QUESTION BANK (December 2006)

What is yoga? Yoga means union. In religion, Yoga means union of soul with God. Name eight limbs of yoga? Yam, Niyam, Aasan, Pranayam, Pratyahar, Dharna, Dhyan and Smadhi. What are five Yam? Satya (truthfulness), Ahinsa (non-violence), asteya (non-stealing), brahamcharya (celibacy), aparigrah (non-covetousness) What are five Niyam? Sauch (Purity), Santosh (Contentment), Tapa (Austerity), Swadhyaya (Study of Vedic literature), Ishwar Pranidhan

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Pratyahara (July 2006)

Self-control – the fifth limb of Yoga What is Pratyahara Pratyahara means disengagement of the senses from their objects of attachment. Every sense has objects of natural inclination. These natural inclinations if not controlled can be quite distracting. For example, any pleasing – or annoying – sound can easily divert the attention of a person from whatever he or she

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Pranayama (June 2006)

(Breath Control – the fourth limb of Yoga) Pranayama is a special method of breath-control with which life-force is brought under control and made regular. This is achieved by controlling the incoming and outgoing breath. How can we perform Pranayama? There are three main stages: Purak: This is the way of drawing in breath slowly. Stambhak: This is retention of

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AASAN (April 2006)

(Postures – the third limb of Yoga) Aasans are a system of exercises to make all parts of the body strong and healthy. Out of eight limbs of Yoga, it is one of the widely known and practiced aspects. Aasan regulate breathing, ensure proper digestion of food and increase longevity. The eventual purpose of Aasan is to calm the mind

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Niyam (The second limb of Yoga) (March 2006)

Niyam are the second part of Yoga. They are articles of personal discipline. Here are five niyam: Sauch (Purity) Santosh (Contentment) Tapa (Austerity) Swadhyaya (Study of Vedic literature) Ishwar Pranidhan (Surrender to God) Sauch (Purity): It means purity or cleanliness. It is of two types: External cleanliness and internal purity. External cleanliness means cleanliness of body, clothes, surroundings, food and

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