Saturday, December 30, 2006

Yoga Introduction - Basic Questions Answered

A lot of people think that Yoga is a religion. Others believe it to be a kind of magic. Some people even associate Yoga with a rope trick, snake-charming, fire-eating or sitting on nail-beds or walking on sharp swords! Some link Yoga to fortune telling, spiritualism, hypnotism and other "isms." In reality, however, Yoga is a method, a system of physical, mental and spiritual development. Below are 5 basic questions and answers about yoga:

1. What is the meaning of the word "Yoga"? The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj," which means join, or union. The purpose of all Yogas is to unite man, the finite, with the Infinite, with Cosmic Consciousness. Truth, God, Light or whatever other name one chooses to call the Ultimate Reality. Yoga, as they say in India, is a marriage of spirit and matter.

2. Is there only one Yoga? Yoga has several branches or divisions, but the goal, the aim of all of them is the same the achievement of a union with the Supreme Consciousness. In Karma Yoga, for instance, this is achieved through work and action; in Jnana (or Gnani) Yoga, through knowledge and study; in Bhakti Yoga, through, devotion and selfless love; in Mantra Yoga through repetitions of certain invocations and sounds. Raja Yoga (Royal Yoga) is the Yoga of consciousness, the highest form of Yoga.

Hatha Yoga is the Yoga of physical well-being. It consists of several steps and is preceded by the Yama-Niyama, the ten rules of the Yoga code of morality. The first stage is called Asana, or posture; the second is Pranayama, or breath control; the third is Pratyahara or nerve control; the fourth is Dharana, or mind control; the fifth is Dhyiana, or meditation; and finally there is Samadhi, the state of ultimate bliss and spiritual enlightenment.

3. What is the origin of Yoga? Yoga was originated in India several thousand years ago. According to the German Professor Max Mueller, Yoga is about 6,000 years old, but other sources suggest it is much older than that.

4. What religion does a yogi profess? A yogi can belong to any religion or to none at all.

5. If the goal of Yoga is a spiritual illumination, why then is so much attention given to the care of the body? The yogis regard the human body as a temple of the Living Spirit and believe that as such it should be brought to the highest state of perfection. Also, the advanced practices of Yoga require great power of endurance. The body might not be able to stand the strain without special preparation.

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