Pantanjali's Eightfold Path of Salvation

India's great sage Pantanjali outlined the yoga system, which is now the eightfold path to salvation. All yogis base much of there practice on these eight steps. However, many clarifications have been brought to modern man from the great masters as Lahiri Mahasaya and the Kriya Yoga gurus. The pranayama techniques discussed in the eightfold path is a direct technique such as Kriya Yoga to control the energy to withdraw the senses of distraction.

1. Yama: Yogis should Obtain from doing
This is a process where by the yogi takes his attention off the endless distractions of worldly pleasures such as injuring any living creatures and stealing.

2. Niyama: Yogis should perform
Making the body pure and mind, contentment, will power, self study (inner thought), and devotion to god and guru.

3. Asana: Enable the Yogi to rise above body restlessness
Put the body into a comfortable seated position in such a way that it will be able to stay still for an extended length of time. This will prevent the body from causing any distractions during meditation. Learning Asana helps to steady the spine so the life force energy can flow back up the spine.

4. Pranayama: Turning off the "5 sense telephone"(NOT Breath Control)
Practicing a Technique such as Kriya Yoga to turn off the 5-sense telephone that causes restlessness to your concentration. Pranayama is defined sometimes as controlling the breath or holding the breath. This is wrong and should be avoided. Pranayama taught by Pantanjali was the control of energy so we can turn off or withdraw the 5-sense telephone at will. The Kriya Yoga gurus and many other modern gurus have clarified this to be true. Devotional singing, chanting, concentration on prayer, are deviations of the real science of pranayama or switching off the life force.

5. Pratyahara: Turning the mind inwards
"Pantanjali states that the purpose of Pranayama must be pratyahara, or making the mind return within." Pratyahara is the state where the mind is completely disconnected from the 5-sense telephone. One must do more then just practice a form of Pranayama, but also know the reason for the practice which is to achieve Pratyahara.

6. Dharana: Continuous Fixation
Once this is achieved then Meditation can begin. Pratyahara must be achieved so the 5-sense telephone does not disturb the Dharana and true meditation on God and self can be obtained. If this is not obtained then continuous thought sensations are always rising. Even if one lets the thoughts arise and pass, we still must alleviate even the rise of the thought. Many believe this inhibits us to be aware of all things around us, but this is quite the opposite. Once the restlessness dies down by concintration, then we are aware of all things by expanding the consciousness to hold more omnipresence of self.

7. Dhyana: Concentration on the internal Aum
Perceiving the cosmic sound of Aum, which is manifested in all of creation. Merging within the cosmic sounds produces Sabikalpa samadhi, which all material things are completely gone from the consciousness.

8. Samadhi: Samadhi is perceived in many forms
Aum Samadhi, Astral Samadhi, Jnana Samadhi, devotional Samadhi, Prema Samadhi, Sundara Samadhi. Finally Nirbikalpa Samadhi where the soul becomes aware of the Great Spirit and the dreaming body. This is the reason for the yogi not to stay at one level but continuously move towards the seven steps until he reaches Nirbikalpa Samadhi union always with god while being within the movie drama of life.