doesn,t mention numer G' pratyahara' ecause

pratyahara is the result of pranayama and therefore not a separate step to e taken It doesn,t

include an action' ut happens on its own when pranayama is done correctly #ratayahara

means the withdrawal of the senses 3uring step numer C one first regulates the reath and

then prana itself All of the sensory e7periences that are not used in this training will naturally

fall away during this process of mo*ing toward concentration hen you feel the reath at the

ridge of the nostrils' the only sense you need for this concentration is the nanendriya of

touch' all the other F senses (hearing' seeing' tasting' smelling' speaking' grasping' mo*ing'

procreating' and eliminating) will fall away if concentration truly ecomes one-pointed

2ormally the mind shifts incredily 4uickly etween all the senses' ut when you direct your

attention' you are asking the mind to only use this one sense' then the others are not eing

used and recede ack into -&+tt' "hus' regulating the reath will lead you to a state of

concentration as it leads the mind and the senses inward

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/chittahttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/chitta


8/17

"here is not much mentioned on pratyahara. the process that occurs naturally when mind

ecomes concentrated on an oect. which is practiced here related to reath as eing the first

oect of concentration

t!

./.8' SA(YA(A 0D"ARANA1 D"YANA1 SA(AD"I'

So far' the ody is made still with the help of the Yamas and 2iyamas' the prana is regulated

and flows in sushumna channel' which all results in a concentrated mind that is willing to di*e

inward "hus numer D' concentration or dharana' is already e7plained $rom this point the

concentration can e directed to anything within #rakriti

"he Yoga Sutras gi*e many options to which you can direct your attention' ut the general

instruction is gi*en to direct samyama to e*er more sutle le*els of our eing (HD) "he

process of samyama starts with concentration (dharana) %et us pick an e7ample1 after you

ha*e opened sushumna the oect of earth can e chosen (HCG) If you direct your attention

toward to the element of earth' you first practice sustaining that attention' for it will e

interrupted many times hen attention is not interrupted and e*ery thought is related to earth'

this concentration has ecome meditation (dhyana' step numer =) E*entually you will e so

engrossed in directing your attention to earth only' that oser*er' oser*ed and the process of

oser*ing will collapse into one and only earth will e e7perienced #re*iously' the process of

oser*er' oser*ed' and oser*ing are three separate parts within the process of concentration

and meditation ith sustained meditation these three collapse into one' only the oser*ed

(oect of meditation) remains "his is called samadhi (step numer 8) In this e7ample it is

samadhi on earth' or playfully said. earth-samadhi

>oncentration (dharana)' meditation (dhyana)' and samadhi together is called samyama "his

process of samyama will remo*e the "#$%&'%' colorings around earth' and it will ecome clear

that the element earth has nothing to do with who we really are "he result is non-attachment

toward the element earth "he Yoga Sutras also mention that certain powers will come from

this process of samyama on earth +ut it also tells us in sutra HH8 that these could e seen as

attainments or ostacles "hese powers are ostacles when your goal of practice is to mo*e

eyond #rakriti to e7perience #urusha standing on its own hen your is goal is to gain

powers' your attachments to #rakriti will only increase' it keeps you in*ol*ed with #rakriti en

doesn,t ring you eyond it

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshas


9/17

"hus' this process of samyama is applied to the different *rittis within #rakriti solely to remo*e

their "#$%&'% "his will increase the le*el of non-attachment to all the *rittis "hen' applying the

process of samyama to different aspects within #rakriti ecomes a process of elimination. not

this' not this' not this "his makes (**&+ sharper A %'tt,+- (**&+ can lead us to the higher

knowledge of the discrimination etween the seer and the seen E*entually e*en

the 0.'% will e set aside hat is left is the Seer standing on its own

"he process of the 8-fold path is a tool and therefore not the end' ecause it will lead you or

prepare you for the moment where “you” are ale to let go of all *rittis y a process

called .+/*&'&' and as a result Yoga happens

t!

8 ST2PS O S2!-TRANSOR(ATION 3Y S#A(I RA(A

Swami !ama gi*es us 8 steps to Self-transformation in his ook “#ath of $ire and %ight *olume

&” "his process is not the same process as descried y the Yoga Sutras It contains different

steps that are not mentioned in the Yoga Sutras Are these two different paths: 3o we ha*e to

choose etween the two: ;r do they complement each other: If so< 0ow: %et us find out?

"he 8 steps are1

5 !egular practice

& Internal dialogue

H #osture

C +reath

G 3etermination

D %etting go

= Introspection

8 itnessing

%et us rememer that the process descried in the 8-fold path of the Yoga Sutras is a tool for

our de*elopment +ecause it is a tool' it needs to e applied? e will now go through the 8

steps of Self-transformation (y Swami !ama) to see how this tool can e applied' and how

the 8-fold path complements the 8 steps of Self-transformation

http://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/gunashttp://tripurashakti.com/gunashttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/gunashttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20up


10/17

t!

&' R2GU!AR PRA4TI42

It starts with a regular practice "o want to know yourself starts y showing up for that ourney'

so regular practice is the most important thing to egin with? !egularity creates a consciously

uilt hait and when this hait get stronger and deeper it will start to help you +ecause if you

show up e*ery day at the same time at the same place' you will e*entually go automatically to

that place at the time e*ery day ;r at least going to that place at that time is not a struggle'

ecause all other desires know that this time and place is for practice After a long time of

doing the same thing the constant negotiation disappears. the whole mind knows nothing can

con*ince you to fulfill another desire than to do your practice

t!

)' INT2RNA! DIA!OGU2

;nce you show up for practice' willing to di*e deep within' with the intent to ha*e the direct

e7perience of the >enter of >onsciousness' +rahman' or T/+!/'' you do not immediately start

with meditation Internal dialogue is done first' so that your mind ecomes a friend ith this

relationship you can unco*er and disco*er many things aout yourself that otherwise stayhidden in the unconscious mind You can also find out how the mind functions and can sol*e

many prolems and 4uestions y practicing internal dialogue

Yamas 5 Ni6amas and Internal Dialogue

#racticing internal dialogue can e used to increase your awareness toward the Yamas and

2iyamas You can literally ask your mind how to practice the Yamas and 2iyamas You can ask

the mind to use the Yamas and 2iyamas to alance and refine your actions' thoughts and

sadhana $or e7ample' you can ask your mind to show you in which areas you are

unconsciously doing himsa (*iolence) to yourself or others Allow the mind to gi*e you

suggestions how to mo*e toward to ahimsa (non-*iolence) You can ask the mind to make you

aware of little lies you tell to yourself or others (related to satya)' or where you are stealing

(related to asteya) Ask your mind to e less in*ol*ed with the world and to e more asored

in +rahman (rahmacharya) You can e7plain to your mind that you cannot really possess

anything "hus' you can ask the mind to release the grasping it does toward the manifestation

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/


11/17

(aparigraha) Ask how you can purify yourself (shaucha)' or why there is not always a state of

contentment (santosha) Ask which desires are not useful' and e7plain to the mind that the fire

that comes from this purification is something we ha*e to go through (tapas) S*adhyaya can

e practiced y asking your mind to show you e*erything that is happening in the mind-field

and allow the mind and inner wisdom to e7plain the teachings to you $inally' you tell the mind'

e7plain to the mind' that truth is eyond the mind itself so that the mind ecomes comfortale

with this idea and is willing to surrender itself into the creati*e source (Ish*ara pranidhana)

t!

*' POSTUR2

"he third step is to de*elop a meditation posture that has the 4ualities of eing stale' steady

and comfortale I did not write this article to make asolute statements' ut ust to show you

where there may e parallels If you keep this in mind' you can easily see that this step is

similar to step H in the 8 rungs of the Yoga Sutras

t!

+' 3R2AT"

"his step is again similar to the fourth step in the 8-fold path of the Yoga Sutras !ememer that the Yoga Sutras tells us that this step thins the *eil etween conscious and unconscious

"his thinning is needed for the last H steps of this Self-transformation outline "o e ale to do

the last three steps determination is needed' which is mentioned ne7t

t!

,' D2T2R(INATION

After you ha*e shown up on time for your practice' you ha*e spoken with the mind in an

internal dialogue and you ha*e prepared the ody and reath' is it now *ery important to make

a firm determination to e completely undistured' unin*ol*ed' and undistracted y whate*er

comes up into the mind-field "his stance of determination is a mental posture' a mental asana

You put the mind in this posture of determination You need determination to e ale to deal

with the thoughts coming forward from the mind-field

http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20up


12/17

Sam6ama on %od6

You could say that you first did samyama on the ody' y directing your attention to the ody

"he ody is the oect of meditation' it is kept still and attention is directed to ody only "he

ody is a *ritti in #rakriti too +y directing your attention to it your attachment to the ody will

decrease You will gain non-attachment to the ody' so that you can let any awareness'

sensation' or identification related to the ody go .+/*&'& In your practice you want to e

ale to di*e eyond ody' so that you can di*e into the ne7t step. the reath If you see the

ody as a *ritti within #rakriti' it will need to go through the same process of samyama' as the

element earth' as descried ao*e aye not all the way up to samadhi on ody' ut enough

of the process of samyama to reduce the "#$%&'%' so that we can di*e eyond ody

Sam6ama on %reath"he same counts for the reath. the reath is the second oect to which you direct your

attention You first make it still' smooth and *ery slow in a ration of two-to-one' so that you can

direct your one-pointed attention toward the flow of reath "his can e seen as doing

samyama on reath "his process will remo*e the "#$%&'% and increase your non-attachment

to reath itself If you are ale to oser*e the reath' means that you are the oser*er "he

oser*er is you and the oser*ed is the reath' so you are different or separate from the

reath !eali@ing that you are not the reath makes it possile that your awareness and

identification related to the reath can go .+/*&'& (note. the ody and reath will still e7ist'

you will not literally stop reathing or drop your ody' ut your awareness has gone eyond

ody and reath' as if ody and reath are now e7ternal)

Sam6ama on mind

hat is sutler then ody and reath: "he mind? $ocusing on mind itself is more

o*erwhelming' usy' intense' or pick your word' than focusing on the ody and reath "his is

why determination is mentioned in step numer G and not efore step numer H and C 2ow'

you really need a firm determination as we are now going to meditate on mind itself

t!

' !2TTING GO

“%etting go” means that you allow the mind to mo*e howe*er it wants to mo*e y allowing all

the thoughts to come forward "his process is the preparation to e ale to do samyama on the

http://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20up


13/17

stream of thoughts here your attention is directed not to a particular oectJthought' ut to

the whole stream of thoughts itself E*entually in step 8 we ecome the witness of the stream

of thoughts' where the mind is mo*ing in its own speed' uninterrupted y the *eil of the

unconscious mind "his means that e*entually there are no acti*e thoughts hidden ehind the

*eil of the unconscious mind E*erything happens in the conscious mind-field Another way of

saying the same thing is that the *eil etween the conscious and unconscious mind field is

temporary gone

"o mo*e toward this step we fist ha*e to in*ite the unconscious to come forward e ha*e to

ecome comfortale with the thoughts popping in and out of the conscious mind field e do

this y culti*ating a stance of eing undistured' unaffected' and unin*ol*ed hen we are in

this stance is doesn,t matter what comes forward' we are not dragged into the stream of

thoughts e are ale to remain the oser*er of the stream of thoughts hen we get etter ateing in this stance (which happens with determination) more and more thoughts will come

forward and the e7perience is that the stream 4uickens +y allowing the stream of thoughts to

4uicken' we mo*e into the direction of step numer 8

"hus' step numer D focuses on allowing the thoughts to come forward' ecoming comfortale

with the thoughts entering and lea*ing the conscious mind without doing anything with them

hile you do not identify with them' not pushing them away (talk aout ahimsa?)' not analy@ing

them and not e*en ignoring them (as this too is an action and you need to make contact with

something to then ignore it) You literally don,t do anything with them


14/17

hen you are ale to let the thoughts come and go on their own' you may add step numer =

"his step is an e7tra step' which can help you in uncoloring the "#$%&'% of the *rittis that mo*e

through the conscious mind-field as descried in step numer D

"echnically' if you would cycle through a hea*ily colored thought many times' e*entually all

coloring will e remo*ed' and numer = is not really needed +ut to 4uicken the process step

numer = is added If' and only if you are ale to allow a certain thought to come up y itself

and again goes away y itself' again comes up y itself and again goes away y itself' comes

and goes' comes and goes' and so forth' then you may apply step numer = to it hich

means to push the pause utton whene*er it pops up into the conscious mind-field again

0ere is how it works1 a ig part of the practice is to allow the mind to flow in its own speed In

the eginning most of the mo*ements of the mind are hidden ehind the curtain of unawareness' in the unconscious mind-field 9radually you allow the curtain to open and the

mo*ement is noticeale within the conscious mind-field "hus' samyama can e applied to the

stream of thought itself +ut' if you notice a hea*ily colored thought and you are ale to let it go

on its own' again and again' then you may also stop the stream of thoughts and focus only on

that particular thought So' literally' you stop the stream of thoughts y pushing the pause

utton' so that only this thought is *isile "hen you do samyama on this thought to remo*e the

coloring hen you are done with this thought you push the play utton and the stream of

thoughts continues to flow 2ow' you again focus on the stream of thoughts' not on any

particular thought "his is how step D and = can work together to un-color the thoughts

Yoga Sutras and sam6ama on the stream of thoughts

"he third chapter of the Yoga Sutras gi*es us many e7amples to which you can apply

samyama It also shows us the effects or powers that come from samyama on that particular

*ritti (mo*ements) within #rakriti It also mentions that these powers can e seen as

“attainments” or as “ostacles” (HH8)

;ur goal is to go eyond #rakriti "o go eyond the mind-field and all its mo*ements Any

mo*ement in the mind-field can thus e seen as an ostacle "his means that the attainments

could create more ostacles If we would identify oursel*es with the attainments these powers

ecome “ours” "hey will e colored with “mine” "hey will remo*e oursel*es from knowing “I

am #ure >onsciousness” and thus need to e uncolored E*entually these powers will ha*e to

go .+/*&'& too?

http://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhahhttp://tripurashakti.com/kleshashttp://tripurashakti.com/nirodhah


15/17

"hus' let us rememer that the tool of samyama in this process offered y Swami !ama is

applied first to the ody' then to the reath' then to the stream of thoughts itself ;nly when

needed it is applied to a particular *ritti y pausing the stream of thoughts (step numer ='

introspection) ;ur practice is not to do samyama on all the options mentioned in the Yoga

Sutras with the sole purpose to gain their powers E*erything we do is done to reduce the

coloring 2ot to attain special ailities Yet' some of the options mentioned in the Yoga Sutras

will naturally e encountered $or e7ample' there comes a point in practice where you will see

how much you are attached to the elements itself 3oing samyama on the elements is

e7tremely useful (HCG-HC=) "hrough this process you will gain insight aout the elements and

gain some strength through it "hese are signs of progress' ut do not allow the ego

('&'"'/') to color it with “mine”?

Almost at the end of the third chapter this sutra is mentioned1 “+y samyama o*er the moments

and their succession' there comes the higher knowledge that is orn from discrimination”

(HGH) "his can e seen as a parallel to the three-fold process of letting go K introspecting K

witnessing (step DK=K8) Swami !ama highlights the path of the Yoga Sutras y offering us the

8 steps of Self-transformation "he Yoga Sutras continue1 “"his higher knowledge is intuiti*e

and transcendent' and is orn of discrimination. it includes all oects within its field' all

conditions related to those oects' and is eyond any succession (HGG) ith the attainment

of e4uality etween the purest aspect of %'tt,+-(**&+ and the pure consciousness of

purusha' there comes asolute lieration' and that is the end (HGD)”

You will see that in the ne7t step (numer 8) called “witnessing” the awareness of the itness

comes forward "his happens when you allow the thoughts to flow in their own speed' y doing

samyama on the stream of thoughts "his could e seen as samyama on the moments and

their succession "his effect of the itness coming forward could e seen as the higher

knowledge mentioned in HGH. it is *idya' knowledge of the true nature of e7istence Again I do

not want to make asolute statements' ut ust show you where there are parallels etween

the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Steps of Self-transformation that may e e7actly the same or similar

to one another

(oments and su77ession E!$/+$.-$ %'## -$% #+"$ ' ,+$ It .#

'!!$'/% t ($ '. .#*+.0 !/-$%% &$/$'% +t +% '-t'## +.*$!$.*$.t

$,$.t% It +% #+"$ t&$ ,+$ # ($+.0 '. +.*$!$.*$.t /'$% '## &+-&

http://tripurashakti.com/ahamkarahttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhihttp://tripurashakti.com/ahamkarahttp://tripurashakti.com/sattvahttp://tripurashakti.com/buddhi


16/17

-$+%t . t&$ %'$ /$$# H$,$/ &$. #" 't t&%$ /'$%

%$9$.t+'## t&$/$ +% t&$ '!!$'/'.-$ ' .+/ '.* .#*+.0 $,$.t /

!/-$%%

3e6ond moments and su77ession W&$. %''' 34;36) +% *.$ .

t&$ $.t% '.* t&$ !/-$%% %--$%%+. t&$ &+0&$/ ".#$*0$ &'t

+% /$'## 0+.0 . +% /$,$'#$* O.$ -$% t %$$ t&$ .'t/$ ,+$

!/*-t+. t&$ +.* '.* ,+/t'## t&$ &#$ t&$ -/$'t+. !/-$%% T&+%

!$.% t&$ */ t t&$ /$'#+.'.$%&,'/' -$.t'/ . Y0' St/' 353

t!

8' #ITN2SSING

hen you are ale to let the stream of thoughts flow at its own speed' something eautiful

happens. you are ale to meditate on almost the mind itself 2ow' the oser*ed is the whole

mind itself flowing at its natural speed' and not merely a part of it You ha*e allowed the mind

to flow uninterruptedly with no interference "his will lead you to a stance of non-attachment

toward the thinking process itself ho is the one that is ale to witness the thinking process:

"his is done from almost eyond mind' from the most sutlest within the mind +eing so sutleleads to the awareness of the itness' the Seer' or Atman Step numer 8 will e*entually lead

you to eyond the mind' as it will ecome clear that you are not the mind You increasingly

reali@e deeply that you truly are the Seer' and mind can slowly fall away

0ere meditation ends and contemplation takes o*er' or this is the moment where meditation

and contemplation merge "here is nothing to meditate on in the sense of an oect All that

remains is allowed to merge into the source out of which all oects emerge "his is done y

contemplating on the itness' Atman' the >enter of >onsciousness or T/+!/'

#layfully' you could say that T/+!/' will ecome the last “oect” of meditation in which you

surrender the little that is left of “you” into T/+!/'' into that #ure >onsciousness that appears

to play as the three cities of waking' dreaming' and deep sleep "his is meditating on the

formless "his is contemplating on the formless "his is eing in awe of the formless ith the

grace of T/+!/'' #ure >onsciousness itself' a total surrender can happen into T/+!/'

http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-35356.htm#3.53http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-35356.htm#3.53http://tripurashakti.com/eight-fold-path-yoga-sutras-and-eight-steps-of-self-transformation/#back%20uphttp://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/http://tripurashakti.com/tripura-sundari/


17/17

0ence' the 8-fold path of Yoga Sutras is a ig part within the 8-Step practice Swami !ama has

gi*en us' in which the proces of samyama is used You use the process of directing our

attention hen it intensifies or is sustained it flows from concentration into meditation into

samadhi You apply it to sutler le*els of your eing1 namely' ody' reath and the mind itself

(thinking process) +ut' e*entually' e*en the process of samyama has to e let go of' for

meditation on the stream of thoughts will ring you to a stance of witnessing In this stance you

can contemplate on the itness and surrender into it "his will lead you to the reali@ation “You

are "hat” (tat t*am asi)' you are "hat #ure >onsciousness "his is called Self-reali@ation You

are +rahman You are "ripurasundari

8 Fold Path of the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Steps of Selftransformation

Documents

Transcript of 8 Fold Path of the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Steps of Selftransformation