UNDERSTANDING THE YOGA
AND ITS IMPORTANCE
YOGA IS ONE OF THE MAJOR IDENTITIES OF ANCIENT INDIAN EXISTENCE. IT IS THE SCIENCE THAT HELPED INDIA EMERGE AS "THE GOLDEN BIRD" AND "VISHWAGURU" (WORLD TEACHER) IN THE PAST . LORD SHIVA, AMONG THE GREAT DEITIES OF HINDUISM, MOST PERSONALITIES THE PRACTICE OF YOGA. AS YOGESHWAR, THE GREAT LORD OF YOGA, HE RULED OVER ALL ASPECTS OF YOGA RELATIVE TO BODY, MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS. AFTER THE LORD, IT WAS THE VEDIC SAGES AND HERMITS WHO ARE CONSIDERED AS THE PIONEERS OF YOGA. LATER ON, LORD KRISHNA, LORD BUDDHA, AND LORD MAHAVIRA GAVE THEIR INPUTS TO THIS VAST FIELDS. SAGE PATANJALI COLLECTED MATERIALS ABOUT YOGA AND INPUTS FROM THESE GREAT PERSONALITIES AND COMPILED THE YOGA SUTRAS IN AROUND 400 CE. THE YOGA SUTRA PROVED TO BE A BOON FOR MANKIND.
WHAT IS YOGA? WELL, MOST OF US WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION AS AN OLD SAGE OR A YOGI SITTING IN A MEDIATATIVE POSITION. IN FACT, MOST PEOPLE CONSIDER YOGA AS A TECHNIQUE INVOLVING SOME HARD TO ENACT MUDRAS AND BENDING/TWISTING BODY PARTS IN A CERTAIN WAYS. YOUNGER GENERATION CONSIDERS YOGA AS A FORM OF EXERCISE FIT FOR OLDER PEOPLE.
HOWEVER, YOGA DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH AGE, RELIGION, OR PRACTISING A SPECIFIC ASANA. IN FACT, IT IS A SCIENTIFIC METHOD WHICH UNITES US WITH THE OUTER ENVIRONMENT AND HIDDEN ENERGY WITH US. YOGA IS NOT JUST AN ASANA PRACTICED BY ANY INDIVIDUAL TO TARGET A BODY BUT A TECHNIQUE THAT FACILITATES "UNION". THE WORD "YOGA" COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT ROOT "YUJ" WHICH MEANS "TO JOIN" OR "TO YOKE". YOGA IS A PRACTICAL AID, NOT A RELIGION. YOGA IS AN ANCIENT ART BASED ON A HARMONIZING SYSTEM OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT. IT SIMPLIFIES LIFE AND ADDS POSITIVITY. SINCE ASANAS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL UNION, MOST OF US BELIEVE THAT YOGA IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN ART OF TWISTING AND BENDING VARIOUS PARTS OF BODY.
THE MULTIPLE WAYS OF YOGA
THE VERY MENTION OF TERM "YOGA" MAKES ONE THINK OF VARIOUS ASANAS, PRANAYAMA ETC. MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT YOGA IS ALL ABOUT ASANA. HOWEVER, ASANAS ARE ONLY A PART OF YOGA AND DOES NOT DEFINE IT ENTIRELY. THE LITERAL MEANING OF YOGA IS "UNION". THE WORD "YOGA" COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT ROOT "YUJ", WHICH MEANS "TO JOIN" OR "TO YOKE". THIS REFERS TO THE FUSION OF BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT THROUGH MEDITATION, BREATHING AND PHYSICAL POSTURES.
ASANAS TARGETTED TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF BODY HELPS ONE CONNECT WITH NATURE. IT ALSO HELPS THE INNER EXISTENCE (IDENTITY) TO ESTABLISH CONNECTION WITH OUTER EXISTENCE. HOWEVER, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOGASANA GETS DEEPER WHEN IT IS PRACTISED TO UNITE ONESELF WITH THE ALMIGHTY, ABSOLUTE PEACE, SUPREME HAPPINESS, ABSOLUTE POWER AND TRUTH.
EACH INDIVIDUAL IS UNIQUE AND DISTINCT FROM THE OTHER. THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE DIFFERENT NATURE, VIEWS, GOALS, DESTINATIONS, AND PRINCIPLES FROM THE OTHER. SOME ARE INTROVERTS WHILE OTHERS ARE EXTROVERTS. SOME PRACTISE THEISM WHILE OTHERS ARE ATHEISTS. SOME PEOPLE ARE INFORMAL WHILE OTHERS ARE FORMAL UNDER ALL SITUATIONS. OTHER DIFFERENCE AMONG PEOPLE EXIST DUE TO RELIGION, CULTURE, STATE THEY BELONG TO, ETC. HOWEVER, DESPITE SO MANY DIFFERENCE AMONG PEOPLE, THERE ARE CERTAIN COMMON DESIRES EACH OF THEM NURTURE IN THEIR HEARTS. EVERYONE IS IN SEARCH OF INNER PEACE. THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE WISH OF A THEIST IS TRANSFERED TO THE ALMIGHTY THROUGH EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS WHEREAS THAT OF AS AETHIST TRAVELS THROUGH THE PATH OF LOGIC AND PRACTICALITY OF REACH DESTINATION.
BOTH HAVE A COMMON GOAL - TO REACH THE PINNACLE (ABSOLUTE PEACE, HAPPINESS, IDENTITY, OR FREEDOM) . EVERYONE WANTS TO REACH OUT TO THE HIGHEST POINT IN THEIR LIFE.
THIS IS THE REASON THAT DIFFERENT PATHWAYS HAVE BEEN ALLOTTED TO HELP INDIVIDUALS FROM DIFFERENT WAYS OF LIFE AND MENTALITY TO REACH THE PINNACLE. THESE PATHWAYS ARE PRESENTLY PRACTISED AS DIFFERENT YOGASANAS. THESE DIFFERENT YOGA SADHANAS HELP PEOPLE REACH OUT TO THE PEAK. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE DIFFERENT PATHS OF YOGA BUT THEY ALL LEAD TO A COMMON DESTINATION. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS HATHA YOGA, MANTRA YOGA, RAJA YOGA, KARMA YOGA OR JNANA YOGA, EACH ONE HAS A DIFFERENT START YET THE SAME END. THE NAMES AND PATHS DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO LEARN, HOW DIFFERENT THESE YOGA PRACTISES ARE FROM OTHER.
