Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow.
– Swami Satyananda Saraswati
While I was student of Post Graduation in Yogic Science from Dehradun
In first class yogic science we starter answering this basic question of
What is Yoga?
We were around 20 students and each had a different answer, some said it was physical exercise were as some said it was meditation, some even mentioned it as religion.
We took almost 4 months just to understand the meaning and philosophy of Yoga and my dear lady it is not easy ………..(let me tell you, we had loads of fun while learning it, Oh!!! our teachers use to get tired of our ways, yet love it !! .
I don’t remember any day when we have not received scolding by our teachers….. its wonderful when you meet friends for life).
Here is some concept of yoga taught to use by our lovely Ma’am (She is full of love and light and positivism).
Yoga is a very complicated word which has a very deep meaning.
The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means “to join” or “to yoke” or “union”.
Like chemistry two elements combine to form a compound this process of joing together and being one is called yoga.
Yoga was practiced in India since time immemorial. It is said that yoga was practiced even before the Vedas were formed that is why some people name it as Tantric techniques.
Few seal of Harrapa and Mohen jo Daro ( Indus valley civilisation) have prototype of yoga poses apparently we do not have proof of that though.
During the time when yoga was evolving there were many philosophers who practiced yoga as per their understandings like Maharishi Patajali , Maharishi Kapila, Gautam Buddha and many more .
Do you know that Bhagawat Gita has 18 chapters and in those 18 chapters each chapter is dedicated to one kind of yoga because is not one case fit all.
Each individual is different and therefore each can practice yoga in their own way.
My style of Yoga is Gyana yoga where I love to study the scriptures and know more about it.
It gives me mimense satisfaction on a deeper level and makes me well balanced person.
I guess I should dedicate one blog post just for detailing different types of yoga.
Now lets get back to the topic
We will be discussing few definitions of yoga below
Understanding of Yoga as per Maharishi Patanjali (father of Yoga) from his text Patanjali Yogsutra 1/2.
“yogas chitta vritti nirodhah”
which means “yoga is the removal of the fluctuations of the mind”. Chitta is mind, vrittis are thought impulses, nirodah is removal.
As per Bhagwat Gita 2/48, the most scared text.(there are around 10 definition of yoga in Gita, I chose this because I could connect with it)
“Sidhyasidhyoh samo bhutva samatvang yoga uchyatein”
Yoga is being balanced (feeling and behaving balanced) through out in achievements and failures, success and defeat
As per Bhagwat Gita 2/50
“Buddhi yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrita-dushkrite
Tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmesu kaushalam”
Sama buddhi meaning a balanced mind finds freedom or moksha from good as well as bad deed in this lifetime when he understands that a balanced mind is the only way forward and that makes his Karma or actions skillful.
Some gyanis also say that doing our work skillfully in itself is yoga.
As per Sankhya Darshana
“ Pu Prakritiyogadeepa yogah ityabhdhiyata”
When Purusha and Prakriti ( worldly pleasures) are bifurgated and purusha meaning human conciosness rests in itself we call it yoga
Then there were many who has defined yoga in their text, we will be discussing them in the upcoming article.
While learning these I realized that the ultimate goal of yoga is to be in eternal bliss or eternal freedom (Mukti). Freedom from people, freedom from things, freedom from attachments, and freedom from our own feeling….
I could only imagine how I would feel like to be free from everything ….. even from ourselves.
Though this ultimate goal is for the real Yogis for common people like me what should be our goal. When i was having a debate about this with myself i was reflecting on the outputs of Yoga ……
Physical fitness …. Oh yeah, i love that …….
Mental peace…. very much needed .
Awareness …. of myself ….. Eureka!!! …… Yes got it!!!…. That would be my ultimate goal . To know who I am? to answer the questions which are lingering in my mind forever and along with that other things also come in a package.
The goal of yoga can be different for different people you have to search for it ….. System remains the same the question changes.
More reads
Yogasutra of Maharishi Patanjali
More research
Love light,
Aarti