Changes

Relating the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita to making work an enjoyable experience, Swami Bodhananda Saraswati <ref>Swami Bodhananda Saraswati. (2007). Self development for global competitiveness. Ahmedabad Management Association.</ref>(2007) reiterates the need to engage in the world but remain detached from the fruits of one’s work and to not react to the results of one’s work. Further, he stresses that it is very important to live in constant awareness of oneself so that one has power over one’s thoughts, and can choose responses to the world as per one’s values. This is the power that Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga enunciates through the principle of controlling or mastering the thought modifications of the mind. (Swami Bodhananda Saraswati, 1998<ref>Swami Bodhananda Saraswati. (1998). Management lessons from Patanjali’s yoga sutras. In Inspirations from Indian wisdom for management. Ahmedabad Management Association.</ref>).

Relating the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita to making work an enjoyable experience, Swami Bodhananda Saraswati <ref>Swami Bodhananda Saraswati. (2007). Self development for global competitiveness. Ahmedabad Management Association.</ref>(2007) reiterates the need to engage in the world but remain detached from the fruits of one’s work and to not react to the results of one’s work. Further, he stresses that it is very important to live in constant awareness of oneself so that one has power over one’s thoughts, and can choose responses to the world as per one’s values. This is the power that Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga enunciates through the principle of controlling or mastering the thought modifications of the mind. (Swami Bodhananda Saraswati, 1998<ref>Swami Bodhananda Saraswati. (1998). Management lessons from Patanjali’s yoga sutras. In Inspirations from Indian wisdom for management. Ahmedabad Management Association.</ref>).

Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga encompasses cognitive learning, moral conduct, physiological practices and psychological therapy. The first two stepsdyama and niyamadseek and shape external behaviour and thought patterns and thus minimise disturbances in the mind and the body. The handling of emotional contamination and the removal of negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, greed, attachment, ego, and an excessive desire for objects are very important in adopting the yoga way of life. The yama and niyama stages of Ashtanga yoga enable an individual to eradicate such negative contamination through sustained and conscious efforts. Through such a process, the individual attains a state of ‘chittasuddhi’ or purity of mind, which is considered to be the starting point of the yoga way of life. Sri Aurobindo too (Chakraborty & Chakraborty, 2008) stresses the need for the ‘chitta’ to be purified before clarity and right knowledge dawn.  

Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga encompasses cognitive learning, moral conduct, physiological practices and psychological therapy. The first two steps - yama and niyama - seek and shape external behavior and thought patterns and thus minimize disturbances in the mind and the body. The handling of emotional contamination and the removal of negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, greed, attachment, ego, and an excessive desire for objects are very important in adopting the yoga way of life. The yama and niyama stages of Ashtanga yoga enable an individual to eradicate such negative contamination through sustained and conscious efforts. Through such a process, the individual attains a state of ‘chittasuddhi’ or purity of mind, which is considered to be the starting point of the yoga way of life<ref name=":1" />. Sri Aurobindo too<ref name=":6" /> stresses the need for the ‘chitta’ to be purified before clarity and right knowledge dawn.  

On the behavioural side, abstention is sought from violence, falsehood, dishonesty, sexual excess and acquis- itive tendencies. On the cognitive moral side, the ideals prescribed are purity, contentment, austerity, self study and forbearance. The stages of asana and pranayama are meant for disciplining the body and regulating subtle energy flows. In the fifth stage of prayahara, secondary input is regulated so that the mind is not distracted. The stages of dharana, dhyana and samadhi are for uplifting one’s spiritual self and for heightening consciousness.  

On the behavioral side, abstention is sought from violence, falsehood, dishonesty, sexual excess and acquisitive tendencies. On the cognitive moral side, the ideals prescribed are purity, contentment, austerity, self study and forbearance. The stages of asana and pranayama are meant for disciplining the body and regulating subtle energy flows. In the fifth stage of pratyahara, secondary input is regulated so that the mind is not distracted. The stages of dharana, dhyana and samadhi are for uplifting one’s spiritual self and for heightening consciousness<ref name=":1" />.  

According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (Swami Satyananda Saraswati, 1976), asana and pranayama practices are supposed to make our body flexible and purify the subtle energy channels of our body. This paves the way for control of one’s mind, which consists of four aspects: random mind, intellect, subconscious mind and ego. Yoga works on all these four subtle aspects of our mind, and thereby makes one more self-aware, empathetic, motivated and self- regulated. These are the very qualities known as emotional intelligence.  

According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras<ref name=":7" />, asana and pranayama practices are supposed to make our body flexible and purify the subtle energy channels of our body. This paves the way for control of one’s mind, which consists of four aspects: random mind, intellect, subconscious mind and ego. Yoga works on all these four subtle aspects of our mind, and thereby makes one more self-aware, empathetic, motivated and self- regulated. These are the very qualities known as emotional intelligence<ref name=":1" />.  

=== Yoga and the work life ===

=== Yoga and the work life ===