Yoga is a form of mysticism that developed on the Indian subcontinent in the Hindu cultural context. Its origin is impossible to trace, because it dates back to before recorded history. Yoga comes in many forms specifically designed to suit different types of people. As a result, some forms of yoga have gained significant popularity outside India, particularly in the West during the past century.
Introduction
The word Yoga originates from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" (literally, "to yoke") and is generally translated as "union" - "integration" - to yoke, attach, join, unite. Yoga is therefore the union and integration of every aspect of a human being, from the innermost to the external. According to Yoga experts, the union referred to by the name is that of the individual soul with the cosmos, or the Supreme.
Yoga has both a philosophical and a practical dimension. The philosophy of yoga ("union") deals with the nature of the individual soul and the cosmos, and how the two are related. The practice of yoga, on the other hand, can be any activity that leads or brings the practitioner closer to this mystical union - a state called self-realization. Over thousands of years, special practical yoga techniques have been developed by experts in yoga, who are referred to as Yogis (male) and Yoginis (female).
These Yoga techniques cover a broad range, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual activities. Traditionally, they have been classified into four categories or paths: the path of meditation (Raja Yoga), the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga), the path of selfless service to the Divine (Karma Yoga), and the path of intellectual analysis or the discrimination of truth and reality (Jnana Yoga). The most conspicuous form of yoga in the West, Hatha Yoga - consisting of various physical and breathing exercises and purification techniques - is actually the third and the fourth stages of Ashtanga Yoga of Yoga Sutras by Patanjali.
Clients and friends enjoy Yoga as means of bringing balance into their lives. They report greater clarity in their meditations and a sense of releasing issues that hold them back.
Yoga enhances every facet of physical fitness the mind/body energy exchange supports a mental clarity and concentration. The strength improves posture/alignment to support our daily activities. The flexibility helps to prevent injuries and keeps us supple and youthful. The breathing practices are the foundation and the link between the mind and the body, providing a valuable tool for releasing tension and reducing stress.
The practice of yoga teaches us how to quiet the mind by placing attention on the breath, and also on the movement (stillness) of the body.
History of Yoga
Pre-Vedic (ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?])
The history of yoga may go back anywhere from five to eight thousand years ago, depending on the perspective of the historian. It evolved wholly in the land of India, and while it is supposed by some scholars that yogic practices were originally the domain of the indigenous, non-Aryan (and pre-Vedic) peoples, it was first clearly expounded in the great Vedic shastras (religious texts).
Pre-Vedic findings are taken, by some commentators, to show that "yoga" existed in some form well before the establishment of Aryan culture in the north Indian subcontinent.
A triangular amulet seal uncovered at the Mohenjo-daro archeological excavation site depicts a male, seated on a low platform in a cross legged position, with arms outstretched. His head is crowned with the horns of a water-buffalo. He is surrounded by animals (a fish, an alligator, and a snake) and diverse symbols. The likeness on the seal and understandings of the surrounding culture have led to its widely accepted identification as "Pashupati", Lord of the Beasts, a prototype and predecessor of the modern day Hindu god Shiva. The pose is a very familiar one to yogins, representing Shiva much as he is seen today, the meditating ascetic contemplating divine truth in "yoga-posture."
Vedic (ca. 2000-1500 BCE)
David Frawley, a Vedic scholar, writes: "Yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda itself, the oldest Hindu text which speaks about yoking our mind and insight to the Sun of Truth. Great teachers of early Yoga include the names of many famous Vedic sages like Vasishta, Yajnavalkya, and Jaigishavya.
"Ideas of uniting mind, body and soul in the cosmic one, however, do not find real yogic explication until the most important mystic texts of Hinduism, the Upanishads or Vedanta, commentaries on the Vedas.
Upanishadic (ca. 800-100 BCE)
Explicit examples of the concept and terminology of yoga appear in the Upanishads (primarily thirteen principal texts of the Vedanta, or the "End of the Vedas," that are the culmination of all Vedic philosophy)While protracted discussions of the ultimate, infinite Self, or Atman, and realization of Brahman, are the true legacy of the Upanishads, the first principal Yoga text was the Bhagavad Gita ("The Lord's Song"), also known as Gitopanishad.
In the Maitrayaniya Upanishad (ca. 200-300 BCE) yoga surfaces as:"Shadanga-Yoga - The uniting discipline of the six limbs (shad-anga), as expounded in the Maitrayaniya-Upanishad: (1) breath control (pranayama), (2) sensory inhibition (pratyahara), (3) meditation (dhyana), (4) concentration (dharana), (5) examination (tarka), and (6) ecstasy (samadhi).
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
After the Bhagavad Gita, the next seminal work on Yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Yoga Sutras are a compilation of Yogic thought that is largely Raja Yogic in nature, it was codified some time between the 2nd century BC and the 3rd century by Patanjali, and prescribes adherence to "eight limbs" (the sum of which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga") to quiet one's mind and merge with the infinite. These eight limbs not only systematized conventional moral principles espoused by the Gita, but elucidated the practice of Raja Yoga in a more detailed manner. Indeed, his "eight-limbed" path has formed the foundation for Raja Yoga and much of Tantra Yoga (a Hindu deific, Shiva-Shakti yoga system) and Vajrayana Buddhism (Buddhist Tantra Yoga) that came after. It goes as follows:
Patanjali, whose own life is virtually unknown, had the impact of further spreading in compact form the essence of Raja Yoga. Some legends speak of his being Adinaga, the first snake, the lower half of his body being that of a snake, upon which the great Hindu God Vishnu reclines. Many say that he was the same Patanjali who wrote commentaries on Panini's singular masterwork on Sanskrit grammar. Others speak of the legends of his birth. A few even dispute his existence and attribute the Yoga Sutras to many authors, but this is highly unlikely due to the structural, linguistic and stylistic uniformity of the short work. His base is Hindu Samkhya philosophy and shows itself to have been highly influenced by the Upanishads.
His Yoga Sutras espouse a threefold system for attainment of samadhi through tapas (austerities; discipline; literally "heat"), swadhyaya (self-study) and ishwar-pranidhana (contemplation of God).While Patanjali accepts the idea of what he terms "ishta-devata" (worship of deities as manifestations of the single Brahman), his overall "ishwar" is not a conventional God with personal form and speaks more to a universal, attributeless Brahman, an impersonal, unknowable, infinite force that is all and transcends all.
Together, the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras form the theoretical and philosophical base of all yoga. However, as far as Raja Yoga (meditation yoga) goes, it is most precisely captured by Patanjali's Yoga-Sutras.
450 - 850 CE
The Yoga-bhasya, Veda Vyasa's commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali could have been written as early as 450 CE. Professor J. H. Woods, places the date of the Yoga-bhasya between 650 CE to 850 CE. Trevor Leggett places the date closer to 600 CE based on a commentary to the Yoga-bhasya published in Sanskrit in 1952 in the Madras Government Oriental Series #94 by Polakam Sri Rama Sastri and S. R. Krishnamurti Sastri. Evidence strongly suggests that this sub-commentary was written by Sankara who lived about 700 CE.
1350 - 1400 CE
Hatha Yoga Pradipika In the West, outside of Hindu culture, "yoga" is usually understood to refer to "hatha yoga." Hatha Yoga is, however, a particular system propagated by Swami Swatamarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century in India.
After the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, the most fundamental text of Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written by Swami Swatamarama, that in great detail lists all the main asanas, pranayama, mudra and bandha that are familiar to today's yoga student. It runs in the line of Hindu yoga (to distinguish from Buddhist and Jain yoga) and is dedicated to Lord Adinath, a name for Lord Shiva (the Hindu god of destruction), who is alleged to have imparted the secret of Hatha Yoga to his divine consort Parvati. It is common for yogins and tantriks of several disciplines to dedicate their practices to a deity under the Hindu ishta-devata concept while always striving to achieve beyond that: Brahman.
Hindu philosophy in the Vedanta and Yoga streams, as the reader will remember, views only one thing as being ultimately real: Satchidananda Atman, the Existence-Consciousness-Blissful Self. Very Upanishadic in its notions, worship of Gods is a secondary means of focus on the higher being, a conduit to realization of the Divine Ground. Hatha Yoga follows in that vein and thus successfully transcends being particularly grounded in any one religion.
Hatha is a Sanskrit word meaning 'sun' (ha) and 'moon' (tha), representing opposing energies: hot and cold, male and female, positive and negative, similar but not completely analogous to yin and yang. Hatha yoga attempts to balance mind and body via physical exercises, or "asanas", controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation. Asanas teach poise, balance & strength and were originally (and still) practiced to improve the body's physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment. "Asana" means "immovable", i.e. static, and often confused with the dynamic 108 natya karanas described in Natya Shastra and, along with the elements of Bhakti Yoga, is embodied in the contemporary form of Bharatanatyam.
By balancing two streams, often known as ida (mental) and pingala (bodily) currents, the sushumna nadi (current of the Self) is said to rise, opening various chakras (cosmic power points within the body, starting from the base of the spine and ending right above the head) until samadhi is attained. Ida and pingala are represented in the dynamism of natya yoga by lasya (female) and tandava (male) aspects, and bear direct reference to the Taoist dualism.
By forging a powerful depth of concentration and mastery of the body and mind, Hatha Yoga practices seek to still the mental waters and allow for apprehension of oneself as that which one always was, Brahman. Hatha Yoga is essentially a manual for scientifically taking one's body through stages of control to a point at which one-pointed focus on the unmanifested Brahman is possible: it is said to take its practitioner to the peaks of Raja Yoga.
In the West, hatha yoga has become wildly popular as a purely physical exercise regimen divorced of its original purpose, and thus, devoid of its original efficacy. Currently, it is estimated that about 30 million Americans practice hatha yoga. But in the Indian subcontinent the traditional practice is still to be found.
The guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship that exists without need for sanction from non-religious institutions, and which gave rise to all the great yogins who made way into international consciousness in the 20th century, has been maintained in Indian, Nepalese, and some Tibetan circles.
In India, whose Hindu population combines to a staggering 800 million, Yoga is a daily part of life. It is common to see people performing Surya Namaskar (a yogic set of asanas and pranayam dedicated to Surya, the Hindu God of the Sun) in the morning or speaking about food diets and body therapy entirely based on Yoga or the Hindu healing system of Ayurveda.
The age-old tradition of Yoga has continued uninterrupted by the its popularity in the west (although more established schools like the Bihar School of Yoga work from within India to produce Yoga texts to send abroad).
In addition, hundreds and thousands sanyasins (renunciates) and sadhus (Hindu monks) wander in and out of city temples, village country sides and are to be found smattered all across the foothills of the Himalaya and the Vindhya Range of central India.
For India's holy-men, Yoga is as fundamental as lifeblood. To see a man meditating at the steps of a temple, or even wondering contemplatively on the roadside, is not uncommon even to the more Westernized crowds. It is the same in Tibet, where the Buddhist establishment's lifestyle is permeated with the Yoga or yogic practices, which is ultimately not a once-a-day routine, but a constant immersion in self-discovery.
- Continued Wikipedia
The unitive discipline of nonbeing, meaning the higher yogic practice of immersion into the Self without objective support such as mantras; a concept found in the PurAnas.
The unitive discipline of the inner self; sometimes said to be the Yoga characteristic of the Upanishads
The unitive discipline of fire, causing the awakening of the serpent power (kundalini-shakti) through the joint action of mind (manas) and life force (prana). Agni Yoga is a synthesis of all yogas, especially Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. Agni is the Sanskrit word for Fire - the Creative Fire of the Cosmos - the Fire that is found in varying degrees at the foundation of all Yogas.
The unitive discipline of the eight limbs, i.e., Raja-Yoga or Patanjala-Yoga
The unitive discipline of "noncontact," which is the nondualist Yoga propounded by Gaudapada in his Mandukya-Karika; cf. Sparsha-Yoga
The Yoga of love and devotion. The Way of Transcendent Love which sees the whole universe, animate and inanimate, as being pervaded by divinity. Also very much involved with service (refering Karma Yoga), and way of the heart. The unitive discipline of love/devotion, as expounded, for instance, in the Bhagavad-Gita, the Bhagavata-Purana, and numerous other scriptures of Shaivism and Vaishnavism
The unitive discipline of the higher mind, first mentioned in the Bhagavad-Gita
The unitive discipline of meditation
The unitive discipline of the "pot" (ghata), meaning the body; a synonym for Hatha-Yoga mentioned in the Gheranda-Samhita
The unitive discipline relative to one's teacher
The unitive discipline of the force (meaning the serpent power or kundalinî-shakti); or forceful unitive discipline. Hatha Yoga ensures good physical and mental health. This is for those who are more into the physical. You must utilize this to the best advantage by deep meditation on the Atman or inner Self. Self-realization should be your goal. This should be achieved by the constant remembrance of God, by righteousness, by a life of virtue and by the practice of Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the system most famIliar to the westerner. This branch of yoga uses physical poses, breathing techniques and relaxation methods to explore the inner structures of the body, mind and spirit. It provides the framework for the experiences of physical, mental and spiritual wholeness. By combining physical postures, awareness practices and breathing methods, the mind becomes quiet and the body wIll be refreshed and rejuvenated. Through the yoga postures we focus our attention inward finding integration, balance, compassion and love. Yoga affects every aspect of our being.
The unitive discipline of Hiranyagarbha ("Golden Germ"), who is considered the original founder of the Yoga tradition
The unitive discipline of mantra recitation
The unitive discipline of discriminating wisdom, which is the approach of the Upanishads. Jnana Yoga is the yoga of the philosopher and thinker who wants to go beyond the visible, material reality. These people are triggered by readings. The Jana Yogi finds God through knowledge. Jnana Yoga is summed up in the Upanishads by the following statement: "In the method of reintegration through knowledge, the mind is ever bound to the ultimate end of existence which is liberation This method leads to all attainments and is ever auspicious.
Karma Yoga achieves union with God through right action and through service (Bhakti Yoga). Karma Yoga can also be summed up in a statement by Sri Bhagavan Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita: "Worshipping Him with proper actions, a man attains realization". One key to Karma Yoga is the performance of right action and service for its own sake, without consideration of the immerdiate or apparent results. The unitive discipline of self-transcending action, as first explicitly taught in the Bhagavad-Gita.
The unitive discipline of the Kaula school, a Tantric Yoga
Founded in 1968 by Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, Babaji Nagaraj, the great Himalayan master, offers to sincere seekers the opportunity to learn his "Kriya Yoga", the scientific art of perfect God-Truth Union. The unitive discipline of ritual; also the combined practice of asceticism (tapas), study (svadhyaya), and worship of the Lord (ishvara-pranidhana) mentioned in the Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali
Kundalini Maha Yoga. is an ancient universal science, perfected over thousands of years. Anandi Ma is an advanced disciple of Dhyanyogi and one of few people who can perform Skaktipat. Through Shaktipat the disciple can excel quickly in their spiritual journey towards Self Realization -Enlightenment. The unitive discipline of the serpent power (kundalini-shakti), which is fundamental to the Tantric tradition, including Hatha-Yoga.
The unitive discipline of the "hanger," meaning the uvula, which is deliberately stimulated in this yogic approach to increase the flow of "nectar" (amrita) whose external aspect is saliva
The unitive discipline of absorption or dissolution of the elements prior to their natural dissolution at death
The great unitive discipline, a concept found in the Yoga-ShikhA-Upanishad where it refers to the combined practice of Mantra-Yoga, Laya-Yoga, Hatha-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga
The unitive discipline of numinous sounds that help protect the mind, which has been a part of theYoga tradition ever since Vedic times. Mantra Yoga finds union with God through the proper use of speech and sound. It is the power of the word to create or destroy that Mantra Yoga emphasizes. It utilizes the focus intent to make every word you speak be in harmony with God And with your own soul.
The unitive discipline of the inner sound, a practice closely associated with original Hatha-Yoga
The unitive discipline of the fifteen limbs (pancadasha-anga):
(1) moral discipline (yama)
(2) restraint (niyama)
(3) renunciation (tyaga)
(4) silence (mauna)
(5) right place (desha)
(6) right time (kala)
(7) posture (asana)
(8) root lock (mula-bandha)
(9) bodily equilibrium (deha-samya)
(10) stability of vision (dhrik-sthiti)
(11) control of the life force (prana-samrodha)
(12) sensory inhibition (pratyahara)
(13)concentration (dharana)
(14) meditation upon the Self (atma-dhyana)
(15) ecstasy (samadhi)
The unitive discipline of the Pashupata sect, as expounded in some of the Puranas
The unitive discipline of Patanjali, better known as Raja-Yoga or Yoga-Darshana
The unitive discipline of wholeness or integration, which is the name of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga
The royal unitive discipline, also called Patanjala-Yoga, Ashtanga-Yoga, or Raja-Yoga
In the year 1970, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi introduced for the first time a simple, yet powerful method of spiritual ascent, whereby one's natural balance and integration can be easily achieved.
The unitive discipline of ecstasy
The unitive discipline of insight, which is the name of certain liberation teachings and schools referred to in the Mahabharata
Samnyasa-Yoga: The unitive discipline of renunciation, which is contrasted against Karma-Yoga in the Bhagavad-Gita
The unitive discipline of sexual congress (maithuna) in Tantra-Yoga
The unitive discipline of hatred, as mentioned in the Vishnu-Purana, which illustrates the profound yogic principle that one becomes what one constantly contemplates (even if charged with negative emotions)
Sapta Yoga is based on the ancient Yogic text, the "Gheranda Samhita." It is both a spiritual practice and a therapeutic art, successful in removing the causes of numerous diseases highly resistant to orthodox Western healing methods. It is taught by Yogacharya Dr. Sushil Bhattacharya, director of the Patanjali Yoga Center in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The unitive discipline of the seven limbs (sapta-anga), also known as Sapta-Sadhana in the Gheranda-Samhita:
(1) six purificatory practices (shat-karma)
(2) posture (asana)
(3) seal (mudra)
(4)sensory inhibition (pratyahara)
(5) breath control (pranayama)
(6) meditation (dhyana)
(7) ecstasy (samadhi)
The unitive discipline of the six limbs (shad-anga), as expounded in the Maitrayaniya-Upanishad:
(1) breath control (pranayama)
(2) sensory inhibition (pratyahara)
(3) meditation (dhyana)
(4) concentration (dharana)
(5) examination (tarka)
(6) ecstasy (samadhi)
The unitive discipline of the adepts, a concept found in some of the Tantras
The unitive discipline of contact; a Vedantic Yoga mentioned in the Shiva-Purana, which combines mantra recitation with breath control; cf. Asparsha-Yoga
The unitive discipline of the Tantras, a kundalini-based Yoga
The unitive discipline of the "deliverer" (taraka); a medieval Yoga based on light phenomena
Yantra Yoga is the path of union with God thorough geometric visualization. A yantra is a geometric design. They are highly efficient tools for contemplation, concentration, and meditation. The unitive discipline of focusing the mind upon geometric representations (yantra) of the cosmos.
Shapes and Sizes
Yoga is for everyone, says plus-size instructor
CNN - May 26, 2005 - NYC
As Megan Garcia prepares to do a twisting yoga pose, she reminds her students to lift their bellies up and over their legs. Wearing a one-piece purple leotard, she's not shy about the love handles around her waist or the extra flesh on her thighs. Many of Garcia's students are overweight or obese, and she adjusts traditional poses to ease pressure on joints. She encourages them to use a chair for support or has them move to a wall to do poses meant for a mat.
She reminds her students to pay attention to how their bodies feel. Let the flesh hang, she says. Definitely don't worry about it. "It helps to have a teacher who doesn't look like Jane Fonda," says Garcia, who is 5-feet-10 and 210 pounds. "People can think, 'Wow she looks like me and she's standing on her hands. Maybe this is something I can do."'
Yoga is a 5,000-year-old discipline that has been gaining steam in this country for years. More than 16.5 million practice yoga, and they spend about $2.95 billion on classes and props every year, according to a study in Yoga Journal's February issue. Yoga's appeal is partly the calm, controlled breathing, the meditation and the goal of bringing mind, body and spirit into unity.
"Now is the time for there to be exercise instructors that reflect the body type of the American population," Garcia said. "If you are aware of your body, you can then see what you need to do to make you a happier, healthier person."
Garcia, a plus-size model, said yoga was the only exercise she would stick with, and she dropped a few dress sizes when she started doing it, mostly because she toned up. She recently released a DVD called "Just My Size Yoga," in which she shows off her adjusted poses and doesn't push the idea of weight-loss.
Her students say they are more comfortable and relaxed than when they took more traditional classes. "I have nothing against someone who is a size 2 or 4," said student Christie Lee, who's a size 16. "But when their body is in a position, their stomachs were really far from the ground. But my stomach was touching the ground, and I thought I was doing something wrong." When she takes Garcia's class, she can see her own body reflected and is able to relax. Lee, 28, is a drummer in a band and said yoga has made her more flexible and stronger, but not skinnier.
Instructor Sally Pugh, who teaches yoga to overweight and obese people in Berkeley, Calif., said her students often come up with their own adaptations. "It empowers them," she said. "The become their own expert on their body, and they know how to take control, and how to feel good about it." Pugh is average-sized but has been teaching yoga for more than 20 years and finds she's able to relate to her students. Adjusting poses for overweight people is another trend in the practice, said Sandra VanOosten, director of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry for yoga studios and teachers.
"There are restorative styles of yoga which can be done with heavy, older people and as the population ages, you'll have more people doing these gentler sorts of yoga," she said, citing chair yoga for older people. VanOosten, who has practiced since 1974 and teaches, said she's seen larger people coming to class. She said teachers of any size are trained to modify poses and to be ready for all body types.
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