By Nora Reda
In one of the most quoted books on yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the term svadhyaya is put into context in the second chapter (pada), under the term kriyayoga. Kriya means action and so the practice points to eight yogic disciplines that are further organized into three tiers within which the practices come in pairs. The first two tiers encompass spiritual practices (tapas): yama and niyama or ethical disciplines; asana and pranayama or posture and breath. In the second tier there is pratyahara and dharana or the withdrawal of the senses and focus, which fall under self-study or svadhyaya. The third tier is dhyana and samadhi, which are the vehicles to complete surrender of the individual self to the Universal Spirit, or God (Isvara pranidhana).
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