When the five perceptions are stilled, together with the mind, And not even reason bestirs itself; they call it the highest state. When senses are firmly reined in, that is Yoga, so people think.
– Kaṭha Upaniṣad, 6.10-11
When the five perceptions are stilled, together with the mind, And not even reason bestirs itself; they call it the highest state. When senses are firmly reined in, that is Yoga, so people think.
– Kaṭha Upaniṣad, 6.10-11
Sage Dattatreya divides yoga into mantrayoga, layayoga, hathayoga and rajayoga. Hathayoga is further divided into the yoga of munis and siddhas.
The Hatha-yoga corpus of texts unequivocally proclaims that the goal of yoga is the union of atman with paramatman. Academics tend to de-emphasize this aspect.
The metaphysics of yoga is purely Vedantic but the methods of reaching the goal are different in Vedanta and yoga.
The text teaches a technique called śāmbhavi mudra, to achieve a state of no-mind.
A vast yogic sculptural treasure lay forgotten in hundreds of early temples across India. Here are a few important ones.