The Roots of Yoga
The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the ancient Indian language Sanskrit, ‘Yoga’ or ‘Yuj’ meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. Yoga means union between all aspects of your life, to live in harmony & balance with oneself. When we live in a state of union or ‘yoga’, our thoughts aren’t separate from the present moment & the present moment is experienced through our senses.
Yoga is a way of living. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a way of existing in this world, teaching principles & techniques to living in harmony with the mind, body & soul. Once we find balance & harmony within ourselves, we are able to explore these principles to our external ethics.
As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind & body, man & nature.
What is Yoga?
Typically known for the physical discipline of Asana (postures). Strategically sequenced postures held, or practised, alongside breathing techniques & meditation to achieve deep relaxation.
There are many different styles practised in today’s modern world; Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram, Kundalini, Yin, Restorative & many more. These styles are contemporary with various goals differing from the traditional goal of Hatha Yoga. Union with the ‘absolute’ or ‘divine’.
Yoga is a spiritual body language from India. Although it’s not a religion in itself, it’s rooted from religion, connected to Hinduism & Buddhism. Jainism is a belief that the way to liberation is to live lives of harmlessness & renunciation of material comforts. Jainism is an ancient Indian religion with the interest of spiritual enlightenment.
Yoga is an art, science & philosophy. It helps to join the powers of body, mind & soul for achieving self-realisation. Modern medical science has validated that practising not only reduces stress, but has multiple long-lasting beneficial effects. With proof that Asana, Meditation & Pranayama (Breath Work) can alter the intangible, biological, physiological & anatomical structure of the human body, it’s no wonder it’s been passed down through thousands of generations.
Origin
Yoga’s origins can be traced to northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word yoga was first mentioned in ancient sacred texts called the Rig Veda. The Vedas are a set of four ancient sacred texts written in Sanskrit.
It began as a spiritual practice some 5,000 years ago & from this practise Hinduism was conceived. Developed to unite with the Hindu divine & as a religious act to worship the Hindu divine. It’s poses & sequences of poses are inspired by Hindu mythology.
Yoga is classified as a “spiritual” practise & not a religious one yet it’s connection to Hinduism leaves students confused of its origin. Unless you do your own research or train as a teacher, you don’t learn much about yoga’s Indian roots in class. You’re only introduced to it’s beautiful history when you fall in love with the practise & have a desire to learn more.
Although yoga has its roots in religion, it’s not in itself a religion & is better understood as a spiritual practice. It’s represents a strong philosophy – that the spirit, the mind & the body are one.
Yoga In The West
The introduction of Yoga to the West is often credited to Swami Vivekananda, the first ever Indian monk to have visited the Western world. He translated Yogic texts from Sanskrit into English & in 1893, during a visit to the US, sparked the nation’s interest by demonstrating poses at a World Fair in Chicago.
In Western society, Yoga has become a form of Wellness & Wellbeing – a way to exercise, stay fit & keep in shape. Asana is a practise of physical postures which prepare the body for meditation & can have bodily improvement.
Why Asana?
We practise Asana (a programme of postures) designed to purify the body to provide strength & stamina for long periods of meditation. These Asanas, when sequenced strategically, can make physical improvements to the body. For example, practising Sun Salutations every day will improve the body’s muscle mass & endurance. Yet yoga is so much more than moving the body to change its shape.
Western society requires a quick fix for staying fit, given long working hours, stressful lives & pressures of all sort. Yoga’s roots have been diluted. Western society is mainly interested in it’s physical benefits.
The core principles of Yoga aren’t widely taught in Western classes today. Mantra, chanting, kriyas (purification), working through the subtle body (Koshas, Gunas, Vayus) etc. There are so many levels to living yoga & it’s so important not to forget or dilute it’s roots. Instead, most classes focus on Asana sequencing postures strategically for aesthetics, preparation of fancy poses or for cardio exercise.
It’s difficult to pitch a class that focuses on meditation, chanting or kriyas because people don’t understand it, or know that they want it. The rat race in the West leaves very little personal time and so efficiency is most peoples main concern. Offering an hour of “just sitting” wouldn’t sell, despite how much knowledge you can pour out about this type of practise.
Benefits Of A Regular Practise
- Teaches you how to breath correctly, improving lung capacity, intercostal muscle & breath control
- Learn how to quiet the mind & listen
- Ability to control our responses to emotional & physical stimulus
- Understand what the ‘present moment’ means & teaches skills to enter it
- Experience life. Don’t think about it
- Focus your physical & subtle energy correctly to enable optimum bodily function
- Stretches the entire body improving flexibility
- Works through the stabiliser muscles improving stability & agility
- Stretches the bodies fascia tissue to realign poor posture & release blocked energy
- Stimulates stagnant muscles
- Opens & extends the full frontal body, the anterior body & the side bodies
- Flexes (contracts) the full frontal body, the anterior body & the side bodies
- Strengthens the bodies muscles improving stamina
- Improves the cardiovascular system for sustained practise & exercise
- Builds endurance, resilience & perseverance
- Prepares the body for long periods of meditation
- Prepares the mind for meditation
- Connects the soul with the ultimate consciousness
- Builds bone & muscles mass
- Reduces stress & anxiety by recalibrating the nervous system
Read Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’s – The 8 Limbs of Yoga to learn how to live in union with oneself. Take a look at my blog on Wellness vs Wellbeing, where you can learn about the 8 Dimensions of Wellness.
I hope you enjoyed this blog.
Enjoy your self-growth!
