Yoga ancient teaching for body and soul.
Original types of Yoga
Philosophy of Yoga
History of Yoga
Basic Guidelines of Yoga
Benefits of Yoga
Related Links
Yoga is a vast collection of spiritual techniques and
practices all aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit and achieving a
state of enlightenment or oneness with the universe. What is normally
thought of as "yoga" in the West is really Hatha Yoga, one of the many
paths of yoga. These different paths of yoga are simply different
approaches and techniques that all lead to the same goal of unification
and enlightenment.
Yoga is not a religion but a spiritual practice or Sadhana, which does
not require any specific belief system to participate. The philosophies
of yoga are universal and can be incorporated within any belief system.
The science of yoga has developed a vast amount of techniques which all
lead to the same point of unification of the mind-body-spirit.
Karma Yoga: the way of right action, serving without the motivation of
obtaining the results of labor.
Bhakti Yoga: the way of devotion, devotion to a supreme being absorbing
the emotions and self in pure love.
Jnana Yoga: the way of knowledge, studying god and learning to
discriminate between illusion and the reality that all is god.
Hatha Yoga: the physical path, using the body through asana and
pranayama to control the mind and senses.
Tantric Yoga: the feminine path, worshiping the goddess energy and
seeing the body as the temple of the divine.
Kundalini Yoga: the path of energy, arousing the energy stored in the
chakras through breathing and movement.
Raja Yoga: the path of meditation, controlling the mind from wandering
and obtaining mastery over thought.
The main philosophy of yoga is simple: mind, body and spirit are all one
and cannot be clearly separated. Yet there is a multitude of
philosophical ideas developed by looking into the deeper dimensions of
the body, mind and spirit.
The Law of Karma
Central to the philosophy of yoga is the universal spiritual concept of
reaping what you sow: the law of Karma.
The Cause of Suffering: The Kleshas
These "afflictions" distort our mind and our perceptions effecting how
we think, act and feel. The kleshas not only create suffering, but are
said to bind us to the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, and thus
preventing us from achieving enlightenment.
The Inward Journey Through the Koshas
The koshas are imagined as layers of an onion and form a barrier from
realizing our true nature of bliss and oneness with the universe. Yoga
is the tool to peel back these layers to bring our awareness deeper and
deeper into our bodies, eventually reaching the innermost core, our True
Self.
Moksha and Maya
Moksha (liberation, freedom) is the state of non-ego, where the “me”
vanishes and one stands free from all desires, actions and consequences
in a total state of oneness.
The 3 Gunas of Nature
In the philosophy of Yoga, all matter in the universe arises from the
fundamental substrate called Prakriti. From this ethereal Prakriti the
three primary gunas (qualities) emerge creating the essential aspects of
all nature—energy, matter and consciousness. These three gunas are tamas
(darkness), rajas (activity), and sattva (beingness).
Yoga's history has many places of obscurity and uncertainty due to its
oral transmission of sacred texts and the secretive nature of its
teachings. The early writings on yoga were transcribed on fragile palm
leaves that were easily damaged, destroyed or lost. The development of
yoga can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga's long rich
history can be divided into four main periods of innovation and
development.
Pre-Classical Period
The beginnings of Yoga were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati
civilization in Northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word yoga was
first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda. The Vedas were
a collection of texts contained songs and rituals used by Brahmans, the
Vedic priests. Yoga was slowly refined and developed by Vedic priests,
who documented their practices and beliefs in the Upanishads, a huge
work containing over 200 scriptures. The most renowned of these Yogic
scriptures is the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, composed around 500 B.C.E. The
Upanishads took the idea of ritual sacrifice from the Vedas and
internalized it, teaching the sacrifice of the ego through
self-knowledge, action (karma yoga) and wisdom (jnana yoga).
Classical Period
The first systematic presentation of yoga was Patanjali's Yoga-Sûtras.
Written some time in the second century, this text describes the path of
Raja Yoga, often called "classical yoga". Patanjali organized the
practice of yoga into an "eight limbed path" containing the steps and
stages towards obtaining Samadhi or enlightenment. Patanjali is often
considered the father of yoga and his Yoga-Sûtras still strongly
influence all styles of modern yoga.
Post-Classical Period
A few centuries after Patanjali, yoga masters created a system of
practices designed to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They
rejected the teachings of the ancient Vedas and embraced the physical
body as the means to achieve enlightenment. They developed Tantra Yoga,
with radical techniques to cleanse the body and mind to break the knots
that bind us to our physical existence. This exploration of these
physical-spiritual connections and body centered practices led to the
creation of Hatha Yoga.
Modern Period
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, yoga masters began to travel to the
west, attracting attention and followers. In the 1920's, Hatha Yoga was
strongly promoted in India with the life long work of T. Krishnamacharya
. Krishnamacharya traveled through India giving demonstrations of yoga
poses and opened the first Hatha Yoga school. Krishnamacharya produced
three students that would continue his legacy and increase the
popularity of Hatha Yoga: B.K.S. Iyengar , T.K.V. Desikachar and
Pattabhi Jois .
The importation of yoga to the west still continued at a trickle until
Indra Devi opened her yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947. Since then, many
more western and Indian teachers have become pioneers, popularizing
hatha yoga and gaining millions of followers. Hatha Yoga now has many
different schools or styles, all emphasizing the many different aspects
of the practice.
Basic guidelines:
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When not to practice yoga
Please read the contraindications for each posture before doing it.
Menstruation, pregnancy, high blood pressure and injuries to the knees,
shoulders, and neck are all conditions where certain postures must be
avoided and special care must be taken in all postures. If you have any
medical condition, you should check with your health care professional
before starting a yoga practice.
-
Modify the postures for your body
The instructions and pictures of the yoga postures are the "goal,"
meaning the direction you are going towards, not where you need to be.
Experiment and explore different positions and alignment to make the
posture work for your body.
-
Moderate the level of intensity
You can make your yoga practice as challenging and vigorous as you want.
We recommend you start slowly and make sure you understand the alignment
of postures. There are three ways to increase the intensity of your
practice: one, hold postures for longer and longer periods of time; two,
slowly build your practice up to more advanced and challenging postures;
three, move quickly between postures. Read our Challenge Yourself
article.
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How to choose postures
Choose to practice postures that look like you can do them. Postures
done on the floor are going to be easier than standing postures, as they
do not require as much strength or balance. Also, postures that have
longer recommended hold times (in breaths) are going to be easier to do.
In our membership site we have 25 yoga posture sequences showing how to
arrange the postures.
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Duration of practice
Your daily practice should be between 15 to 90 minutes long and done 1-6
times per week, depending on your schedule, goals and ability.
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What to wear
Loose, comfortable clothing or tights / unitards work best. Its
important to wear something that will not restrict your movement.
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Drinking and eating
It is not advisable to eat or drink right before a yoga practice
(especially if you are practicing inversions). Eat no less than 1-3
hours before and drink only small amounts of water before practice, and
do not drink during your practice.
Benefits: What yoga can do for you
The physical benefits: Creates a toned, flexible, and strong body.
Improves respiration, energy, and vitality. Helps to maintain a balanced
metabolism. Promotes cardio and circulatory health. Relieves pain. Helps
you look and feel younger than your age. Improves your athletic
performance.
The mental benefits: Helps you relax and handle stressful situations
more easily. Teaches you how to quiet the mind so you can focus your
energy where you want it to go — into a difficult yoga pose, on the
tennis court or golf course, or in the office. Encourages positive
thoughts and self-acceptance.
The spiritual benefits: Builds awareness of your body, your feelings,
the world around you, the needs of others. Promotes an interdependence
between mind, body, and spirit. Helps you live the concept of “oneness.”
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