Patanjali was the first to organize yogic discipline into a science with his Yoga sutras and Ayurveda was his philosophy for healing purposes. Patanjali’s system has a very effective therapeutic value.Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, is an elusive character. Specialists have not yet set its date in a consensual manner. Apart from the difficulty of establishing a precise date, we must add a considerable number of doubtful sutras, others that can be and certainly are, later interpolations, grammatical errors, variations in the wording….

Some authors place it before Buddha Shakyamuni. A Jain work of 500 BC speaks of the Yoga of Patanjali and also the Vishnu Purana.

Where there is consensus is in saying that Patanjali is not the creator of Yoga, the Upanishads had already spoken of yoga, but a compiler of Raja Yoga that was based on earlier treaties such as Hiranya-garbha Yoga Shastra.

He was a benefactor of humanity, a philanthropist who, from his wisdom, helped human beings in various fields. The first was the Mahabhasya (grammar), in the medical field he wrote several Ayurvedic treatises (some historians attribute the text “Charak Shamita”, but others attribute it to the sage Charak), and finally in the spiritual field the Yoga Sutras.

Patanjali’z Yoga  tells us how to get away from the senses, getting a pure state of consciousness without disturbing thoughts, taking the soul to its natural state, inside the cosmic substance, separated from the principle of individualization.

YOGASUTRAS

The essence of the Yogasutras can be condensed in the asthanga Yoga, Yoga of the eight steps:

YAMA

Collection of ethical principles and rules for living in society. This step includes: Ahimsa (non-violence) loving your opponent, this includes Abhaya (absence of fear) and Akrodha (absence of anger). Satya (truth) in thought, deed and action. The sacred scriptures state that the Universe is constituted by the truth, then, the human being when he practices the truth, harmonizes his life with the infinite (the universe and the laws of his creation). Asteya (not stealingl) also does not use something for another purpose or for longer. Bramacharya sexual continence. It does not imply celibacy, but not wasting sexual energy, asit is immensely powerful. Aparigraha: Do not covet. Receive exactly what is fair. Do not cling to material goods or thoughts or emotions.

NIYAMA

It is a compilation of individual disciplines and attitudes towards oneself. It refers to self-purification by discipline. This step includes: Saucha: cleaning. Both external and internal. A balanced diet, pure thoughts, and the practice of asanas and pranayamas cleanse the body internally. Santosa: contentment. Developing a feeling of contentment, regardless of the results of our actions. Tapas: self-discipline. Eliminates impurities from the body and mind. Asana and pranayama are a form of tapas. Svadhyaya: self-studying. Reflection and self-observation that leads to spiritual development. Isvara pranidhara: surrender and resignation. Free the practitioner from worldly desires.

PRANAYAMA

Continuing with Ashtanga Yoga, the fourth is Pranayama or prana control (life energy or breathing). “The secret of the cosmic consciousness is intimately linked to the control of breathing.” All movements, including breathing, create fluctuations in the mind (vittris). When the breathe stops, a state of “pause” is experienced and deeper levels of consciousness are accessed. The veil that covers the intelligence is drawn back and the light penetrates vigorously in the deepest parts of the being.

ASANA

It means position or posture. Asanas are specific positions of the body that clean energy channels and balance the flow of energy in the body, generating physical, mental and emotional stability. Asanas should be performed with full awareness and without effort, seeking calm and comfort, and maintaining a firm and constant breathing rhythm. To control the body, is to control the mind; Asanas are tools to access higher states of consciousness.

PRATYAHARA

It is to withdraw the senses, the mind and the consciousness from contact with external objects and then to interiorize and direct them towards the soul. It is the science of restricting the senses by depriving them of what feeds them, the objective external world. They are freed by withdrawing the food supply in the form of desires and their satisfaction. In this way the senses lose interest in their respective objects (for the eye, form, for the ear, sound, for the nose, smell, etc.) and withdraw from the external world to help the mind in its inner quest.

DHARANA

It means concentration. It is fixing consciousness at one point. Dharana comes from the root “DHR”, which means “to carry”, is to direct towards a fixed point, and to maintain it for a certain time. Through concentration the functions of the mind are controlled and focused. Dharana is unidirectional attention, and it is the previous step to dhyana, meditation.

DHYANA

Dhyana means meditation. When Dharana firmly maintained, it evolves into dhyana. The flow of attention becomes regular and continuous. In dhyana psychological and chronological time stops and the mind observes its own behavior. It is a contemplative state, in which attention goes from unidirectional to non-directional. 

SAMADHI

And in last position, in eighth place is Samadhi which implies the union of which we were talking about and with it, liberation. “Only when the traveller has reached the end of the journey can he dispense with his maps and itineraries. During the journey, he should take advantage of any route that allows him to shorten his journey. ” It means total absorption. When the object of meditation absorbs the meditator, one loses consciousness of oneself. This union of subject and object is samadhi. The fluctuations of mind cease and one experiences a uniform flow of consciousness, which permeates the five koshas or wrappers, which have been purified and reflect only the light of the soul. Integrated consciousness.