 You also might recall we had a brief discussion on the astangyog in the session 9, where we explained that astangyog has physio-psychological interventions which are for example, pranayam and asanas are the physio-psychological in nature. These are ethical moral interventions meaning yam and niyam are predominantly ethical moral interventions and psycho-spiritual pratyahar, dharana, dhyan, samadhi. These are the psycho-spiritual interventions. So, we mentioned that in chapter 9, we are going to discuss how these three realms, three aspects of yogic interventions, we can integrate in our life to manage our self and managing our career. So, what is yam? Yam are generally translated as dones, what should be avoided because 5 out of 4 has little avoidance connotation. So, that is why it is translated as dones. But in his lectures, Mukul Khanitkarji explained that yamma are not simply dones. Yamas are reflection of universal laws. Without these laws, universe will not operate. Ahinsa, Satya, Astey, Brahmacharya and Aparigra, these are called yamas. Let us look at these yamas in light of this definition, the definition of these being universal laws, Ahinsa. We can see some Ahinsa going all around us, but no one can remain in Ahinsa 24 by 7. People can remain in Satya, people can remain in love, remain in compassion 24 by 7. So, people cannot remain in Ahinsa 24 by 7. That is why the term Ahinsa means non-violence. People cannot remain in non-violence. People cannot remain violent 24 by 7. People can remain compassionate 24 by 7. We all can remain in truthfulness 24 by 7, but we cannot remain in violence 24 by 7. Though we see lot of violence all around, but that is not the true nature of human being or any creature in the world. Satya is truthfulness, being correct, being right. No one can speak untruth all the time. We speak false things sometime, but that is not the true nature, because no one can remain in the untruthfulness always. So, Satya, truthfulness is the law. People have to get back to that. People have to get back to Satya. Astey not stealing away things. There are, we see the, there are, we see criminals who lift things of others, who steal things from others home, but the stealing cannot go on always. One person cannot keep stealing and stealing is not only in terms of the physical stealing. Stealing can also be stealing the rights. Astey means non-stealing. Brahmacharya means self-control and one master explains no lavidavi when it is not expected. So, another Dr. Shankar explain is the greatest scholar and practitioner of Ayurveda and the western medicine both explain that Brahmacharya is healthy sexuality. Aparigra, non-holding. Non-holding, people cannot just keep holding all the time because there is, there is a time, there is a situation where limitations occur. So, that is called Aparigra, non-holding, not holding things beyond reasonable limits. That is why these are called universal laws. We have to follow these laws. We need to be conscious of these. These contribute to our well-being. Then comes Niyama. Niyamas are the social and personal observances. Niyamas can also be understood that Niyamas can also be understood to be the basis on which we can practice the other angas of yoga. So, Shauch, Santosh, Tapa, Swadhyay, Ishwar Paranidhan, these are Niyamas. Shauch means cleansing, external cleansing as well as intrinsic cleansing. The cleaning, cleansing of body and also cleansing of mind. Keeping mind uncluttered, that is the first Niyama. How can we can keep mind uncluttered until we keep resolving things? Until if I have a anger and if I do not forgive after some time, my mind will remain cluttered. If I have moha means attachment and if I do not declutter it by realizing that my moha is resulting into rag which is attachment, which is resulting into this lot of other dysfunctionalities. My mind will remain uncluttered. So, we need to clean these things at the mental level as well whether it is kam, kroth, lobh, moha, madh, madhsar. We need to keep cleaning these things. Kam means desire, sensual pleasure. If we keep thinking about it, keep remain attached to that, our mind will remain cluttered. Shauch demand us to declutter the mind by looking at the limitation, looking at the discipline, looking at what is the ultimate objective of managing self and what is the ultimate career objective. In light of that, detaching from the moha is Shauch, intrinsic cleansing. Similarly, lobh means my urge to hold more greed. It is also called greed. Madh, my pompousness, my tendency to show off things and not giving attention because I have enough for my eating and for my livelihood. Madh, madhsar means jealousy. All these things clutter our mind and because of that our mind remains unavailable to apply the intellect in the best possible way. It cannot make correct judgment. So, Shauch is important. Intensive decluttering is important. That is the first Niyama. Santosh, that is contentment. That means we can put in our best effort. Sometime we may get result which we assumed we will get, sometime we may not get result. Whatever we get after putting up the best effort, we need to be contented with that. If we do not remain contented at least at some point of time, we will keep fighting, we keep running behind things. No one can afford to keep running behind things and possessions all the time. We need to have Santosh. We need to have contentment at some point of time. So, that is Niyama. Swadhyay is self-reflection. Reflection is studying our self. Studying the scriptures also considered Swadhyay because while reading the scripture, we also reflect and good scripture make us to reflect. Am I like that? Am I also like this? What am I doing? So, it provokes a self-reflection. So, Swadhyay means studying self either by reading the text or by reflecting on our own tendencies, reflecting on our own behaviour, reflecting on our own relationships, reflecting on our own interactions with ourselves, with our career, with others and Ishwar Pranidhan. Ishwar Pranidhan meaning recognizing that there is a higher power. That power can be in the form of Ishtadeva. That power can also be in the form of universal intelligence. That higher power can also be considered as a bigger system. We all are part of system. If you look at our body, this body is a system because multiple variables exist and multiple things exist. They work together. This body is amazing system because it has some human cells and five times of the human cells we have bacteria. So, we are more like a bacterial colony than the human cells. That means this is a system. This is not one individual. We our mind gives us experience of being one integrated individual but there are lot of subsystems operating in this body. Similarly, this body, this self is part of the society. This society is part of the bigger system called nation, bigger system called globe, bigger system called international system. So, and then the planet and then the whole universe and everything affects each other. Ishwar Pranidhan can also be understood to be a recognition that I am but part of a bigger system and made up of a smaller system. So, at some point of time I will have to surrender to the bigger intelligence. My mind is part of nature. My mind is part of the bigger system. So, naturally the small the part cannot fully comprehend the whole. So, having the wisdom to recognize that limitation at appropriate time that is also in my understanding is Ishwar Pranidhan surrendering to the bigger intelligence, surrendering to the universal order or order of the bigger system. Asanas are the physical postures. Eighty-four postures are enumerated in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Asana is a later point of entry in the Ashtang Yoga. In the Yoga Sutra Patanjali says that in the posture where you can sit comfortably that is your asana and how long one test is that in a posture in which you can sit for one prahar one prahar is one eighth of the day that means about 24 hours that posture in which you can sit for three hours that is asana not everybody can practice that rigorously. So, we have multiple asanas we are taught multiple asanas and then they create some ambience and physicality which first energizes the system and then it comes down our system. So, that is the asana that is that is a that is one intervention that is part of the ashtang you then pranayama pranayama is regulation of vitality through breath. Pranayama may be alternate nostril breathing pranayama can be deep breathing pranayama can be breathing through the neck that is called ujjayi the pranayama with the humming sound the breathing with the humming sound that is called brahmari all are different forms of pranayama and seven principal pranayama are taught everything technique. These are ways of managing our vitality our vital energy vital energy is best managed by managing our breath. So, it is not a breathing exercise it is actually the process of managing our prana managing our vitality. Pratyahar is withdrawal of senses from the external world deliberately withdrawing from the external world and going intrinsic observing within that is pratyahar pratyahar meaning meaning now I am not going to enjoy by my senses externally or by my external senses. So, tongue for the taste eye for the vision ear for listening something I am not going to use these senses to enjoy externally. I will get back within myself to enjoy within that is the essence of pratyahar yog nidra is one part one aspect of pratyahar there are different aspects and different there are different practices of the pratyahar and that is one of the intervention we are going to study dharana effortful focused attention and concentration focusing on one thing upholding a thought upholding a vision focusing on some form or some sound that is dharana it is important you can sense that it is important to achieve the ekagrta the ekagr is the one state of mind we discussed in the previous session chipt with chipt ekagr niruddha and mudh these are the five states of mind by following these our mind becomes more and more ekagra and the last practice to achieve the ekagrta or ekagra mind is dharana all other practices also help us in achieving the ekagrta or ekagra state or niruddha state yam niyam asan pranayam pratyahar they all contribute to achieve the dharana they all contribute to achieve ekagrta and niruddha cessation of the mind field activities or giving full control on the mind field activities but dharana is the final practice because after dharana we can enter into dharana dharana is effortless process dharana is a effortful process dharana happens dharana we need to practice we need to perform i am not going to discuss about samadhi self-transcendence estacy if you experience dharana you continue that and some someday samadhi happens