How were the levels conceived?
There is an eightfold division of ashthânga-yoga describing yama: the don’ts / niyama: the do’s / âsana: the practice of postures/ pranâyâma: breathcontrol / pratyâhâra: turning inward / dhâranâ: concentration / dhyâna: meditation and samâdhi: absorption. This has been popularized in more western terms into the levels of lust (don’ts ), the levels of exercise (do ‘s ), the levels of execution (exercises), the levels of socializing (breathcontrol), helping (turning inward), speaking (concentration), understanding (meditation), and control (absorption). Surfing to “the Other Rules” you will find chapters giving rules for each level that are named there resp. making love, the body, sport, marriage, relationships, dating, business and daily life. You understand that translating the eightfold system of yoga to our understanding and life-experience does give some mutations to the original turning inward story of yoga making it more the love for the knowledge of life of filognosy.
