Omprem opined:<br><br>&gt;But they all taught
that there are 8 (ashta) essential, interconnected
elements to Ashtanga or Raja Yoga.<br><br>&gt;If you want
to focus on asana - pranayama exclusively, you are
not practicing Ashtanga Yoga. You are practicing Dwi
Anga Yoga.<br><br>Like Omboy before him, Omprem has no
interest in addressing the topic of this list, which is
the Astanga Yoga method as taught by SP Jois. He's
attracted to the list because it gives him a forum to
pontificate and espouse his views, however unrelated or
contradictory they are to the teachings of Jois.<br><br>Jois
teaches that pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and
samadhi are to be studied after asana practice is
mastered. This is why he only discusses the first 3 limbs
in his book, Yoga Mala.<br><br>Apparently, Omprem
thinks he knows more than Jois, and knows what's best
for the deluded, lost souls on this list. I suspect
Omprem is a follower of the Brahma Kumaris organization,
a group espousing Raja Yoga. That's is his
business, of course. (Omprem has neither the integrity nor
courage to identify himself or whatever brand of yoga it
is that he practices - it certainly isn't Jois'
brand of Astanga, since I can't recall him ever
mentioning Jois' name or teachings in any of his
posts.)<br><br>One can hope that proselytizers such as Omprem will
go the way of Omboy, who for a while used this list
to promote his nude yoga classes in Chelsea.
Eventually, after reams of hyperbolic, Sanskrit-strewn posts,
Omboy gave up, and we all breathed a collective sigh of
relief.<br><br>The depths of Omprem's arrogance extends so far that
he's started to haughtily criticize us for following
the teachings of Jois, whom many of us regard as our
guru, and not following his school of Raja/Astanga
Yoga. Rather like going into a mosque and reprimanding
the Muslims there for not following Christianity.
Appalling or pitiful? Take a look at the Founder's
statement, Omprem. Nothing about Raja Yoga mentioned there.
Show some respect for people whose views differ from
your own.<br><br>As a lapsed Catholic, I'll pray for
you to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost
causes.<br><br>Cheers,<br>DMcG