The Experience
Have you experienced the amazing health benefits of Yoga & Meditation today?
Recent years have revealed many different trending health or diet fads.
Vegan this, vegetarian that, keto fast and keto slow. Juice just about anything that fits in a blender for whatever health benefit is claimed.
But the big thing that really has million’s of North Americans’ attention is Yoga and/or Meditation.
First a bit of History…
The interest and practice of Yoga and Meditation have risen dramatically within our North American culture.
The word ‘yoga’, comes from the root word “Yuj” in Sanskrit( language), and it means, ‘to unite’.
San – skrit, _An ancient Indo-European language of India, in which the Hindu scriptures as well as, classical Indian poems are written.
Also, from which many northern Indian (Indic) languages are derived.
Sanskrit, meaning ‘perfected’ or ‘refined’, is one of the oldest, of all attested human languages.
The oldest form of Sanskrit is Vedic Sanskrit that dates as far back as the 2nd millennium BCE.
Yama and Niyama, the ethical precepts set forth in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as the 1st & 2nd of the eight limbs of yoga.
These are the foundation of the practice. In which no spiritual progress along the path of yoga is possible without this foundation.
In essence, any Yoga practice should begin with Yama and Niyama and extend into asana and the other limbs of yoga.
Resource here: Yoga Sutra
Yoga Today
The Modern Yoga generally practiced in North America today, is engaged in the third limb, Asana.
“Now comes Asana, posture. Until you can get a firm seat you cannot practice the breathing and other exercises. Firmness of seat means that you do not feel the body at all. In the ordinary way, you will find that as soon as you sit for a few minutes all sorts of disturbances come into the body; but when you have got beyond the idea of a concrete body, you will lose all sense of the body…When you have succeeded in conquering the body and keeping it firm, your practice will remain firm, but while you are disturbed by the body, your nerves become disturbed, and you cannot concentrate the mind.”
Quoted by: Swami Vivekananda
Asana is a program of physical postures designed to purify the body.
This will help to provide the physical strength and stamina required during long periods of meditation.
Any genuine yoga practice is concerned with enlightenment.
It attempts to create a state where we are present in every action as well as our own movement.
Yoga is also to be one with the Divine, a power higher and greater than oneself. Its content is universal.
In Yoga there is the Cit (consciousness); Buddi, (the intellect); Chitta, (the mind); Ahamkara, (the sense of “I”); and the Manas, (the power behind the senses).
Yoga should not be confused with just stretching or fitness, as Yoga is more than just physical postures.
Patanjali’s eight-fold path illustrates how the physical practice is just one aspect of Yoga.
Even within the physical practice, Yoga is unique.
The connection & movement of the body, with the fluctuations of the mind, to the rhythm of our breath.
Connections…
Connecting the mind, body, and breath helps us to direct our attention inward to achieve focused mental clarity.
Through this process of mental clarity, we learn to recognize our habitual thought patterns without labeling them, judging them, or trying to change them.
We become more focused on our experiences from moment to moment.
The self-awareness that we cultivate is what makes yoga a practice, rather than a task or a goal to achieve.
Many people come to yoga initially as a physical exercise.
Once they experience Yoga in the practice, they later begin to realize & understand the profound spiritual effect on their lives.
Most of what is known as ‘Yoga’ today is not the same as Yoga described in the ‘Yoga Sutras’ or the original texts.
Modern Yoga has morphed into an eroticized version of asana excluding all aspects of faith, devotion, or understanding intended within it.
Making Yoga more like mere exercise.
Modern Yoga
Today, one can register for a myriad of “yogas”: spinning+yoga, naked yoga, doga (yoga for dogs), hot yoga, yoga on a surfboard, the list is endless.
New types of “yoga” appear and disappear daily.
They are no-where near the levels of yoga that is described in the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, or Upanishads.
In today’s commercialization, the term “yoga” is loosely applied to the latest fitness moves.
These moves bear little if any resemblance to yoga as citta-vritti-nirodhah.
Physical benefits
To some people, Yoga can seem as if it were a religion.
It is not a religion. It does contain universal truths that anyone can apply to any belief or non-belief mindset.
Yoga is for everyone and everyone can and should practice Yoga as well as, Meditation.
Science
The practice of Yoga and Meditation has proven scientifically to help reduce chronic health issues.
Such as chronic fatigue, menstrual pain, inflammation from arthritis and fibromyalgia, headaches, stress, anxiety, and lower back pain.
When practiced regularly, Yoga and Meditation can lower blood pressure, reduce insomnia as well as other mental health and physical health benefits.
Mental benefits
One of the most important benefits of yoga is the manner it helps a person manage stress, anxiety, and depression.
Stress, scientifically proven to have devastating effects on our mental health and physical health.
We get so busy with life we don’t realize stress affects us in a dramatic physical way.
Such as back or neck pain, the lack of concentration skills, headaches, sleep issues, drug or alcohol abuse, and depression.
The practice of Yoga, along with Meditation & Breathing techniques has proven to be very effective in reaching a sense of control of one’s inner self and effectively increase your coping skills (well being).
Our inner calmness increases self-awareness, relieves chronic stress patterns, and relaxes the mind, which creates a balanced, positive outlook on life.
The sense of achieving Mental Clarity along with Mental Focus promotes a Healthy Well Balanced Life.
Advantages of Yoga and Meditation
Practicing Yoga and Meditation has awesome advantages.
This is an activity that you can participate in as a group or on your own while still achieving amazing results.
Some may find it more advantageous to practice in silence on their own, and some may find inspiration and support in a group environment.
Conclusion
With daily Yoga and Meditation practice, you can obtain a healthy well-balanced lifestyle to help promote a Healthy Mental & Physical Well Being.
“Namaste”
Always consult your family physician before trying any new fitness or workout program to be sure your health ability is up to the task.