What is Yoga

What is Yoga - Meaning

The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj, means that to yoke or bind, and is usually understood as "union" or a way of discipline. A male who practices yoga is named a yogi, a feminine practician, a yogini. 

Yoga is acknowledge for its postures and poses, however they weren't a key a part of original yoga traditions in Bharat. Fitness wasn't a primary goal. Practitioners and followers of Hinduism tradition centered instead on alternative practices, like increasing religious energy victimisation respiration strategies and mental focus.

The tradition began to realize quality within the West at the top of the nineteenth century. Associate in Nursing explosion of interest in bodily property yoga occurred within the Nineteen Twenties and Thirties, initial in Bharat and later within the West.

What is Yoga - The Name -allaboutspirituality

“Y” reminds us that the word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word “yogah,” which means “to yoke or to unite.” Indeed, the goal of yoga is to uncouple oneself from the material world and to unite oneself with the God of Hinduism, commonly understood to be Brahman, the impersonal cosmic consciousness of the universe. Put another way, yoga is the means by which the user’s mind is merged into the universal mind.

“O” represents the Hindu mantra “Om”—a sacred Sanskrit syllable cherished by Hindu yogis as the spoken quintessence of the universe. Repeating such mantras as Om over and over is a principal means by which yoga practitioners work their way into altered states of consciousness. The objective of achieving an altered state of consciousness is always the same: to dull the critical thinking process because the mind is seen to be the obstacle to enlightenment. As noted by the late Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, “the goal is to create a new man, one who is happily mindless.” Shockingly, what was once relegated to the kingdom of the cults is now being replicated in churches. In the ashrams of the cults there is no pretense. Despite such dangers as possession or insanity, Hindu gurus openly encourage trance states through which devotees tap into realms of the demonic and discover their “higher selves.” Whether experiencing involuntary movements or encountering illusory monsters, all is written off as progress on the road to enlightenment.

“G” is reminiscent of the gurus who developed and disseminated yoga for the express purpose of achieving oneness with the impersonal God of Hinduism. Most noteworthy among the Guru’s is Patanjali—the Hindu sage who founded Yoga around the second century B.C. Of particular significance in the West is the aforementioned guru, Swami Vivekananda, a disciple of the self-proclaimed “god-man” Sri Ramakrishna. In 1893 Vivekananda used the Parliament of World Religions to skillfully sow the seeds for a new global spirituality. Second only to Vivekananda in the Westernization of yoga was Yogananda—proudly hailed as “Father of Yoga in the West.” In 1920 he founded the L.A. based Self-Realization Fellowship, a principal means of disseminating Yoga to multiplied millions of Americans. Finally, of special note is Swami Muktananda, popularizer of kundalini yoga, a method by which divine energy thought to reside as a coiled serpent at the base of the spine is aroused; ascends through six chakras; and aims for union with the Hindu deity Shiva in a seventh center allegedly located in the crown of the head. Such Hindu gurus have been so successful in exporting yoga to the West that today it is common fare in classrooms, corporations, and even churches.

Finally, the “A” in Y-O-G-A will serve to remind you of the Hindu word asana. As repetition of the word “Om” is used to work devotees into altered states of consciousness, so too a regiment of asanas—or body postures—are used to achieve a feeling of oneness with the cosmic energy flow of the universe. Coupled with breathing exercises and meditation practices, asana positions are the pathway to serenity and spirituality. According to Yoga Journal, “asanas are their own type of meditation; to perform difficult postures you have to focus on your body and breath and relax into the pose.” While multitudes are being seduced into believing that asanas are spiritually neutral, nothing could be farther from the truth. Indeed, as pointed out by Swami Param of the Dharma Yoga Ashram in New Jersey, to think of asanas as mere body positions or stretching exercises is analogous to believing “baptism is just an underwater exercise.”

What is Yoga - Philosophy

To convey its religious message and guide sessions, yoga typically uses the imaging of a tree with roots, a trunk, branches, blossoms, and fruits. every "branch" of yoga represents a special focus and set of characteristics.

The six branches are:

Hatha yoga: this is often the physical and mental branch designed to prime the body and mind.
Raja yoga: This branch involves meditation and strict adherence to a series of disciplinary steps called the "eight limbs" of yoga.
Karma yoga: this is often a path of service that aims to make a future free from negativity and stinginess.
Bhakti yoga: This aims to determine the trail of devotion, a positive thanks to channel emotions and cultivate acceptance and tolerance.
Jnana yoga: This branch of yoga is regarding knowledge, the trail of the scholar, and developing the intellect through study.
Tantra yoga: this is often the pathway of formality, ceremony, or consummation of a relationship.

What is Yoga - The Physical and Spiritual Well-being

In sum, while an alarming number of Western Christians suppose they can achieve physical and spiritual well-being through a form of yoga divorced from its Eastern world view, in reality attempts to Christianize Hinduism only Hinduize Christianity.