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Short reflection about yoga
S.A on benefits of yoga
S.A on benefits of yoga
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CHAPTER - I
INTRODUCTION
1.1. YOGA
“Yoga is skill in action, yoga is a balance (samatya), Yoga is known as the disconnection (viyoga) of the connection (samyoga) with suffering” Bhagavad – Gita
Yoga is the science of right living and as such is intended to be incorporated in daily life, It works on all aspects of the person, the physical, vital, emotional, psychic and spiritual (Saraswati, 2009) The term “yoga” is a common word in the Sanskrit language, the language in which most of the yoga scriptures are written It also happens to be one of the most versatile Sanskrit terms having a whole range of meaning that extend from simple union to team, constellation and conjunction It is derived from the verbal root yuj meaning to harness, yoke, prepare, equip and fasten (Feuerstein, et al 2011)
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Patanjali is considered to be father of yoga (Ranganathan, 2008) The patanjali yoga sutra is certainly not the first text in the history of Indian philosophy to speak of yoga The idea of yoga can be found in text as early as the Vedas and meditation an integral part of yoga was practiced by the Buddha and the Ford makers of the Jain tradition The Bhagavad Gita too displays a great interest in the topic of yoga as do many less popular works from the history of Indian thought But the yoga sutra stands out among all such texts in being explicitly about the topic of yoga It was to become the classic work on yoga in the Indian philosophical tradition inspiring later philosophy self from contrary schools such as Jainism and Advaita Vedanta to incorporate many of the features of yoga as Patanjali conceived
Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).
Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
It is the most appropriate yoga for those who are more intellectually or philosophically inclined. This yoga can be broken into three distinct steps. The first step is to learn, this means seeking out teachers and gurus who can pass their knowledge unto you. The second step is to think; this step requires you to separate your true Self from the self you are currently occupying. The final step is to change, that is, to change your self-identification to your true Self. This step can often include referring to yourself in the third person to further drive a wedge between Self and self.
There is some mention of the chakras as psychic centers of consciousness in the Yoga Upanishads (circa 600A.D.) and later in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (circa 200 B.C.). Patanjali's tradition was largely dualistic, however, stating that nature and spirit were separate, and that the goal of yoga was to rise above nature.
Today, many people are taking up yoga techniques for physical exercise, and most don’t know the history of yoga. They believe there is nothing wrong with implementing this form of exercise into their daily regiment to promote a more healthy body.
Yoga is a physical and mental practice as well as a philosophy that began in India about 5,000 years ago (Lee, 2014). There are many types of yoga practice and over 15 million people in American practice yoga at least once a month (Statistic Brain, 2016). Yoga has grown to over a $6 billion industry (Girard, 2013). Bikram yoga is a specific routine of postures originally created by Bishnu Charan Ghosh and then modified by Bikram Choudury in Calcutta, India in the 1950’s. Today Bikram yoga is practiced in a room heated between 35-42 degrees Celsius or 95-108 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity of 40%. Bikram yoga is a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises done over 90 minutes in exactly the same order each time.
Everyday society assumes yoga is just a physical health practice that will make people substantially fit. Social media is making people believe that Yoga is mostly good for exercising in a social, trendy fashion environment. What society does not know is Yoga plays a huge role in emotional hygiene, more so than physical health, Yoga develops a healthy emotional stability for its participants that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Emotionally, Yoga can develop a healthy emotional lifestyle for its participants while leaving a person with more positivity, determination and strength in the human mind.
Atman supplies light to the intellect itself and therefore it is above all these instruments utilized by it.” Personally, among the three margas (karma-bhakti-jnana) in Hinduism to attain Kaivalya, I am attracted and influenced by the karma marga or also called as kriya yoga. Karma means work or action and involves connecting with God by performing one’s duty. Bhagvad Gita is an example of Karma Marga, Mahatma Gandhi is a great example of the notion. The main idea of Karma yoga is – do your duty and do not be concerned with the results.
Becoming a healthier person interests us all, from young to old, being fit is something we strive for. Nowadays, one means of achieving that goal is through yoga. Though the use of breathing exercises, meditation and strength postures, people have actually lowered their blood pressure, aches and pains fade away as their body becomes more athletic.
In a world full of skepticism towards the alternative, Yoga has created a place of growing belief for itself. As Timothy McCall, M.D. states in his book Yoga As Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health & Healing: A Yoga Journal Book:
Yoga could be described as the practice of holding different poses, and using diferrent breathing techniques that strengthens the mind and body, by bringing the practitioner into a new state of awareness. The practice of yoga increases blood flow to internal organs, brings more oxygen to the cells in your body, while strengthening and calming the nervous system. There are many different types of yoga. In the United States the most widely practiced form is known as Hatha, which is a combination of poses taken from all types of yoga b...
They noticed that the conditions related to their muscular system, respiratory system, nervous system, and the digestive system improved notably. It has been studied and suggested that regular practice of Yoga increases the brain gamma-Aminobutyric acid levels which helps in regulating the excitability of the nervous system and muscle tone as well. This helps in reducing anxiety and improving mood functions, letting people lead much more emotionally balanced lives. Apart from the abovementioned advantages, yoga also helps in keeping cardiovascular diseases in check. The three principles of yoga: asana (exercise), pranayama (breathing), and drishti (meditation) help in monitoring heart activities and keeping it functioning healthily. It does so by reducing blood pressure, speeding up recovery related to heart failures or cardiac arrests, and lower other cardiovascular risk factors that some people might have genetically imbibed in them. Similarly, it helps people with chronic back aches. Regular practice of yoga can bring relief over a period of time, than medications alone. Pain medications for back ache or spine-related spasms generally have dangerous side effects such as gastric problems, nausea, and the relief they provide last for a very short period of time. Yoga on the other hand gives back pain sufferers a much necessary relief through stretching exercises and also by meditating which plays a major role in alleviating any kind of
This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha
Through the practice of yoga, I have begun to learn many things about myself that I did not know before. These new findings are due to the implementation of the practice of yama and niyama into my everyday life. Yama means restraint or behavior to avoid. While, niyama means observance or conduct to cultivate. Yama principles focuses on a person’s interactions with the world while niyama is more of a self observation and how to deal with ourselves. I find that these ten commandments of yoga have caused me to examine myself and the world around me in a way that isn’t negative but of understanding. I think that as humans we tend to fear the unknown but the unknown is only unknown until we actively engage in finding the truth. Thus, we can go on in life being afraid of the things that we don’t know about ourselves and the world around us or we can enthusiastically search for the truth.