SC Musings for Nitya Gurukula

Ethical Behaviours – Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi. The 4th, 6th, 7th & 8th Limbs

August 29, 2025

Dear Readers, Welcome to SC Musings, Blog 44

We move into the last 4 of the 8 limbs of yoga namely:

- Pratyahara,

- Dharana,

- Dhyana

- Samadhi.

This journey of unravelling the mystery of yoga through the insights from ‘Living the Science of Harmonious Union’ (Yati, 2009) with you Dear Readers, has taken me to its depths. I hope and trust that I am able to pass on a bit of my excitement and experiences to you.

The first 4 limbs to recap are Yamas- Restraints, Niyamas - Observances, Asana – Steadiness and Pranayama- Regulation of Vital Forces, addressed in Blogs 40 to 43 (2025). The beginning 4 set the tone and prepare for remaining limbs which are internal, taking us from individual to universal consciousness. I have found that there is a direct link between these 4 limbs and ethical behaviours, which will emerge later.

Guru Nitya gives a simple, practical, workable and profound interpretation of these 4 internal limbs. These practical concepts and tools are presented below:

‘The fifth limb occurs when the mind has been withdrawn from distractions (pratyahara); this enables you to see the beneficial norms of life. A normative notion comes in the form of a harmonised hierarchy of values. When all values of interest are structured around a peak or crowning values, life has a central principle to regulate thoughts, words , and actions. This inner principle is dharana. Dharana, the sixth limb is the supporting principle that keeps you clear headed and provides a stable basis for your programs of life. When the stream of consciousness flows evenly as desired and channelled by the individual, that harmonious flow is dhyana, the seventh limb”.

Just as all rivers flow into the ocean, when all thoughts and inner movements merge in a state of absorption, samadhi comes. Samadhi means union.”

Thus in yoga, states Guru Nitya,

: “you gain a unitive understanding, a dedicated program of action, and dedicated cultivation of happiness, which is identical to the happiness of the world”. (Yati, 2009, p. xvi to xvii).

The interpretations of the 4 internal limbs by Guru Nitya are captured in Table 44.

2 individuals who embodied and embody these 4 of the 8 limbs have and continue to impact me.

Lakshmi, a cancer patient had little time left after secondaries ravaged her body. She made me commit to visit her whenever I was in Coimbatore, since those days I used to travel for the family company I was managing. Hesitantly I agreed, because it was extremely painful to witness her waste away, more so because we shared a few beautiful years of working together for what was then known as the ‘poor patients dormitory’. Lakshmi would bring buttermilk weekly for the inmates and share her experiences and recovery from breast cancer in group sessions.

Participants pleasantly humoured, teased her for her north Indianish Tamil, which they termed ‘mazhalai’ (baby talk).

In bed, able to move only her fingers, Lakshmi included her family in our sessions.

Surprisingly, my suffering from watching the challenges she was undergoing gradually melted, and turned into being with her, enjoying her spirit and partaking in her humour. Like once she brought to our attention that she could only move fingers and couldn’t talk, her mother-in-law did not hear, the assistant who was taking care of her did not understand what we were talking- we all laughed heartily. Lakshmi connected and engaged with her family by signalling to remind them of their schedules. And the last wave of her fingers to me was the day before she passed, the final goodbye; her son pleaded with me to convince her to go to the hospital, but Lakshmi decided it was time.

Inspiration and spirit I received from Lakshmi is inexplicable- fills me as I key in these words.

Now let’s move on to find how the 4 limbs manifested in Lakshmi.

Even her physical condition did not distract Lakshmi. She withdrew from her pain and disability demonstrating ‘pratyahara’. Commanding me to visit and share her experiences was to keep her goals of joy and harmony alive. This then was her ‘peak value’; joy and harmony for herself, family and environment, her dharana.

The finale came when Lakshmi accepted it was time and exited with grace, poise and beauty, one with all of us. She went into dhyana, in accepting her end and became one with it, samadhi.

Experiences with Lakshmi continue fresh and nourishing me with possibilities, despite losing her so quickly.

Paul, i.e. Dr. Lam the Taichi maestro is a more recent example of one who embodies the 4 limbs. Born in Maoist China during the dark days, Paul underwent immense deprivation, suffering and loss while growing up. Moving to Australia and becoming a Family Physician, Paul had to come to terms with his arthritis due to malnutrition in early childhood. Raising a family, practising as a doctor, Paul mastered Taichi and won accolades. However, what’s amazing is his brain-child the Taichi for Health Institute TCHI and here’s a brief about it:

“ There are over 10 million people around the world who have enjoyed and benefited from Dr Lams Tai Chi for Health programs.

The Tai Chi for Health Institute was founded in 2010 by Dr Lam and many of his Tai Chi for Health colleagues with the purpose of empowering people to improve health and wellness through the Tai Chi for Health programs. Also to monitor the quality and standards of the training and to provide support for instructors.”

In Coimbatore in September 2024, Paul’s simplicity, humility, engagement and passion for Taichi and health touched students, and participants of all age groups.

As a result, the Taichi community is steadily growing in Nitya Gurukula.

What is this magic which Paul brings?? Let us delve into it using the 4 limbs.

Nothing and no one distracts Paul during his Taichi demonstrations or teachings- his pratyahara is total. His goal (central and peak values), which is the purpose of TCHI are:

“To empower people to improve their health and wellness

Making Tai Chi for Health accessible to everyone for health and wellness”

Again deep immersing -dhyana, and total absorption in Taichi and human health and wellness constitutes the aura of magic surrounding Paul.

Of course, it’s important to bring in Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati who was an epitome of the 8 limbs- his deep commitment to a life of contemplation was evident in his interpretation of the epics like Yoga Sutras.

We now move on to the connection between the 4 limbs and ethical behaviours.

In the lives of individuals above there is a common thread of a goal- a central and peak value, the goal, which draws them. Thus, without distractions they immerse and become one with their goal and vision.

An important characteristic which illumined the personalities of Lakshmi and Paul is their ethical stance and behaviours. Their shortcomings and struggles did not deter their gracious consideration for the welfare of humanity. I found and find their behaviours ethical. I am yet to discover a mean or vengeful thread in them.

These dark qualities, meanness and vengefulness, deplete humanity in people.

They begin to function unethically, justifying their actions, contributing to the never ending woes of the very people they serve.

Internal processes of focus, identification, submersion and oneness are relevant to harmonious living and need to be applied in developing ethical stances and cultivating ethical behaviours. My biggest learning in exploring the connections between the 8 limbs and ethical behaviours is that when internalised, ethics become peak goals. This leads to a continuous process of reflection and alignment of Self-Others- Environment

Dear Readers,

We bring to closure the 8 limbs of yoga and their connection to ethical behaviours in this Blog 44. In our next Blog, we will pursue the 4 qualities which sustain ‘Harmonious Living’.

References:

Yati, G.N.C. (2009). Living the Science of Harmonious Union. Principles and Practice of Patanjali’s Yoga Sastra. D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd. New Delhi

Blog 40, (July 4, 2025. https://www.nityagurukula.org/sc-musings/ethical-behaviours-thru-8-limbs-of-yoga/

Blog 41,(July 18, 2025). https://www.nityagurukula.org/sc-musings/ethical-behaviours-and-the-yamas-1st-limb/

Blog 42, (August 1, 2025). https://www.nityagurukula.org/sc-musings/ethical-behaviours-and-niyamas-the-2nd-limb/

Blog 43, (August 15, 2025). https://www.nityagurukula.org/sc-musings/ethical-behaviours-asana-pranayama-the-3rd-4th-limbs/

TCHI (2018). https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/about-us/