Yoga

Religion is realization; not talk, nor doctrine, nor theories however beautiful they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing, or acknowledging, it is the whole soul becoming what it believes. That is religion."

Swami Vivekananda

Yoga and Religion : An ideal religion should be able to satisfy all types of minds, and all types of questions. Singing, weeping and preaching of love is not all. Modern man wants something stronger than that. He wants a little more reason and wants to understand things step by step and more rationally. Hinduism strives to be such a religion - "a religion that will be equally acceptable to all minds, equally philosophic, equally emotional, equally mystic and equally conducive to action".

Like people of most other religions, Hindus have associated the ideas of holiness, purity, truth, omnipresence, and such other ideals with various icons and forms. But the fundamental difference is that for Hindus, religion does not mean an intellectual ascent to certain doctrines. It is centrally focused on realization. As said Vivekananda, "Man is to become divine by realizing the divine."

Swami Vivekananda has succinctly explained this as follows: "To the worker, it is union between men and the whole of humanity; to the mystic, between his lower and Higher Self; to the lover, union between himself and the God of love; and to the philosopher, it is union of all existence. This is what is meant by Yoga."

Theologically speaking, there are four divisions of Yoga. In Sanskrit, they are called Raja-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga and Jnana Yoga. And the person who seeks this kind of a union is called a Yogi. The worker is called the Karma-Yogi. One who seeks this union through mysticism is called a Raja-Yogi. One who searches this union in love is a Bhakti-Yogi. And one who seeks this Yoga through philosophy is called the Jnana-Yogi.

Yoga is not a religion...in fact you might say that it is an 'umbrella'. Under it and in it and all around it contains all the worlds' religions, belief systems and philosophies. Yoga is not a religion...it is a universal concept that brings things scattered together. That may be people, ideas or simply the exercises that helps one to bring him/herself together.

Yoga and Meditation go hand in hand and Pranayama is an integral part of both. The Asanas' we practice (postures) stimulate nerve energy. Of course we all know that nerve energy passes along the spine and sends impulses to our brain and through-out the body. Stimulating and increasing nerve energy through-out the body gives us more energy, clarity and awareness (hightened consciousness).

Pranayama : Pranayama is working with or using breathing techniques to integrate movement with breath. Prana means 'life force'. By practicing various Pranayama we then stimulate our energy centers (chakras) and open up latent mysteries, powers, energies that may be asleep in many of us. This awakening in combination with inner reflection through meditation is the beginning of the awakening of the potential of human beings...

Origin of Yoga : Yoga originates from the East. The earliest writings about Yoga appear in the Bhagavad- Gita about 10,000 years ago. From India the Yogic techniques were taught to the monks in the Himalayas and they in turn (with some changes) taught it to the villagers who needed to learn how to protect themselves.....these teachings evolved and became what we know today as Martial Arts.

A Healthy Excercise : Yoga is a good way to exercise. It combines various styles that can calm and relax your being as well stimulate your nerves, work you muscles and condition your organs. It is an over all tonic that helps the entire organism. It can be practiced at home every day for just a few minutes or in a studio environment where you are guided through the postures step by step.

Ashtanga or Raja Yoga : Yoga literally means "union", " connections", or "oneness". Today, we typically understand "yoga" to mean a series of gentle stretching exercises; but in fact, it can refer to any of a number of physical and mental disciplines, all of which are designed to reunite us with our sacred energy source: the divine.

In the second century C.E., the Indian yogi Patanjali - who is sometimes referred to as the Father of Yoga - codified the millennia-old yoga tradition in his Yoga Sutra. Patanjali outlined eight specific principles, each of which is an entire practice path intended to reunite the seeker with the divine.

The Eight Steps

* Yamas - Ethical behavior, truth, non-violence, non-stealing, non-covetness
* Niyamas - Self discipline, purity, surrender of ego
* Asanas - Bodily Postures
* Pranayama - Breathing and control of the vital breath force
* Pratahahara - Turning inward, releasing the Ego & senses
* Dhyrana - Concentration of the mind
* Dyana - Meditation
* Samadi - Transcendence

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