Meditation or Yoga

Meditationtime Forum Post

Date:  Posted 5 years before Jun 13, 2017

MiBeloved 5 years ago

What is meditation? and difference between yoga and meditation?

Yoga is defined by Patanjali as being inclusive of meditation. He says that yoga has eight parts. Of the eight parts he gave meditation as the three most advanced parts made into one sequential practice. This means that in the Yoga Sutras, meditation is the most advanced part of yoga practice.

Patanjali list the eight parts of yoga as:

1.     Yama behavioral restraints

2.     Niyama approved behaviors

3.     Asana postures

4.     Pranayama breath infusion

5.     Pratyahar sensual energy withdrawal

6.     Dharana effortful linkage to a higher reality

7.     Dhyana effortless linkage to a higher reality

8.     Samadhi continuous effortless linkage to a higher reality

For Meditation, Patanjali gave a Sanskrit term which is samyama.

He said that this means the 6th, 7th and 8th stages combined as one practice.

Certainly there are many definitions for yoga but Patanjali is accepted worldwide because the greatest yogis in India always seem to quote him or to refer to his work which is the Yoga Sutras. Since I translated and wrote two commentaries on that book, I have some familiarity with his meanings.

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In the West yoga is sometimes defined as just the 3rd part of Classical Yoga, which is asana postures.