ABOUT YOGA

Yoga introduction

Concept and practice of yoga originated in India several thousands years ago. Its founders were great saints and sages. The great yogis gave rational interpretation to their experiences of yoga and brought about a practical and scientifically sound method within every one’s reach. Yoga today is no longer restricted to hermits; saints, sages, it has taken its place in our every day lives and has aroused a world wide awakening and acceptance in the last few decades. The science of yoga and its techniques have now been re-oriented to suit modern sociological and physiological needs and lifestyles. Experts’ practitioners and protagonists of various branches of medicine including modern medical science are realizing the role of these techniques in the prevention of disease mitigation and promotion of health.

Yoga is one among the six systems of vedic philosophy. Maharishi patanjali, rightly called the “father of yoga” compiled and refined various aspects of yoga systematically in his “yoga sutras” (aphorisms). He advocated the eight fold path of yoga, popularly known as “Ashtanga yoga” for all-round development of human personality. This are-yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana & Samadhi. These components advocate restraint, observance of austerity, physical postures, breathing exercises, restraining the sense organs, contemplation, meditation and smadhi. These steps are believed to have potential for the improvement of physical health by encouraging better circulation of oxygenated blood in the body, retraining the sense organs and thereby inducing tranquility and serenity of mind. The practice of yoga prevents psychosomatic disorders/diseases and improves an individual’s resistance and ability to endure stressful situations.

In practice, yoga is an applied science of the mind and body. It comes from the Hindu vedas (scriptures). Practice and study of it help to bring about a natural balance of body and mind in which the state of health can manifest itself. Yoga itself does not create health; rather, it creates an internal environment that allows the individual to come to his own state of dynamic balance, or health. Basically, yoga teaches that a healthy person is a harmoniously integrated unit of body, mind and spirit. Therefore, good health requires a simple, natural diet, exercise in fresh air, a serene and untroubled mind and the awareness that main's deepest and highest self is identical with the spirit of God. As a result, to many devotees, yoga becomes a philosophy that offers instruction and insight into every aspect of life: the spiritual, the mental and the physical. Of course, because it is all-encompassing, people who want to pick and choose from its smorgasbord can do so without being disappointed. Yoga is equally satisfying as a physical therapy alone.

Definition of Yoga

The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from its Sanskrit origin “yuj: which means to bind, to join or to apply. Traditionally philosophers had interpreted this to read “yoking of all powers of the body, the mind and Soul to God”. Swami Digambari disagrees with this vendantic connotation of “joining the Atma with the Paramatma. “He thinks god has no physical attributes and that all such binding process is illusory as he is beyond the ‘gunas’, “Trigunatita.” He prefers to use the term to mean control of “Chitta” (mind) and all its fluctuations. “The result is that chitta will remain in it self i.e. in unsullied original condition. This is the perfect tranquilization ‘samadhi’: and this is called Yoga.” Kathopanished describes it thus “when the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest ,when the intellect wavers not-then, say the wise, is reached the highest stage. This steady control of the sense and the mind has been defined as Yoga.

Asthang Yoga

This brings us again to the question of ends and means. Patanjali describes eight aspects (“Limbs”) of yoga which some may look upon as means to attain spiritual experiences, and for most followers, a way of living in health and joyfulness:

The stages are clearly defined. The first three, called the ‘Bahiranga Sadhana’, control the instincts and feelings and prepare the body so that it is in tune with nature and eventually loses its “body-consciousness”. The next two stages (pranayama and pratyahara), called the ‘Antaranga Sadhana’, lead to conscious control over breathing and focusing of attention inwards. The next three stages called the ‘Antaratma Sadhana’, prepare the mind for revelation of the ultimate-self within the microcosm of ones own self. The seeker and the sought become one in this transcendental state. These eight stages have been described by patanjali as ‘Astanga yoga’ or eight limbs of yoga.

Yoga's View Of Disease

Yoga considers that most diseases are due to insufficient life force, either in the body as a whole, or a blockage of life force to one part of the body. This leads to a lowered body resistance or immunity to disease.

Those practicing yoga have learned many centuries ago that most diseases are due to reduced immunity. Medical science is gradually coming to the same conclusion.

When the whole body has lowered life force, the result is a lowered vitality level, poor health and susceptibility to infection. No infections would occur if the body's life force is high enough to fight off the infection. Pathogens (bacteria, viruses and so on) are a normal part of life and will only cause trouble when the body's resistance is too low to keep them in check.

The best way to increase the general life force of the body is by good nutrition, sufficient deep steep, a positive mental attitude and yoga.

A blockage of life force to one part of the body, such as the thyroid gland, is usually caused by a slight misalignment of a vertebra which impinges on the nerve that travels to that particular organ. This causes an interference to the life force (nerve impulses) to the organ. As a result, the organ not functioning at its optimum level. If the spinal misalignment is not corrected, the organ may develop pathology. It is much more difficult to correct at this stage.

The ancient yogis were well aware of the importance of the spine in relation to disease, since most of their asanas or postures were designed to make the spine more flexible to prevent spinal misalignments. Some of the asanas will even correct minor spinal misalignments.

The spine is so important for a high vitality level, good health and the correction of many health conditions that a whole science of healing has been developed to correct spinal misalignments. In fact, chiropractic is now the second largest healing profession after medicine and the fastest growing healing profession in the world.

A Brief Philosophy of Yoga

The yogis consider that we are all searching for happiness and that this is everybody's main goal. It's just that most people settle for the brief, watered-down version of temporary pleasures.

The yogis state that at some stage in our spiritual evolution over many lives we will become dissatisfied with brief, temporary pleasures and start our quest for eternal bliss. Methods to achieve this were developed and perfected by the yogis thousands of years ago. They consider that nature's laws are so designed that we must evolve. The main mechanism nature uses in the early stages is pain. When we find that relationships, money or alcohol, for example, do not produce happiness or a sense of purpose, we will start looking more deeply into life. Yoga waits patiently for you to reach this stage.

In the later stages of spiritual evolution, pain is no longer needed to spur us on. Each stage of progress produces such peace and happiness that this entices us to go to a higher level of happiness. Thus, instead of pain, reward becomes the prime mover.

The above is a very brief indication of yoga philosophy, which is so comprehensive that it deals with every aspect of life and delves into the very nature of reality.