What is yoga?
By Amitabha Deb
The
word Yoga means to join or unite. According to Patanjali, yoga
is the means by which our mind can be made still, quiet and free
from all distractions.
Yoga
is an ancient
science practiced in India. Nobody knows its origins but the
history goes back more than 5000 years. Over time many wise men
walked the great path of yoga. Each one of them left their own
landmarks for us to follow. So it is a collective experience of
people for many thousands of years.
These wise men, termed as yogis were like children. Everything
fascinated them: shining stars, tall mountains, flowing rivers,
beautiful birds ----- even little grasshoppers. They lived close
to nature. Truth, non-violence, honesty, self-discipline and
simplicity were the roots of their life.
Originally
yoga techniques were passed down from teacher to student through
word of mouth. These techniques had never been written down
until Sage Patanjali wrote about yoga in a systematic way. We
consider him as the founder of yoga and he lived around 200 BC.
Patanjali grew up to be an extraordinary man, renowned for his
learning and wisdom. He was the author of three brilliant works.
One was on Sanskrit grammar; the second was a work on ancient
Indian medicine, Ayurveda and the third and most important was
on yoga. It is called Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In this brief
work, containing only 196 sayings, Patanjali clearly explained
what yoga was.
Swami
Vivekananda added to the spread of yoga by bringing it to
America. In 1893, he addressed the parliament of World religions
and discussed the path of yoga. As a result of his speech, it
began to blossom as a practice in many areas of the country.
Yoga has since gained major popularity in United States.
Benefits of Yoga
The benefits of
yoga are enormous. A few of them are listed below.
- It Opens Up A Peaceful State Of Mind
And Body
- Helps To Express Creativity And
Imagination
- Increases Body Awareness
- Promotes Learning Of Basics Of Body And
Health
- Improves Concentration, Attention And
Focus
- Improves Self Esteem And Confidence
- Helps In Learning Positive Social
Interaction
- Helps In Maintaining Emotional Balance
Dr. Amitabha Deb, Ph.D, is a Biomedical Scientist. He is a
200 Hours Yoga Alliance teacher trainee and a certified
Children’s Yoga Trainer. His email is amitabhadeb@yahoo.com
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