Introduction

Yoga is an ancient discipline. It is designed to bring balance and health to an individual. It works in all dimensions – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Yoga is a long-popular practice in India that has increasingly being practiced in the world over. Yoga means “union that brings you to the ultimate reality. We indulge in yoga when we connect by performing and paying attention at the same time. It is a back-and-forth activity where each one influences the other.

Yoga, what does that mean?

The word “Yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root, “yuj”, meaning to bind, unite, join, and yoke. The mind is described as the wild horse which must be yoked to calm it down. It is the union of the mind, the body, and the divine reality. Yoga flows, and the basic nature of flow is uniqueness and it is active. It’s the way you engage with the world to create harmony. Yoga is about participation. How you engage with the environment, create relationships, and create harmony. And harmony is all about music that is pleasant in nature.

Yoga is “the means or techniques for transforming consciousness and attaining liberation from Karma and rebirth.” It is “a practice by means of which a spiritual seeker strives, to control nature to make the soul fit for union with the divine – to attain union with God. Union leads to the liberation of the soul from the cycle of rebirth and death.

Yoga – Science or Art?

Yoga is both a science and an art. Yoga is a science, as it teaches methods for controlling body and mind, making deep meditation possible. Yoga is an art. Until it is practiced in intuitive, sensitive manner it yields only superficial results.

Yoga takes into account the influence of the mind and the body on each other. It brings them into a state of harmony. It works with the energy in the body, through the yogic science of Pranayama, or energy-control. As Prana also means ‘breath’. Yoga teaches how to still the mind and attain higher states of awareness through breath-control. The higher teachings of yoga focus on how to direct energy to harmonize human consciousness with divine consciousness. The aim is to ultimately merge human consciousness in the Infinite.

Origin of Yoga

The true origins of yoga remains a mystery. The earliest recorded mention of the word ‘yoga’ is in the ancient Indian text, the Rig Veda – that dates back to around 1500 BC. In the Atharva Veda, dating back to 1200-1000 BC, we find a mention of the necessity of breath-control. it is difficult to pinpoint exact dates as in the beginning, the Vedas were, only, passed on orally from one generation to another,. Written records came much later. However, even before this, in the Indus-Saraswati civilization (dating to 2700 BC), several artifacts and fossils have been found, with figures performing Yoga Sadhana. This points to the fact that yoga was known and practiced even in those early stages of civilization.

Yoga, as practiced and taught in India, entered the Western world in the 19th century with the translation of basic yogic texts. Following attendance at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, Swami Vivekananda introduced yoga to the USA.

ASTHANGA YOGA (Eight limbs of Yoga)

Yoga was developed as composed of eight limbs or aspects. Yama (universal ethics),  Niyama (individual ethics), Asana (physical postures), Pranayama (breath control),  Pratyahara (control of the senses),  Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (bliss). Each aspect is connected to the whole. In the same way, as all limbs are connected to the body.

Benefits of YOGA and PRANAYAMA

Practicing yoga comes with many benefits for both mental and physical health. Yoga poses massage organs by twisting and compressing them. The practice of yoga also helps rejuvenate the immune system. The practice of yoga also generates balanced energy—vital energy required by the immune system

Each Asana ( yoga posture) apart from giving physical benefits also has some more beneficial effects. Some are stimulatory to the nervous and circulatory systems. Some develop coordination and concentration. While some others have a calming effect on the body. Pranayama consists of a variety of techniques for the regulation of breathing. It has been shown to create a sense of well being, feeling of relaxation, improved concentration, self-confidence, improved efficiency, good interpersonal relationships, increased attentiveness, lowered irritability, and an optimistic outlook in life. So essential in today’s chaotic times.

Read : Turmeric- A Natural Steroid

 References

1. Modulation of immune responses in stress by Yoga
2. Stress due to exams in medical students–role of yoga