These are not just Eight syllables, they are Eight limbs, Eight flames. Eight tools for transformation. It is going to help every speakers like you & me, every seekers like all of us, and struggler around us.”
Fellow TM & Guests,
Today, I invite you to walk with me—not on a stage, but on a spiritual staircase/ladder.
A path practised by great saint and sages and founded by Patanjali since thousands of years.
A path encoded in a simple abbreviation: YNAPPDDS.
Let me expanded that for you, they are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.
[Mnemonic: You Never Ask People Properly During Deep Silence… unless you’re a yogi or a married man.”
cause both know the power of restraint, breath control, and the art of not reacting]
Let’s climb the ladder step by step:
1. Yama – The Moral Compass. What not to do. Restraint from negative influence - non-violence, truth, integrity, moderation/celebacy, and detachment/non-possessiveness.
Before we master the mic, we must master our morals. Before you conquer the cosmos, conquer your conduct.
ahiṁsā-satya-asteya-brahmacarya-aparigrahāḥ yamāḥ
It’s not just about what we say—it's about how we live.
Yama is the handshake between ethics and evolution.
Not rules—but revelations. Not restrictions—but refinements.
Yama is the armor of the soul. Without it, every battle is lost before it begins.
2. Niyama – The Inner Vow, The promise we make to ourselves - Cleanliness, contentment, discipline, reflection, and surrender.
Inner Purity and outer purity... Purity in body, thoughts and word etc....
It’s the daily ritual of rising above reaction. Niyama is where character becomes culture.
Cleanliness of body. Contentment of heart. Discipline of will. Study of self. Surrender to the divine.
“The body is your temple. The mind, your monk. The breath, your prayer.”
śauca-santoṣa-tapaḥ-svādhyāya-īśvarapraṇidhānāni niyamāḥ
3. Asana –
Asana isn’t just posture—it’s presence. It’s where the body sits still, and the soul starts to stir.
In Asana, we don’t perform—we prepare. It’s the seat of silence before the storm of transformation.
In the West, yoga begins here. But Patanjali places it third—for a reason.
“Sthira Sukham Asanam”—A posture that is steady and joyful.
A posture to alighed with geometry and globe for a communion—with gravity, grace, and God.
4. Pranayama – The Breath of Life. Pranayama is breath with purpose.
It’s the rhythm that rewires our emotions, our energy, our essence.
When breath flows freely, fear fades quietly. Pranayama is the pulse of inner power.
Breath—the invisible thread between body and soul. Control it, and you control the storm.
Inhale peace. Exhale poison. Inhale presence. Exhale past.
tasmin sati śvāsa-praśvāsayoḥ gati-vicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ - Once the seat (asana) is mastered, Pranayama is the regulation of inhalation and exhalation
5. Pratyahara – Pratyahara is "withdrawal of the senses". It involves turning the mind's attention inward, away from external distractions and stimuli from the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell)
It’s the moment we mute the world to hear our own truth.
Not escape—but alignment. It’s where silence becomes sacred.
The senses are wild horses. Pratyahara is the reins.
Withdraw. Not to escape—but to engage. Not to isolate—but to integrate.
“When the world goes loud, go inward.
sva-sva-viṣaya-asamprayoge cittasya svarūpa-anukāra iva indriyāṇāṁ pratyāhāraḥ
“Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses from their objects, appearing to follow the nature of the mind itself.”
6. Dharana – The Sword of Focus
Dharana is laser-sharp attention. It’s the mind held steady like a flame in still air.
No multitasking. No mental noise. Just pure, pointed presence.
Choose one point. One mantra. One flame. And hold it. Not with force—but with fascination.
“Focus is not a skill—it is a sanctuary.”
deśa-bandhaḥ cittasya dhāraṇā - Fixing the mind on one object, without wavering .
Monkey Mind - curious, restless, easily distracted...
7. Dhyana – The River of Meditation
Dhyana is meditation in motion. Not thinking about peace—but becoming it.
It’s the flow where thought dissolves and awareness expands. Dhyana is the mirror that reflects the soul.
When focus flows, it becomes meditation. No effort. No ego. Just existence.
> “The mind becomes a mirror—reflecting nothing, absorbing everything.”
tatra pratyaya-ikatānatā dhyānam - Meditation is the uninterrupted flow of awareness toward the object of concentration.
8. Samadhi – The Ocean of Bliss Samadhi is the final union.
Where ego melts, and the seeker becomes the silence. No “I”, no “mine”—just merging with the divine.
Samadhi is not the end—it’s the elevation
This is not achievement—it is annihilation. The drop merges with the ocean. The seeker dissolves into the sought.
“No ‘I’. No ‘mine’. No ‘me’. Only being.”
tad eva artha-mātra-nirbhāsaṁ svarūpa-śūnyam iva samādhiḥ - Samadhi is that state where only the object of meditation shines forth, and the self appears to be absent.”
Closing Line
These is the details about each steps of YNAPPDDS: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.
It will lead you from restraint to radiance, from posture to peace, from ethics to ecstasy. It’s a mantra for mastery. [moral to mastery]
“In a world that teaches us to chase more, this proved mantra taught us to become less. Less distracted. Less reactive. Less divided. And in that less… we find everything.” So whether you’re a speaker finding your voice, A leader seeking clarity, Or a seeker yearning for peace. This is not just yoga. This is the architecture of awakening.
Let YNAPPDDS be your compass. And the most significantly if someone ask you what is Yoga, not just misunderstand it as steps 3 Asana, but rather answer the whole YNAPPDD ? S...
Back to you TMoD....
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