Yoga Philosophy Research Articles

Rethinking Pātañjala Yoga Through the Concepts of Abhyāsa and Vairāgya

This paper offers a close reading of Patanjali’s Yogasūtra through the concepts of abhyāsa and vairāgya, “repetitive practice” and “dispassion,” drawing on Patanjali’s classical commentators and on Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya’s “Studies in Yoga Philosophy,” an (almost) forgotten chapter of his corpus. I open with a critical examination of Patanjali’s citta-vṛtti scheme, his attempt of “mapping” the contents of consciousness. Thereafter, I discuss the “procedure of yoga,” based on the mutual operation of abhyāsa and vairāgya for the sake of nirodha, cessation of the vṛttis, or “movements” of consciousness. A close analysis of Patanjali and his commentators indicates that both abhyāsa and vairāgya are depicted as consisting of a strong reflective dimension. This is to say that the radical meditative act of “emptying” the consciousness of its objective content is in fact a rational conclusion of the mind, as it reflects upon itself. This reflection is both sensitive to the “limitedness” of the objective world and “receptive” to the silent presence of the “unlimited” selfhood beyond, which Patanjali, following the Sāṃkhya tradition, refers to as puruṣa. It is implied here that the yogic act of disengagement from the worldly and objective (conveyed by the notions of pratyāhāra, vairāgya, and kaivalya) is as much an act of will (emphasized and “taken forward” by Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya), as it is an act of self-sacrifice. Finally, the analysis offered here reveals substantial “philosophical threads” in the Yogasūtra, a text which is usually considered as too “practical,” or “therapeutic,” or “spiritual,” to be “really” philosophical.

The Ashtanga Yoga Hindi Scale: An Assessment Tool Based on Eastern Philosophy of Yoga.

The study imports the concept of Ashtanga Yoga from the eastern philosophy of Yoga. There is a major disconnect between theory and data in Indian Psychology. Indian Psychology provides a rich theoretical base for understanding optimal human functioning. However, the theories have not been tested due to paucity of tools. A test developed on Ashtanga Yoga is reported. Data were collected in two phases from 550 participants. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. Seven factors were extracted as the theory indicates. Overall reliability of the scale was found to be excellent (α=0.88), and the criterion-related validity was satisfactory as correlations were found to be 0.46 and 0.48 (p<0.01) for Flourishing and SPANE-P, respectively, and -0.22 (p<0.01) for SPANE-N.

A student's guide to the history and philosophy of yoga

A student's guide to the history and philosophy of yoga

Review of “Seven Quartets of Becoming: A Transformative Yoga Philosophy Based on the Diaries of Sri Aurobindo” by Banerji, D.

Banerji, D. Seven Quartets of Becoming: A Transformative Yoga Philosophy Based on the Diaries of Sri Aurobindo Los Angeles, CA: Nalanda International, 2012, Pages: 441, ISBN: 978-8124606260

A Role of Īśvara in Yoga Philosophy

A Role of Īśvara in Yoga Philosophy

Perception of Ultimate Liberation through Yogic Technique on Indian Mythology: A Study Report

Death is one of the universal rules of nature! No one can ignore it; indeed death is the gateway of new beginningthis is the philosophy of death and liberation in Indian mythology. The origin of Indian mythology is Rig veda, the first literature of world. Contextually Vedic texts consists the perception of pantheism, but orthodox and non-orthodox both are equally respected in Vedas. According to the direction of Indian mythology, “Self” is the representative of the entire creation, therefore knowledge about “self” is the key of uncover the mystery of ultimate liberation. The statement Sankhya, philosophy the human self, is the composed figure of the twenty four individual formations of nature. In a body, these are classified with eight natural components (including five basic elements), five sensitive organs, five movable organs and five personal components. “Who am I?” -the identification of self is the root conception of yogic philosophy in Indian mythology. Life became life through five changes that is the best statement of Vedanta. This cycle of rebirth is for general people because they are unable to cross the eight barriers in a life i.e- Abhorrence (Ghrina), modesty (Lajja), fear (Bhaya), grief (Shoka), disgust (Jugupsa), lineage (Kul), moral conduct (Sheel) and caste (Jaati). Expectation, anger, jealousy, fear and laziness are mental effect of eight barriers; in effect of these barriers, a number of toxins grow in the body, which is the root cause of disease. Enormous freedom from biological and mental demands is the vision of yogic death, its famous by the name Mokshaof five core elements in a body is the secret of yog. This secret has been processed through the recognition of own self.

How to develop spiritual awareness in the organization

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model that leverages the practical wisdom of the Panch-Kosa framework of yogic philosophy to develop an awareness of spirituality in the organization. It also provides quasi-quantitative empirical evidence to demonstrate its potential application.Design/methodology/approach– A survey was designed and administered in four different organizations. Correlation, ANOVA andχ2 analysis were conducted to explore the applicability of the proposed framework.Findings– The results indicate that values, as reflected in the physical aspects of an organization such as its logo, symbols and organizational elements characterized as “practice of Fair Governance” and “HR Effectiveness”, influence employee-related outcomes. Further, the study found that when there is a perfect “alignment” between an organization's intent to honor values and its corresponding actions, employees perceive the highest levels of holistic engagement.Research limitations/implications– This study has an implication on how to leverage practical wisdom from Hindu philosophy to enable individuals and organizations to transform to a higher level of consciousness.Originality/value– The paper has ventured into an uncharted territory of integrating the yogic framework of Panch-Kosa to the organizational elements and has provided preliminary support for its applicability in organizations. Moreover, it operationalizes the notion of alignment between organization's value-centric strategy and actions and its impact on employee-related outcomes.

The Implication of Vedyatva Mentioned in Yoga Philosophy

The Implication of Vedyatva Mentioned in Yoga Philosophy

Management of emotions: a study using Patanjali's Yoga Sutra

The great Sage Patanjali is a great exponent of yoga philosophy, a grammarian and a physician. His most famous work the Yoga Sutra is a superb treatise for management of self in general and management of emotions in particular. The universal aphorisms given by Sage Patanjali are of an excellent source of wisdom and enlightenment. The researchers in this study have made an effort to use Patanjali’s aphorisms to make the management style of managers more effective. This is an effort to empirically test Patanjali’s Sutras on Indian managers and hereby get an insight as to how Patanjali’s teachings can be useful in managing emotions while working in organisations. This paper highlights a model based on Patanjali’s aphorisms and uses it for studying the current management of emotions of employees in organisations.

Materialism, Dualism, and the Philosophy of Yoga

Materialism, Dualism, and the Philosophy of Yoga

A Study on Sahopalambha-niyama as the Reason of Vijñaptimātra: in the Case of Being Criticized by the Commentators of Yoga Philosophy

A Study on Sahopalambha-niyama as the Reason of Vijñaptimātra: in the Case of Being Criticized by the Commentators of Yoga Philosophy

Fundamentals of the Stanislavski System and Yoga Philosophy and Practice (Part 2)

Fundamentals of the Stanislavski System and Yoga Philosophy and Practice (Part 2)

The Yoga of Critical Discourse

This article offers a comparative self-reflection on two seemingly disparate teaching practices: hatha yoga and critical social theories of education. As some have already discovered, the two enacted fields share many core principles and practices; deal with strikingly similar content; and are primarily self-reflective. As an instructor/facilitator of each, I find myself teaching practices and enacting teaching practices that are critical transformative. In this article, I explain how I use contemplative practices in my teaching about contentious issues. In particular, I recognize how the “adjustments” that I make and the “home practice” that I assign in teaching philosophy of education, for example, parallels those I use in teaching hatha yoga. Finally, I describe how my teaching enacts a yogic philosophy, making it a specific ethical practice.

The Student as Witness

Taking a hybrid approach of research and narrative, theory and reflection, this essay utilizes yogic theory as a lens to discuss how students can negotiate one of the more challenging aspects of their research writing: freely setting out into the realm of creative, original research while negotiating genre-based constraints. I present research on genre and the “containment” of composition that highlights some of the past and current discussion about the potentially inhibiting heuristics that can shut down students’ constructions of agency and creativity in researched writing. Drawing upon research in contemplative pedagogy, essential texts of yogic philosophy, and images of the body in asana, I use the philosophy and language of yogic practice to propose a pedagogy that invites students to see their way toward an embodied practice of research, one that helps them to acknowledge and negotiate generic constraints, seek innovation, and accept uncertainty in their research-based writing.

Fundamentals of the Stanislavski System and Yoga Philosophy and Practice

(2013). Fundamentals of the Stanislavski System and Yoga Philosophy and Practice (Part 2) Stanislavski Studies: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 190-236.

An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression.

In recent years, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments have increased in popularity. This is especially true for treatments that are related to exercise and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in the treatment of both mental and physical illness. MBIs, such as Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which are derived from ancient Buddhist and Yoga philosophies, have become popular treatments in contemporary psychotherapy. While there is growing evidence that supports the role of these interventions in relapse prevention, little is known about the role that MBIs play in the treatment of acute symptoms of depression and anxiety. Even less is known about the importance of specific components of MBIs (eg, mindfulness meditation [MM]) and the overall impact that these interventions have on the experience or expression of psychological distress. Moreover, few studies have rigorously evaluated the dose-response relationship that is required to effect positive symptom change and the mechanisms of change that are responsible for observed improvements. This review will define meditation and mindfulness, discuss the relationship between stress and health and how MM relates to therapeutically engaging the relaxation response, and review the empirical findings that are related to the efficacy of MM in the treatment of depression and anxiety symptoms. Given the paucity of research that examines the applications of these treatments in clinical populations, the limitations of applying these findings to clinical samples will be mentioned. A brief review of the issues related to the possible mechanisms of change and the dose-response relationship regarding MBIs, particularly MM, will be provided. Finally, limitations of the extant literature and future directions for further exploration of this topic will be offered.

INFLUENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE ON ANXIETY LEVEL OF APPARENTLY HEALTHY FEMALE SUBJECTS OF BIJAPUR (KARNATAKA)

Background and Objective: Stress and anxiety influences physical and mental health. There is a need for simple and cost effective treatment for anxiety to alleviate the burden on the health caused by anxiety. All over the world the scientists have extensively studied about yoga and claimed that it increases longevity and has therapeutic and rehabilitative effects. This study was undertaken seeking the specific effects of yoga therapy on anxiety. This study was undertaken to determine and compare the effects of Yoga on anxiety levels of apparently healthy female subjects. Methods and Material: Study conducted on 50 healthy females aged 20-50 years. Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) Scale was used to evaluate anxiety levels before and at the end of the yoga camp. Results: Before yoga subjects having mild moderate and severe anxiety were 12.12%, 24.24% and 63.63% respectively. After yoga training subjects having mild, moderate and severe anxiety were 24.24%, 33.33% and 42.42% respectively. There was highly significant (p=0.001) difference in the mean values of total score before (32.0+ 6.10) and after (28.54+ 6.0) yoga. These results indicate that there was a reduction in the severity of anxiety from severe to moderate and mild indicating improvement in general well being following yoga. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, one may conclude that regular yogic practices and adapting and implementing the principals and philosophy of yoga in day to day life reduces the anxiety level and improve the subjective feeling of well being.

Karma orientation in boundary spanning sales employees

PurposeThe purpose of this article, based on the Indian philosophy of Karma that all individual actions have the power to bring joy or sorrow based on the nature of action, is to propose a new construct, salesperson's Karma Orientation, and discuss its antecedents and outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews literature on oriental philosophy of Karma yoga, and on self‐leadership, and self‐control to propose the new construct, its antecedents, and consequences in a sales context.FindingsThe paper puts forward four dimensions of Karma orientation of salespersons: work as selfless action, work as duty towards others, detachment from work‐related rewards, and equanimity under environmental influences. Salesperson's Karma orientation is useful for developing relationship with customers, enhances selling effectiveness, ethical behaviors, and spiritual well‐being, by providing the salespersons with a sense of duty, and ownership towards their work.Practical implicationsThe concept of Karma orientation would be useful for stressful jobs such as sales, and managers would find it useful as a coping strategy, as well as for improving performance of employees.Originality/valueThe paper proposes a new construct of Karma orientation at an individual boundary spanning sales employee's level. The paper also propose its important antecedents and outcomes.

Multiple Implications of Vaināśika Criticized in Yoga Philosophy

Multiple Implications of Vaināśika Criticized in Yoga Philosophy

Improvement in the Quality of Life and Asceticism of Yoga Philosophy

Improvement in the Quality of Life and Asceticism of Yoga Philosophy