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What Is Yoga?
Yoga is a science of health and spirituality that originated many
thousands of years ago in India. The ancient yogis sought to harmonize
the body, mind and soul in an effort to achieve health, long life,
and ultimately, enlightenment. Thus, the Sanskrit word Yoga means
'union with' or 'to join'. This union with the divine is achieved
through the disciplined practice of specific exercises, meditation
and breath work.
Yoga is essentially a lifestyle, dealing with all the aspects of
our being. The physical postures, or asanas that are widely perceived
as yoga, are just one aspect of a very profound science of life.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga, articulated by C.E. Patanjali in the Yoga
Sutra, describe the eight aspects of a yogic lifestyle. These aspects
guide the yogi on a path self-development to harmonize the body,
mind and spirit and attain enlightenment.
If you can breathe you can do Yoga.
Yoga is not about flexibility or what you can or
cannot do. Yoga is about awareness and the mindset you bring to
life. Poses are intended
for the exploration of the body, and our capacity to do each pose
varies widely given our
body type, strength and age.
The very elements of Yoga, transcribed some 5000 years ago, are
the essential ingredients of 21st century corporate success.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga:
- The first limb, yama, focuses on one's behavior in the world
and attitude towards those around him or her. The five yamas are:
ahimsa or nonviolence, satya or truthfulness, asteya or non-stealing,
bramacharya or non-lust, aparigraha or non-possessiveness.
- The second limb, niyama, refers to one's behavior and attitude
towards oneself. There are five niyamas: sauca or cleanliness,
santosha or contentment, tapas or austerity, svadhyaya or study
of the sacred text and of oneself, and isvarapranidhama or living
with an awareness of the divine.
- Asanas or physical poses are the third limb. Asanas are designed
to bring strength, vitality and relaxation to every bodily system.
- Pranayama, or breathing exercises, encompass the fourth limb.
Through disciplined regulation of the breath-the duration of inhalation,
retention and exhalation, one strengthens and cleanses the nervous
system. The result is increased life-force and a calmer mind.
- The fifth limb is prathayara or withdrawal of the senses. One's
focus goes inward, losing awareness of what is going on outside
of oneself.
- Dharana, or concentration is the sixth limb. One trains the
mind to focus without distractions.
- Dhyana, or meditation is the seventh limb. In meditation one
practices constant observation of the mind, stilling the mind
in order to heighten one's awareness and oneness with the universe.
- The final limb, the ultimate goal of yoga, is samadhi or enlightenment.
It is the achievement of oneness with the universe in which one
experiences a state of peace, utter contentment and completion.
Yoga as it was designed and practiced by the ancient yogis encompasses
all these aspects of the self and of life. It is a spiritual path
and a lifestyle meant to lead the student towards health, self-knowledge,
and union with the divine. Controlling and balancing our senses
can provide overall balance in the brain and in the body.
Here we will mostly be concentrating on Asanas
or physical poses i.e. the third limb
of Yoga. Yoga has a range of poses and well set out sequences
for persons with different profiles and conditions. There are several
simple positions as well as more complex ones.
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