The Meaning of Yoga
It is common to associate the word Yoga with a
system of physical postures and meditation. But Yoga
in its original form has a deep spiritual significance
which is lost in today’s body-centered world.
The Sanskrit word Yoga comes from the verb root
Yuj, which means to link or to connect. When we
talk about linking or connection, an obvious question
arises: to connect what with what? The very word
“connection” implies that there must be two different
entities separated from one another, and they need to
be connected. The ancient Vedic text Bhagavad Gita
explains that these entities are the individual
consciousness and the universal Supreme
consciousness. Some may call this universal
consciousness an all-pervading energy, whereas most
theists consider this Supreme consciousness to be
God. The Vedic philosophy combines these two
apparently contradictory concepts very beautifully. It
explains that there is definitely an all-pervading
universal energy. But the very existence of energy
implies that there also exists a possessor and
controller of the energy – the energetic – who is an
intelligent being. Our individual consciousness or
energy is a manifestation of the spirit soul inside our
body, and this soul is a part of the Supreme Soul or
the Supreme Energetic or God. The purpose of Yoga
is to connect the individual energy with the universal
energy, or put another way, to connect the individual
being to its source – the Supreme Being.
Yoga or divine union with the Supreme does not
mean that we merge into the Supreme and become
one with Him. Bhagavad Gita explains that we do
become one, but in quality and not in quantity. This
oneness is spiritual, not physical. For example, the
perfect realization of sugar is not becoming sugar,
rather tasting its sweetness. Similarly, the perfect
divine union means that we do not lose our
individuality, but we become united with the Supreme
*
An ancient language in which most of the Eastern
philosophy texts have been written.
†
Vedas are the most ancient recorded scriptures of knowledge
of the Self.
in a deep, eternal, sweet, personal, loving
relationship, and taste the nectar of its mellows.
What is Bhagavad Gita?
Bhagavad Gita literally means Song of the
Absolute. It is a conversation between Arjuna and
Krishna, which took place around 3000 B.C. in a
battlefield. Krishna represents the Supreme Being and
Arjuna represents an ordinary living being like us.
Through Arjuna’s questions and Krishna’s answers,
the complete science of Yoga is revealed. It is
considered a science because it describes the concept
of Yoga in a systematic step-by-step way. It tells us
exactly how to follow the Yoga processes and also
what will be the results of different practices.
In modern days, Yoga is often misunderstood just
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.
The practice of yoga has been performed for countless years. It originated in ancient India while people were trying to maintain a state of everlasting peace. There are different traditions of yoga in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Gurus, from India, first introduced yoga in the West. Later in the 1980’s yoga became a popular system of physical exercises across the western world. The earliest archaeological evidence of yoga’s existence is found in stone that illustrates symbols and figures of yoga poses. These place the existence of yoga back to around 3000 B.C., or even dated back earlier, possibly in the stone age Shamanism.
Yoga and Meditation being used as a form of physical therapy has been going on for thousands of years. We, the western society, have picked this up and created a yoga boom doing researches with results showing that it can improve physical health.
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 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.
The Bhagavad-Gita, a portion of the great epic the Mahabharata, is the “most typical expression of Hinduism.” It is eighteen chapters long and was composed around the first century BCE. The sage Samjaya recites the story to the blind king Dhrtarastra, the father of the Kaurava princes. While presenting ideas of wisdom, duty, and liberation in the midst of the rivalry between the Kauravas, the Bhagavad-Gita epitomizes the teachings of Krishna. Focusing specifically on the moral struggle of the Pandava prince Arjuna, the Bhagavad-Gita’s major themes include yoga, karma, dharma, and moksa. Yoga, being discipline or the strict and “attentive cultivation of mental character and meaningful action” , is crucial to the text because it is dharma yoga, acting properly according to one’s dharma, and bhakti yoga, a disciplined life of devotion that allows one to achieve moksa, or liberation, one of the four aims of li...
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.
The practice of Yoga dates back to thousands of years ago and is believed to have been introduced to the world by a person who was known as Adiyogi. Adiyogi, more famously know as Lord Shiva himself, was first seen in upper parts of the Himalayas, where he was seen in a mystic
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:
The Bhagavad Gita shows of a conversation between the great warrior Arjuna and Lord Krishna. This supposedly happened in the Mahabharata when Arjuna and his charioteer (Lord Krishna) were going for the final battle, but Arjuna was having trouble deciding whether to fight or not that steered Lord Krishna to convey the eternal message of spiritual wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita was originally written in Sanskrit, thus if translated, the word Gita means song and the word Bhagavad means God, often referring this text as the Song of God. Some of the things that can be learned from the Bhagavad Gita are the reason for creation, birth and death, the results of actions, the eternal soul, liberation and the purpose of human existence. The whole text existed
The Bhagavad Gita is a timeless example of how Hinduism can be applied and seen in Indian life. It also enforces the example of how Hinduism is the heart of India by demonstrating the qualities of ancient Indian culture. These beliefs although outdated, are also seen manifesting in many important values, such as Buddhism, which will be discussed later. It is in this document that both sets of beliefs which provide the foundation of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs are combined.
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...
For Hinduism, the ultimate liberation is returning to Braham. According to Bhagavad Gita, there are three ways of practice that lead to liberation.¬¬¬¬. These are janna-yoga (the way of knowledge), bhakti- yoga (the practice of devotion) and karma-yoga (the course of action). In other words, one can practice any of these methods to achieve union with God. This paper I will analyze some important aspects of bhakti-yoga and how it can lead one to attain ultimate liberation—return to Atman. In doing this investigation, I hope to help the reader broaden their knowledge on liberation in Hinduism. As Radhakrishnan says we may climb the mountain from different paths, but the view from the summit is identical for all.