Centre for Yoga Studies

The Art of Personal Sādhana

  • email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS
Skip to content
  • email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS
YOGA TEACHINGPersonal & Professional Study
YOGA JOURNALNews Views & Blog Posts
YOGA FREENOTESOnline Texts & Commentaries
  • WELCOME TO YOGA FREENOTES

    • Yoga Texts & Freenotes Overview
    • Saṃskṛta Indexed Word Glossary
    • Paul’s Contact Options
  • YOGA SŪTRA FREENOTES

    • Yoga Sūtra Freenotes Overview
    • Yoga Sūtra All Verses Online
    • – Yoga Sūtra – Chapter 1
    • – Yoga Sūtra – Chapter 2
    • – Yoga Sūtra – Chapter 3
    • – Yoga Sūtra – Chapter 4
    • Yoga Sūtra PDF Workbooks
    • Krishnamacharya’s Sūtra Quotes
    • Desikachar’s Sūtra Quotes
    • Paul’s Sūtra Quotes
    • Paul’s Sūtra Questions Collated
    • Paul’s Sūtra Key Words Collated
  • SĀṂKHYA KĀRIKĀ FREENOTES

    • Sāṃkhya Freenotes Overview
    • Sāṃkhya Kārikā All Verses Online
    • Sāṃkhya Kārikā PDF Workbook
    • Desikachar’s Sāṃkhya Quotes
    • Paul’s Sāṃkhya Quotes
  • BHAGAVAD GĪTĀ TEXTS FREENOTES

    • Bhagavad Gītā Freenotes Overview
    • Bhagavad Gītā Quotes Collated
    • Bhagavad Gītā All Verses Online
    • – Bhagavad Gītā Chapters 1-6
    • – Bhagavad Gītā Chapters 7-12
    • – Bhagavad Gītā Chapters 13-18
    • Bhagavad Gītā PDF Workbooks
    • Gītārtha Freenotes Overview
    • Gītārtha Quotes Collated
    • Gītārtha All Verses Online
    • Gītārtha PDF Workbook
  • UPANIṢAT TEXTS FREENOTES

    • Upaniṣat Texts Freenotes Overview
    • Upaniṣat Textual Quotes Collated
    • Upaniṣat Texts PDF Workbooks
  • HAṬHA YOGA TEXTS FREENOTES

    • Haṭha Yoga Freenotes Overview
    • Haṭha Pradīpikā All Verses Online
    • Yoga Rahasya Quotes Collated
    • Yoga Rahasya All Verses Online
  • ĀYURVEDA LIFESTYLE FREENOTES

    • Āyurveda Freenotes Overview
    • Āyurveda Collected Posts
  • WELCOME TO THE CENTRE FOR YOGA STUDIES

    aṅga

    Devanāgarī: अङ्ग Translation: a limb; the body Similar words:kāya, sarvāṅgāsana Related concepts:bāhya, antar, lāghava, aṣṭāṅga, bhujaṅga, pūrva, uttara, caturaṅga daṇḍasana

    Appears in

    Yoga Sūtra:

    Chapter 1: 31
    Chapter 2: 28 , 29 , 40
    Chapter 3: 7 , 8

    Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā:

    Chapter 1: 17


    Click here for complete Saṃskṛta Index

    Commentaries around

    “Can these four Yoga Aṅga – Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma
    – be practiced by everyone at every stage of life?
    How often and how long should one practice?
    How can we adapt our practice to changing circumstances?
    These questions and others like them must be answered by a competent teacher,
    according to each student’s individual circumstances.”
    – T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 30

    “The Das Indriya or ten senses of experience and action,
    whilst seen as belonging to the Bāhya Aṅga or five external limbs
    in the eight limb Aṣṭa Aṅga Yoga of Patañjali,
    are also the gateway to the Antar Aṅga or three internal limbs.”
    – Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 54

    “The practice which is Śodhana for the Antar Aṅga
    is Antaraṅga Sādhana.”
    – T Krishnamacharya introduction to Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three

    “Dhyānam is the seventh Aṅga of the Aṣṭāṅga Yoga.
    In order to experience Dhyānam, the sixth step,
    Dhāraṇā, should have been practiced thoroughly.”
    – T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three verse 1

    “Just because a person is not practicing Dhyāna,
    but only Āsana,
    we cannot say he is not practicing Yoga.
    In a body, each limb belongs to the body.
    Similarly, practice of Āsana is indeed
    practice of Yoga to that extent.”
    – T Krishnamacharya 1984

    “Before launching on Antar Aṅga Sādhana,
    one should be a Niṣṭhāvān in Bāhya Aṅga Sādhana.
    If this earlier stage is very well established,
    then only a teacher may teach Dhyāna.”
    – T Krishnamacharya 1984

    Question to T Krishnamacharya:
    How necessary is Yoga in these modern times?
    Krishnamacharya’s Response:
    “For the strengthening of the Aṅga,
    Yoga Āsana practiced with long
    inhalation and exhalation is important.
    To reduce the disturbances of the mind,
    to gain mental strength and to increase longevity,
    Prāṇāyāma is necessary.”

    Question:
    What is the most important aspect of Pūrva Aṅga?
    Response:
    “Pūrva Aṅga is essentially a process of elimination
    in which we eliminate those thoughts that are not relevant.
    In fact Yoga is the process of eliminating the undesirable
    so we can be linked with the desirable.
    It is the movement from Saṃyoga to Viyoga,
    from Saguṇa to Nirguṇa.
    But we must be careful how we define desirable or undesirable.”
    – TKV Desikachar Madras December 19th 1988

    “Often Dhyāna fails because one is not able to reach the first stage,
    the Pūrva Aṅga.
    Often one wants to go to the second stage
    without going through the first one,
    and that is not possible.”
    – TKV Desikachar Madras December 19th 1988

    “Prāṇāyāma is common to both Haṭha and Rāja Sādhana,
    whether working with the Prāṇa Śodhana of Haṭha Yoga,
    where you were taught to practice it at each
    of four transitional points through the day,
    or with the Citta Śodhana of Patañjali,
    where it is the pivotal Bahya Aṅga,
    Prāṇāyāma is seen as the primary means to engage
    the Élan Vital, the vital force or creative principle.”
    – 108 Prāṇāyāma Practice Pointers

    “In order to access its inner dimensions,
    I feel Prāṇāyāma needs to be sustained,
    in terms of both frequency, consistency and
    competence, rather than it being a sporadic,
    or perhaps nominal foray, into its potential as
    a primary tool within Bāhya Aṅga Sādhana.
    Maybe this is because of insufficient interest
    in a long-term exploration into Prāṇāyāma?
    On this point, one might offer observations
    on the environment and expectations within
    which the styling of modern group classes
    are framed, seemingly ‘posing’ as if ‘Yoga’?
    Or, perhaps because this cursory glance at its
    form and function arises from us just looking
    for nominal, immediate or even external fruits?
    As one might with Āsana, when experiencing
    a structural, energetic or psychological issue?”
    – 108 Prāṇāyāma Practice Pointers

    “The First and Second Chapters of the Yoga Sūtra
    can be linked to the teaching concepts of
    Śikṣaṇa, Rakṣaṇa and Cikitsā Krama.
    In that the Samādhi Yoga in Chapter One
    can be seen as apt for a Śikṣaṇa situation,
    whereby the primary aim is discernment, as in
    exploring what lies within the sense of I-Am.
    Whereas in Chapter Two, the Kriya Yoga section
    can be seen as being apt for a Cikitsā situation,
    whereby the primary aim is recovering, as in
    reducing agitation through lifestyle changes.
    and the Bāhya Aṅga section of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga
    can be seen as being apt for a Rakṣaṇa situation,
    whereby the primary aim is establishing stability,
    through a formal practice within a Yoga Sādhana.”
    – 108 Teaching Path Pointers

    “Ere to our Yoga Sādhana turning inwards towards engaging
    the Antar Aṅga and the Ātma–Buddhi relationship,
    we are advised to first turn outwards towards engaging
    the Bahya Aṅga and the Manas–Indriya relationship.”
    – 108 Yoga Study Path Pointers

    Links to Related Posts:

    • All models for meditation have a preliminary step, Pūrva Aṅga……
    • Deepening our relationship with Prāṇāyāma deepens our relationship with Āsana……
    • Question to Krishnamacharya – “Can you explain the concept of Vinyāsa and Pratikriyā Āsana?”
    • The breadth, depth and potential of Desikachar’s teachings on practice……
    • Though there are many different aspects to formal ‘home’ practice……
    • Viniyoga Vignette 3 – Śītalī and Anuloma Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma within Āsana
    • Viniyoga Vignette 5 – Introducing Uḍḍīyana Bandha within an Āsana practice

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
    • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
    • Click to print (Opens in new window)

    Related

    This glossary with its similar, opposite and related concepts categories, supplemented by textual references and additional commentaries around the key word, is a both work in progress and constantly ever-expanding in terms of further cross-references, textual cross links and commentaries.
    As it continues to develop your comments and suggestions on your experience and how it may be enhanced are very welcome via this link, thank you.
    Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: cysuk by Underscores.me.