“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”
“Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one’s being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union – the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day to day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.”
The word yoga has its roots in the Sanskrit language and means to unite, merge or join. A male who practices yoga is called a yogi, a female practitioner, a Yogini. Yoga is the science of life. It is thousands of years old, and with regular practice, yoga can bring you back into balance physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Yoga is a practical system and universal beliefs aimed to help you return your body and mind to radiant health, promoting peace and harmony in your daily life. This is achieved by regularly practising yogic techniques in a systematic and enlightened way. Under the guidance of an experienced yoga teacher, you can develop a personal self-control that trains the mind and body to become healthy and live in balance and harmony.
The secret of yoga practice lies in a simple but important word: balance. In every area of our life, yoga represents balanced self-control. In very simple words, giving care to your body, mind, and breath is yoga. This means that the century-old practice includes yoga postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayamas) and meditation. Through these, the body, mind, and breath come in harmony with each other and that very moment yoga happens.
Yoga is a form of physical and mental exercises based on the belief that the body and breath are intimately connected with the mind. By controlling the breath and holding the body in steady postures, or asanas, yoga creates harmony. Yoga is a means of balancing and toning the body, mind, and emotions and is an implement that allows us to withdraw from the complaint of the world and find a quiet space within.
Have you noticed that in the 24 hours of a day, we have time for everybody and everything, but not even a few moments to pay attention to our mind and body? Here Yoga guides you; you will get many such moments exclusively to spend with yourself and give deep rest to both your mind and the body. The 10-hour workshop aims to achieve that harmony between the mind, body, and breath and correct any imbalance in the system, which cause issues like fear, anxiety, diabetes, back pain, etc.
The practice of yoga has immense benefits for not just the body but also the mind so that you enjoy a perfectly healthy state of being. As studies continue to reveal yoga’s many health benefits, Modern-day devotees range from high powered execs trying to keep hearts beating on a strong note to image-conscious personalities striving for sleek physiques. Even prominent athletes are adding yoga to their training regime to develop balanced, injury-free muscles and spines.
As in all great arts and sciences, to become proficient in yoga requires effort, determination, and practice. Physical and mental exercises are considered to help achieve this goal, also called self-transcendence or enlightenment. On the physical level, yoga postures called asanas, are aimed to tone, strengthen, and align the body. These postures are performed to make our physical systems healthy. On the mental level, yoga uses breathing techniques and meditation to quiet, clarify, and discipline the mind. However, experts are quick to point out that yoga is not a religion, but a way of living with health and peace of mind as its aims.
If you are experiencing any ill-health – whether mental, physical, emotional or even spiritual, AND you’re serious about taking responsibility for your healing, then regular yoga practice will make a very real difference in your life.
It means that no matter what issue you are dealing with in your life, yoga can help you manage it. And increasingly around the world, the scientific and medical world is doing the research to back this up.
General Guidelines to be observed during the Practice of Yoga
*- Never practice directly after eating. Yoga should be done on an empty stomach.
* – Wear comfortable clothing that does not restrict your movement.
*- meditation may be done at any time of the day when you feel both awake and relaxed.
*- never practice any yoga techniques under the influence of alcohol or mind-altering drugs,
*- Relax- Let go of any unnecessary tension, stress or negative thoughts.
*- To succeed in yoga one must have discipline. Regular, systematic practice is essential. Discipline also means Yama and Niyama – restraints on behaviour through universal moral instructions and self-purification through spiritual discipline.
* – If you are not religious try to maintain mindfulness and constantly be in the present moment aware of all actions and thoughts.
* – Eat a nourishing and well-balanced diet, based on natural foods. Avoid over-eating. Avoid fasting too much. Avoid
Over-processed foods. Eat only foods that are easily digestible.
* – yoga teaches that sexual energy should be conserved and used for spiritual progress. Complete sexual Suppression is not necessary, but it should be reduced and controlled as much as possible. This will save huge Amounts of energy and considerably slow down the ageing process.
*- Try to go to sleep at 9 or 10 P.M. and get up around 5 or 6 A.M. Too much sleep makes the body lazy and weak and reduces the amount of waking time. It is only necessary to have about 5 to 6 hours sleep per night.
*- Being in the present moment, with continuous mindfulness and awareness of every present moment, is the key to Spiritual evolution.
* – There are many obstacles on the path of yoga. It is extremely important to have a strong determination to succeed while maintaining a positive mental attitude.
If you thought that yoga was all about bending and twisting your body into odd shapes, it’s time to rethink. Initially, the sole purpose of practising yoga was to experience spiritual enlightenment. Rishi’s or yogis have defined yoga as the classical Indian science that concerns itself with the search for the soul and the union between the individual soul (spirit) whose existence is finite, and the divine, universal spirit which is infinite.
Yoga can better your life in so many ways. It can help you become a better partner, person, and worker. Or even as the guide. In a yoga lesson, we are not only healing our self and the world around us but also practising being in harmony and balance so that we can know what it’s like to be in harmony. It is important to maintain this feeling of calmness and mindfulness throughout our day so that our whole life becomes harmonious and healthy. Eventually, with regular practice, this becomes our long-lasting and spontaneous state of being.
It is important for you, the reader, to realize that we, not professional yoga experts and have simply tried to provide you with an introduction to yoga and meditation.