Originating in ancient India, yoga is a vast subject, certainly much more than just physical postures and breathing which we have become familiar with in the West. The word yoga means ‘union’, the union of mind, body and spirit or the union of the individual Soul with the Universal Soul. It is an art, a science, a whole system of conscious living. It offers us not just theories on how to be happy and healthy but most importantly, the tools we need to transform our lives and realise our full potential. These tools include the physical postures, breathing, meditation, diet and self-reflection.
Whatever you seek in your life, yoga can help you find it. Sincere and regular practice will slowly but surely infuse new meaning into our lives, helping us to find our true purpose.
We begin with the physical: gently leading the body toward strength and flexibility. These qualities are soon manifested in our mental and emotional life, allowing us to stay balanced and calm in the face of challenges.
Through the practice, we begin to enjoy physical, mental and emotional well-being. We get a taste of what it is to be whole, to tune in to a deeper part of our nature, the Spirit or Soul. This attunement to our Soul offers us everything we need to be happy and fulfilled. Practice yoga and everything else will fall into place!
Yoga is not a religion, but it has a universal appeal to all spiritual seekers of Truth. It enables us to go deep within and uncover the Truth from inside ourselves. Many ancient traditions state that, deep within, we are already perfect, already in touch with the Universal Source or God. It is simply that the stresses and strains of living have obscured the light inside us and so we cannot reach our full potential. Like cleaning a dusty oil lamp, the practice of meditation and yoga gradually removes these layers of ignorance and confusion and allows the light of the Soul to shine through. The practice of yoga need not interfere with any personal religious beliefs we may have, rather it broadens and deepens our faith and understanding.
Yoga, in its traditional sense, referred to a path that spiritual seekers took in order to attain a state of union with God or the Universe, which in other traditions is called enlightenment or nirvana. Gradually, different paths evolved that seekers could follow according to their different temperaments or lifestyles. The three oldest paths are called Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, is for those who wish to make progress through staying in the world; it tells us to act selflessly, without attachment to the results of our actions. In daily life, it means doing each task mindfully and to the best of our ability, without worrying about the outcome. It encourages us to live in the present moment. Bhakti Yoga is for those whose natural spiritual tendency is to love and worship, and in the West it is probably the one we are most familiar with through the influence of Christianity. Jnana Yoga, on the other hand, is for those who seek the Truth through knowledge, either by reading the ancient scriptures or by direct perception of the divine in everything and everyone.
The meaning we in the West give to Yoga today stems from the Yoga Sutras, which were written around 200AD by Patanjali and are generally considered to be the classic description of yoga. In this text, Patanjali describes an integral system of living called Raja Yoga, which included as one of its components a series of physical postures called asanas. In the West, the term “yoga” is generally taken to mean the practice of these asanas, which in addition to giving a sense of wellbeing, were also meant to prepare the body to be able to sit for long hours in meditation and contemplation. Hatha Yoga is a broad term usually used to describe the physical postures and breathing (pranayama). Within Hatha many styles have evolved, as individual teachers emphasise different aspects of the practice. For example, Iyengar Yoga emphasises precise alignment in the posture work.
Over thousands of years, these branches and styles of yoga have evolved to suit every taste, temperament and lifestyle. Here at Lotus Yoga, we hope that the benefits of your yoga practice will help you wherever life’s journey may take you.
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