WHAT IS REAL YOGA?

WHAT IS REAL YOGA?

Dear Friends,

What is Yoga?

A balanced life is yoga.

A balanced development of body, mind and spirit is called yoga.

Yoga is connecting of the Self [Created Being] with the God [Supreme Being].

Yoga is the holistic approach of developing ourselves Spiritually, Mentally and Physically.

A truly happy life is a life based on the Yoga System [the Real Yoga]!

Yoga system is universal and it can be beneficially practiced by anyone, anywhere in the world!

Origin of Yoga:

Origin of yoga can be well attributed to Krishna, the prophet of God [found in the teachings of the Gita] and Siva, the destroying power of God [found in the teachings of the Siva Purana & elswhere].

Real Yoga System:

However, the detailed foundational system of Real Yoga is the Yoga System propounded by Sage Patanjali, known as the Eight Limbs of Yoga [Astanga Yoga].

Eight Limbs of Yoga [Astanga Yoga]:

The Eight Limbs of Yoga are as follows:

1. Discipline [Yama]
2. Observances [Niyama]
3. Postures [Asana]
4. Breathing [Pranayama]
5. Withdrawal [Pratyahara]
6. Concentration [Dharna]
7. Meditation [Dhyana]
8. Realization [Samadhi]

Eight Limbs of Yoga [Astanga Yoga] discussed:

1. Discipline [Yama]:

1. Non-injury [Ahimsa] : Non-injury in thoughts, words & deeds.
2. Truthfulness [Satya] : Sincerity, Honesty, Obedience, Dutifulness etc.
3. Non-stealing [Asteya] : Never take/use things without the prior permission of the owner.
4. Sexual control [Brahmacharya] : Proper use of sex, Control of lust.
5. Non-covetousness [Aparigrah] : Non jealousness & Non-greediness of others’ possessions.

2. Observances [Niyama]:

1. Cleanliness [Saucha] : Neat & clean body & surroundings.
2. Contentment [Santosha] : Be happy with what you have/get.
3. Austerity [Tapah] : Simplicity, need based life without unnecessary luxury.
4. Spiritual study [Swadhaya] : Study, learn & research of spiritual teachings & values.
5. Surrender to God [Iswarpranidhana] : Take refuge in the Supreme Creator [God].

3. Postures [Asana]:

Yoga Postures [Yoga Asanas] are simply physical exercises!

However, yoga exercises have great advantages over the other physical exercises because most of the yoga postures can be practiced at any age unlike those of other exercises that are very limited to these aspects!

There are more than a thousand yoga postures! However some 108 yoga postures are more popular! The most popular is the Salute the Sun Postures [Surya Namaskar]!

Regarding the details of the yoga postures, as they are all easily available online and offline in the yoga books almost everywhere, readers can search them all as per their interests and study and practice them in their own paces!

4. Breathing [Pranayama]

Pranayam is breathing under control or Breath Control. The word is composed from two Sanskrit words: ‘prana’ meaning life force (noted particularly as the breath) and ‘ayama’ (to restrain or control the prana, implying a set of breathing techniques where the breath is intentionally altered in order to produce specific results).

Pranayama involves three main activities:

     1. Inhalation [breathing in]

     2. Retention [keeping breath]

     3. Exhalation [breathing out]

By the proper arrangements of these three breathing activities, pranayama is practiced to derive healthy benefits.

Again, regarding the details of pranayama, as they are all easily available online and offline in the yoga books almost everywhere, readers can search them all as per their interests and study and practice them in their own paces

5. Withdrawal [Pratyahara]:

Proper use of our sense organs like eyes, ears, nose, tongue & skin to promote our well being & happiness in the positive way i.e. avoidance of over indulgences of the sense organs in the sense objects.

6. Concentration [Dharna]:

Practice of attention of our mind to the work at hand.

Concentration is always the most important factor to accomplish any task successfully!

So, conscious efforts are required to keep the mind in focus away from unwanted distractions while the awareness of the surrounding is maintained!

7. Meditation [Dhyana]:

Mediation is the conscious exercises of the mind [thoughts] by controlling and channelizing it in the proper way. The best objective of meditation should be to calm the mind and bring it back to the happy condition away from worldly unwanted disturbances. This is best done by thinking and giving gratitude to all mentally! So, especially during meditation, we have to consciously make our mind positive and grateful by thanking to all with loving remembrance! Grateful thoughts give us positive mindset and by appreciating what we have, we get inner contentment and this way, we can live a peaceful, happy life! So, in the ultimate analysis, meditation should be our daily way of life not just a few minutes or hours of practice in a day that we consciously and continuously think good and benevolent and grateful thoughts and maintain a positive mindset all the time in all situations!

8. Realization [Samadhi]:

Realization means knowing truly who we are! Knowing that we are eternal Spiritual Beings having temporary physical experiences here on planet earth! Realization is also knowing that our true original nature being in the Highest Happiness [Bliss]; being Original; being eternally connected with the Supreme!

Concluding Remarks on Yoga Practices:

The best practice of yoga is to follow the Real Yoga system i.e. follow the Eight Limbs of the Yoga!

We cannot derive the full benefits of Yoga if we don’t follow these eight principles of yoga fully!

So, it is highly recommended that while starting to learn and practice yoga; instead of going directly to the yogic postures and meditation; one should first of all practice self disciplines and self observances of yoga system, then, go ahead practicing other parts of the yoga like Yoga Asanas, Pranayama, Meditation etc.

However, it’s OK, you are not expected to be perfect in the beginning, no one is perfect in this world and so, with some mistakes & lapses here & there, you can start practicing yoga [overall] for your own well being and also for the well being of the entire world [of which you are a part].

Practice Real Yoga and be healthy and happy!

Happiness for all!

Regards,

Goodman

for HAPPY WORLD SOCIETY

PS: this post was originally written by Goodman on 7 September 2017