Most individuals in the West, and in addition to many in India, confuse yoga with Hatha Yoga. Yoga is the system of bodily postures. But Indian yoga is basically spiritual self-discipline.
The real meaning of the word Yoga is union. Etymologically,It is related to a word in the English language yoke. Yoga means union with God, or, the union of the little, ego-self with the divine Self, the infinite Spirit.
It is not at all the case that working in hatha yoga is any kind of problem. The physique is part of our human nature, and have to be stored match so it doesn’t hinder our religious efforts. However, those that are centered on self-realization don't essentially apply it as a lot or in any respect.
Hatha Yoga is the bodily department of Raja Yoga, the true science of yoga. Raja Yoga is a system of meditation strategies that assist to harmonize human consciousness with the divine consciousness.
Yoga is an artwork in addition to a science. It is a science, as a result of it provides sensible strategies for controlling physique and thoughts, thereby making deep meditation attainable. And it's an artwork, for until it's practiced intuitively and sensitively it would yield solely superficial outcomes.
Indian Yoga just isn't a system of beliefs. It takes into consideration the effect on one another of physique and thoughts and brings them into mutual concord. So typically, as an illustration, the thoughts can't focus merely due to pressure or sickness within the physique, which stops the vitality from flowing to the mind. So typically, too, the vitality within the physique is weakened as a result of the desire is dispirited, or paralyzed by dangerous feelings.
Indian Yoga works primarily with the vitality within the physique, via the science of pranayama, or energy-control. Prana means additionally ‘breath.’ Yoga teaches how, via breath-control, to nonetheless the thoughts and attain increased states of consciousness.
The increased teachings of yoga take one past strategy and present the yogi, or yoga practitioner, tips on how to direct his vitality in such a method as not solely to harmonize human with divine consciousness, however, to merge his consciousness within the Infinite.
The odd particular person’s vitality is locked in his physique. The lack of availability of that vitality to his will prevents him from loving the Lord one-pointedly with any of the three different elements of his nature: coronary heart, thoughts, or soul. Only when the vitality might be withdrawn from the physique and directed upward in deep meditation is true inside communion attainable.
Indian Yoga is a really historical science; it's 1000's of years outdated. The perceptions derived from its apply kind the spine of the greatness of India, which for hundreds of years has been legendary. The truths espoused within the yoga teachings, nevertheless, are usually not restricted to India, nor to those that consciously apply yoga strategies. Many saints of different religions additionally, together with many Christian saints, have found elements of the religious path which might be intrinsic to the teachings of yoga.