About Yoga and Meditation
By jaffar
The word YOGA is derived from the Sanskrit root 'YUJA' as also from the root 'YUJIR' meaning to 'unite' or to 'integrate'. This union refers to the union of the individual consciousness with the cosmic or divine consciousness. In the contemporary context it means the integration of physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual aspects of human personality and also the integration of an individual with his environment and society. In its true spirit YOGA is the inhibition of the functions of the mind by 'Abhyasa (Practice- discipline) and Vairagya (Detachment). AYURVEDA has a four-dimensional entity comprising of Sarira (Body), Indriya (Senses), Satva (Mind) and Atma (Soul) and YOGA refers to the union or integration of these four aspects.
Yoga has evolved to include postures that really do fit that sort of description. Through much persistence, patience and careful study, many people today have achieved and even surpassed those. For the uninitiated, the image of yoga commonly consists of contorting yourself into a human pretzel and sitting on the pointy bit of some distant mountain.
Even so, this should be considered an extremity of yoga. Just as all martial arts have evolved from yoga, anything can be taken to the point of distraction when on the road to enlightenment. These complex and sometimes dangerous yoga poses should only be considered after years of experience and never seen as an end-goal.
The oldest formal documentation of yoga comes from around 200 B.C. but there are many references that point way back to the Vedic times where, it is said, the yoga path was initiated. In any case, yoga has been around in one form or another for a very long time.
Long enough to have been the precursor to every form of martial arts and every type of exercise system. Translating from the ancient Sanskrit, the word yoga is derived from the verbal root, yuj, meaning to yoke, harness. From the language, yoga is the process of uniting ourselves in order to express the energy of our true nature. In other words, yoga is the methodical steps of aligning and converging our body, mind and spirit for the purpose of enlightenment. Please visit us at www.ayurvedasbeautycare.com
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I wish you all the best on your yoga adventure!
To your health,
Thomas T :)
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