Yoga Darshana
Our Approach
"No method is greater than a philosophy."
Yoga Darshana is one of the six philosophical viewpoints of India. The word means "to join, to link, to unite." It's one of the philosophical foundations of what we teach at Āshram Gaya, weaving together the bodies (Kosha), breath, meditation, ethics and inner development in a way that stays accessible and alive.
Its core aim is the complete development of the human being, in every one of their positive dimensions.
The foundation — Yama and Niyama
Before the 14 disciplines, there's a foundation that holds them all up: Yama and Niyama — the personal and social principles of the yoga practitioner, set out by Patañjali. They run through everything and sit at the core of the whole practice — the ethics that give meaning to all the rest. Without this foundation, yoga shrinks to mere physical exercise.
What it develops: physical health · emotional steadiness · expansion of awareness · emotional intelligence · self-confidence.
The 14 technical disciplines
Dhyāna (Samādhi)
Meditation through mastery of the mental waves. The great aim of yoga.
Prāṇāyāma
Breathing exercises — working with energy (prāṇa) and regulating the nervous system.
Āsana
Physical postures and body awareness. The most visible aspect of yoga.
Yoganidrā
Deep relaxation and the release of emotional and mental tension.
Krīyā
Cleansing and purification of the body and the energy channels.
Kīrtanam
Chanting yoga sounds (Mantra) in an outward, contagious way.
Jāpa Tala
Chanting seed sounds (Bīja) in a focused, inward way.
Jāpa Shesha
Continuous chanting of the sounds of the chakra — the energy centres — with an amplifying effect.
Bandha
Muscular locks of the nerve plexuses, stimulating the endocrine and hormonal systems.
Yantra
Gazing at geometric symbols for a focusing effect — cosmic vibrations represented through geometric form.
Pūjā
Thanksgiving and the cultivation of personal and collective gratitude.
Mudrā
Focusing gestures made with the hands, with cerebral and energetic stimulation.
Nyāsa
Transmission of energy through the hands over the body — throat, eyes, knees, among others.
Mānasika / Saṅkalpa
Projection of consciousness, or visualisation. Directing the mind with intention and purpose.