Ashtanga yoga consists of the following
elements: The first five are called external parts to Yoga
(bahiranga)
Yama refers to the five rules. These are the same as the five vows of
Jainism.
Ahimsa: non-violence,it goes as far as nonviolence in
thought, word and deed.
Satya: truth in word and thought.
Asteya: non-covetousness, to the extent that one should
not even desire something that is not his own.
Brahmacharya: abstain from intimacy; celibacy in case of
unmarried people and monogamy in case of married couples. It is common
to associate Brahmacharya with celibacy.
Aparigraha: non-possessiveness
Niyama:
Shaucha: purityof body and mind.
Santosha: satisfaction; satisffaction with what one has.
Tapas: austerity and body discipline and thereby
mental control.
Svadhyaya: study of the Vedic scriptures to know about
God and the true soul, which leads to introspection on a greater
awakening to the soul and God within,
Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to/ worship of God.
Asana: comfortable posture for mediation
Pranayama: control of breath, prana. Beneficial to
health, steadies the body and is highly conducive to the concentration
of the fine mind.
Pratyahara: withdrawal of senses from their external
objects.
The last three levels are called internal aids to Yoga (antaranga
sadhana)
Dharana: concentration of the citta upon a physical
object, such as a deity.
Dhyana: steadfast meditation. Undisturbed flow of
thought around the object of meditation (pratyayaikatanata). The act of
meditation and the object of meditation remain distinct and separate.
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Kriya yogakechari mudra is essential for this type of practise.
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Mantra yogaConcentration of magical sounds..
Stages of Yoga
Samadhi: complete oneness with the object of meditation. There is no
distinction
between act of meditation and the object of meditation. Samadhi is of
two main kinds:
Samprajnata Samadhi conscious samadhi. The mind remains concentrated
(ekagra) on the object , therefore the consciousness of
the object of meditation persists. Mental modifications arise only in
respect of this object of meditation.
This state is of four kinds:
Savitarka: the Citta is concentrated upon a gross object of
meditation
such as a flower, the tip of the nose, or the image of a deity like
Shivaji.
Savichara: the Citta is concentrated upon a subtle object of meditation
, such as the tanmatras
Sananda: the Citta is concentrated upon a still subtler object of
meditation, like the senses.
Sasmita: the Citta is concentrated upon the ego-substance with which
the self is generally identified.
Asamprajnata Samadhi supraconscious. The citta and the object of meditation are finally fused together. All mental modifications are checked (niruddha), although latent impressions may continue.