Seba

“Freedom, that is to say direct experience of samadhi, can be attained only by disciplined conduct and renunciation of sensual desires and appetites. This is brought about through adherence to the ‘twin pillars’ of yoga, abhyasa and vairagya. Abhyasa”
― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Essential Handbook of Pranayama, Asana, and Hindu Meditation

“There are eight components of Yoga. These are: yama, our attitudes toward our environment. niyama, our attitudes toward ourselves. āsana, the practice of body exercises. prāṇāyāma, the practice of breathing exercises. pratyāhāra, the restraint of our senses. dhārāna, the ability to direct our minds. dhyāna, the ability to develop interactions with what we seek to understand. samādhi, complete integration with the object to be understood. The”
― T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

“The first step is to recognize that certain tendencies of our mind are responsible for producing painful effects. If these tendencies are not curtailed, we may reach a point of no return. 2.28”
― T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice

“Another aspect of yoga has to do with our actions. Yoga therefore also means acting in such a way that all of our attention is directed toward the activity in which we are currently engaged. Suppose for example that while I am writing, one part of my mind is thinking about what I want to say while another part is thinking about something entirely different. The more I am focused on my writing, the greater my attentiveness to my action in this moment. The exact opposite might also occur: I might begin writing with great attention, but as I continue to write my attention begins to waver. I might begin to think about the plans I have for the day tomorrow, or what is cooking for dinner. It then appears as if I am acting with attentiveness, but really I am paying little attention to the task at hand. I am functioning, but I am not present. Yoga attempts to create a state in which we are always present—really present—in every action, in every moment. The advantage of attentiveness is that we perform each task better and at the same time are conscious of our actions. The possibility of making mistakes becomes correspondingly smaller the more our attention develops. When we are attentive to our actions we are not prisoners to our habits; we do not need to do something today simply because we did it yesterday. Instead there is the possibility of considering our actions fresh and so avoiding thoughtless repetition. Another”
― T.K.V. Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice