YOGA ORIGIN
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Yoga is the perfect control of mind and consciousness on all its level.With perfection in it, the man is established in his absolute genuine unsullied state.In all other states, he is tainted by and involved in mental aberrations. - Yoga Sutras
Yoga is a spiritual practice or discipline that originated from India, believed to be more than 6000 years ago.Originally, yoga technique were passed down from teacher to student through word of mouth, making it difficult to establish the exact date yoga was established as an art.The earliest written records documenting yoga as a health practice and one of the oldest texts in existence is believed to be written by Patanjali, an indian yogic sage.
Patanjali, known as Father of Yoga defined yoga as “that which restrain the thought process makes the mind serene”.He emphasized that yoga provides a psychological approach to healing the body and achieving self-realization.By performing asanas (postures) and controlling breath, individual would be able to cleanse their bodies and achieve higher state of consciousness.
Patanjali wrote down a systematic method of yoga in the Yoga Sutras in the 2nd Century C.E which consist of 195 sutras(aphorisms).According to Patanjali, there are 8 limbs of yoga.It maps the journey one should take when they study yoga.These disciplines are meant to purify one’s mind, ultimately leading to Enlightenment.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga :
- Yama - social and moral restraints
- Niyama - personal discipline in action and conduct
- Asanas - postures of Hatha yoga
- Pranayama - breathing techniques to control breath
- Pratyahara - sense withdrawal from outside world and refocusing attention within the body
- Dharana - mental concentration to develop one pointed mind
- Dhyana - meditation
- Samadhi - enlightenment
Yoga can be classified into 6 main categories, all with the same goals of health and harmony but with varying techniques.
- Hatha Yoga - Yoga of Postures
- Karma Yoga - Yoga of Selfless Service
- Bhakti Yoga - Yoga of Devotion
- Jnana Yoga - Yoga of Wisdom
- Raja Yoga - Yoga of Meditation
- Tantra Yoga - Yoga of Ritual
Among the 6 categories, Hatha yoga is the most commonly practiced branch of yoga which involves physical postures and breathing techniques designed to prepare the body and mind for meditation. In modern times, yoga is practiced for various reason.Asana, the use of physical postures is the practice most commonly equated with yoga in the West.Yoga masters claim that yoga is a highly developed science of healthy living that has been tested and perfected all these years.
Yoga has been recognized as a practice for improving physical and mental health through out the world.Many prestigious school of medicine have studied and introduced yoga techniques as proven therapy for illness and stress. Yoga is much more than postural alignment and breathing.Regular practice of yoga will open your eyes to things you have not experienced before, bringing a sense of peace and well-being and take you beyond the mundane survival level into a whole new appreciation of Life.
Last 5 posts in Yoga Introduction
- YOGA BENEFITS - July 8th, 2008
- YOGA HISTORY - July 8th, 2008
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