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Assignment 7 for FDP on Yogadarshan

Submitted by Dr Devasia Muruppath Antony ( devasiamantony@hinducollege.ac.in)

How Yoga develops the overall personality.

Yoga in theory and practice aims at the developing the integral personality of the sadhaka.

For this purpose Yoga provides a systematic instruction to attain inner peace, clarity, self-

control and Realisation in and through what is called Ashtanga Yoga. This Ashtanga Yoga

consists of the following steps:

1. Yama: This include ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, and apraigraha.

2. Niyama: This includes shaucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, and iswarapranidhana.

3. Asana: It means steady and comfortable posture. The asanas are primarily aimed at

disciplining the body.

4. Pranayama: This means control of inhaling and exhaling.

5. Pratyahara: This implies controlling the senses and withdrawing the senses from

their objects.

6. Dharana: It indicates fixing the mind on the object of meditation.

7. Dhyana: It means mediation consisting the undisturbed flow f thought.

8. Samadhi: Absolute concentration in which all the modification of the mind cease to

exist. There are two types of Samadhi: Samprajnata ( conscious) and Asampranjata

(supra-conscious).
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A close examination of the theory and practice of Ashtanga Yoga reveals that it takes the

human person, the sadhaka, in a holistic manner. For According to Patanjali Yoga, the

human person is neither only body, nor only mind, nor only soul/spirit. The practice of

Asanas as prescribed by Patanjali results in the overall development of the personality of

the Sadhaka. This is what the 2nd sutra of Yogasutram tells us:

‘Yogaschittavrittinorodhah’.