India, Sept. 13 -- The second excercise to be practised daily under Ashtang yoga, is Niyam. This comprises of five parts: 1) Purification ( Shauch) 2) Contentment ( Santosh) 3) Stoic austerity (Tapa) 4) Regular study of Vedas ( Swadhyaya) with deep introspection 5) Intense devotion to God ( Ishwar Pranidhana)
1) Purification of the body is external and internal. Anatomically, the body consists of skin, blood,flesh, bones ,marrow, urine and faecal matter. This unholy bag is constantly throwing out filth. Therefore a daily cleansing is required to keep it healthy. Mind purification is subtler. Devotion to truth, noble thoughts, a cheerful temperament, developing concentration, sense control and an earnest desire to realise the truth, purifie...