What Yoga Really Is?
Yoga is not just an exercise it is a way of life. It is how we live our lives day to day. They way we eat. The way we treat others. Yoga is a great way to just slow down and focus on ourselves. Yoga is an all-embracing way of life, a science of self-culture and mental discipline that ensures the purgation of the ignoble in man and brings forth what is most noble in him. It is pertinent to all people irrespective of your sex and religion. It can be beneficial to all - the good and the bad, the sick and the healthy, the believer and the non-believer, the literate and the ignorant, the young and the old. A person may begin at any age and can go on reaping its benefits.
Yoga is a sanskrit word that comes from the same root as the latin "yoke" - to join together. Perhaps the best translation of it would be "union". So Yoga is "union". A sage named Patanjali codified Yoga many thousands of years ago. (He did not originate Yoga, just wrote down the practices). In his work called the "Yoga Sutras" he says,
"Yoga is the control of the vrittis of the mind".
There are eight limbs of Yoga
I named my Company after the first limb Yama
Yama - attitudes towards other people and our world
These five injunctions are aimed at destroying negative human characteristics. They are meant to bring our instinctual life under control. Listed below are the five injuctions.
Ahimsa- harmlessness, non-injustice, non-cruelty, non-harming
Most of the world’s religions emphasize this idea. Violence seems to be an
integral part of human nature. It does not always take the form of physical assault, but sometimes as fear, hostility, and disapproval.
Satya- truthfulness, being in integrity
Satya is translated as real, genuine, or honest, and this is usually taken to mean one should tell the truth. It is mentioned frequently in yogic literature.
Asteya- nonstealing
Asteya is closely related to ahimsa, since stealing violates the person from whom things are taken.
Brahmacharya- sense control, chastity, celibacy, conscious use of energy
Generally speaking, sexual stimulation is thought to interrupt the impulse towards enlightenment by indulging the desire for sensory experience and by draining energy.
Aparigraha- charity greedlessness
Greedlessness, or aparigraha, is defined as the nonacceptance of gifts. We are encouraged to cultivate voluntary simplicity, since possessions lead to attachment and fear of loss.
Listed are the other Eight Libs of Yoga
Niyam - Attitudes about ourselves
Asana - Postures, poses we practice
Pranayama- Controlling the breath/Understanding the breath
Pratyahara - Self-control of our senses
Dharana - Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
Dhyana - Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
Samadhi - Union with the Divine
Here is another way to look at it: Everything has a "true nature", that essence that comes forth when you just leave things alone in their natural environment. For example: Water is cool, A mountain is still, A lump of coal is black, A diamond is hard, Fire is consuming. So, what is the true nature of a human being - your true nature? Someone searching for this, someone trying to be one with their own true nature, is a yogi (male) or yogini (female). And by the way, the yogis, and sages of all tradition, say that your true nature is peace, bliss, and happiness. That you are truly divine.
To learn more about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, follow one of these links: