 If I were to ask you what the single most basic human need is, what would you say? Would you say food? Water? Shelter? The answer is breath. You can live for weeks without food, days without water and depending upon the climate, indefinitely, without shelter. But you cannot live more than a few minutes without air. The philosophy of Yoga is based on prana, the universal life force. Prana also means breath, hence the importance of breathing exercises to Yoga. The fundamental Yoga practice reunifies one's mind, body and spirit through physical exercises, diet, breathing techniques and meditation. This process allows one to embrace a higher consciousness. Loosely translated, Yoga means "to yoke or join together". Traditionally, the goal of Yoga is union with the Absolute, known as Brahman, or with Atman, the true self. Yoga's transcendence is a divine act that allows one to recognize the divine in oneself as well as others. Namaste is a Yoga principle which derives from the Sanskrit word meaning "I honour the divine in you." Yoga is a path of non-violence, anti-materialism, harmony, appreciation of the present moment, and respect of all living things. Yoga is not a goal, rather a way of life. This article explores a little bit about the history and development of Yoga as well as shares some of its practices and benefits.  Though yoga's origins are shrouded, evidence links the earliest Yoga tradition back at least 5000 years. Scholars believe yoga grew out of Stone Age shamanism (native spirituality), because of the cultural similarities between Modern Hinduism and Mehrgarh, a Neolithic settlement (in what is now Afghanistan). In fact, much of Hinduism's ideas, rituals and symbols of today appear to have their roots in this shamanistic culture. The first archaeological evidence of yoga's existence is found in stone seals excavated from the Indus valley. The stone seals depict figures performing yoga postures. These artefacts officially put yoga on the map circa 3000 B.C.E, and more importantly link it to the great Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, an exceptionally modern, progressive culture, for its time. The Indus-Sarasvati civilization also gave birth to the ancient texts known as the Vedas, the oldest known scriptures in the world. 1900 BC- The Sarasvati River dried up, forcing a mass exodus from the Indus Valley, southward and obviously, they carried their yoga practices with them Around 1400 B.C.E., a man named Vyasa took the Vedas, an oral tradition, (ancient scriptures) and categorized them into a written text. Between 1200-1000 BC, we begin to see Buddhism surfacing, which also employed Yoga practices. 500 BC we see the "Bhagavad-Gita", which also means "As It Is", written by Lord Sri Krsna. It has had a lasting and profound effect upon Hinduism and it's important from an historical viewpoint because it confirms that Yoga was, indeed, an ancient practice. The advent of modern yoga in the USA can be traced back to the late 1800s and gurus such as Swami Vivekanada. Perhaps the most popular however, was swami Paramashansa Yogananda, who founded the Self-Realization Fellowship. Most people remember Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who popularized Transcendental Meditation in the 60's, because he was associated with (what famous musical group?) the Beatles. Since then, Yoga has continued to grow and gain popularity. These days, though, the focus is often on the more down-to-earth benefits of Yoga, including improved physical fitness, mental clarity, greater self-understanding, stress control and general well-being. Traditional exercise is goal oriented: How many push ups can I do? Can I touch my toes? I'm going to do 10 more crunches today than I did yesterday. Yoga, by contrast, is a process. The eight steps of Classical Yoga are: yama, or restraint, niyama, or observance of purity, tolerance and study, asana, or physical exercises, pranayama or breath control, pratyahara, or preparation for meditation dharana, or concentration, dhyana or meditation; and samadhi or absorption in the sublime.
The idea is to focus your awareness on what you are doing at that moment and how you feel as you perform the postures. In exercise, you fail if you miss your goal. In Yoga, you succeed by simply trying. You're not building muscles. Yoga increases strength by toning the muscles. The most common misconception about Yoga is that people think you need to be flexible. Yoga is not about how flexible you are; it is about stretching your body and spine. The more inflexible you are, the more you need yoga. You become flexible by doing yoga. In fact, there are many modified versions of the postures, as well as tools, to help you along.  Studies have shown that certain Yoga practices can help some patients control their high blood pressure. In general, Yoga promotes health, a sense of calm and relaxation. In addition, it teaches you to be aware of your body and to listen to the signals it sends -- all of which can be very useful. There are are, of course, certain postures to avoid if you have a history of high blood pressure, such as head and shoulder stands and downward facing dog, to name a few. Regular practice of Yoga, including postures, pranayama (breath exercises) and meditation can help relieve some of the suffering of migraines, as well, and make the condition more manageable. Postures will help improve blood circulation and also relieve physical tension and stress, which may be a contributing factor to migraines. The book Yoga for Common Ailments suggests that you avoid excessive forward bends and back bends, however, because they increase the flow of blood to the head, as do inversions. In addition, breath work and meditation will help balance the emotions and relieve mental stress and tension. Dr R Monro, Dr Nagarathna and Dr Nagendra. Yoga for Common Ailments. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990 Caroline Brock. Personal Interview. 5 Sept. 2002 Swami Prabhupada. Commentary & Translation. Bhagavad-Gita or As It is. By Lord Sri Krsna. Los Angeles, London, Paris, Bombay, Sydney, Hong Kong: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1984 Yoga Poses |
