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CONCEPT OF YOGA The word Yoga comes from the term Yuj meaning union, or join, which implies

the union of body, mind and soul. Some theists understand this union to be the union of the individual self with the Absolute Self, the union of the Atman with the Brahman. The basic text of Yoga is the Yogasutra of Patanjali (2nd century B.C.). The book is said to consist of four padas or parts: the samadhipada, which deals with the nature, aims and forms of yoga, discusses the modifications of citta and elaborates on the different methods of attaining yoga (samadhi or concentration); the sadhanapada, which deals with the path of attaining samadhi through kriyayoga, the kleshas or mental states causing aflictions, the fruits of actions (karmaphala) and their painful nature, and the fourfold theme of suffering, its cause, its cessation and the means thereof; the vibhutipada gives an account of the inward aspects of yoga and the supernatural powers that may be acquired by the practice of yoga; and kaivalyapada, which describes the nature and the attitude that is required for liberation, the nature of the goal of life and the other world, and the reality of the transcendent self. The training of a Yogi is divided into eight stages (Ashtanga Yoga). By practicing all these stages and techniques of Yoga, the impurities in the citta are destroyed and there is an enlightenment in the individual. The eight limbs of Yoga are: 1. Yama - (Restraints) 2. Niyama - (Observances) 3. Asana - (Posture) 4. Pranayama - (Control and regulation of prana) 5. Pratyahara - (Sense withdrawal) 6. Dharana - (Concentration) 7. Dhyana - (Meditation) 8. Samadhi - (Self-realisation)

1. Yama
Yama implies Restraint or the practice of the following five ethical codes. Ahimsa: non-violence; not hurting or killing anyone, even self. Satya: truthfulness, Asteya: not stealing, Brahmacharya: abstinence and chastity; self-restraint from yielding to desires; and Aparigraha: avoidance of greed, non-avariceness, non- covetousness.

impulses or

2. Niyama
Niyama implies Observances, which is the observance of the five rules of purity. Shaucha: cleanliness and purity, not only of the external physical body, but even of the mind. This includes personal hygiene, positivity in attitude, removal of negativity, all positive bhavas. Santosha: contentment, implying that man needs to realise that he gets only what he deserves and not always what he yearns for without effort. This helps to destroy the keeping up with the Jones attitude in individuals. Tapas: penance and austerity, which implies that man needs to be perseverant in his attempts and should perform duties with a sense of detachment. Swadhyay: self-study and self-help, guiding the student to introspect, auto-suggest, and be self-reliant. Ishvarapranidhana: resignation and submission to God, with faith. This is also interpreted teleologically as a submission to Divine Will, if the individual does not subscribe to the theistic view in Indian thought. The individual needs to work with a sense of detachment as he realises that he has no control over the fruits of his action, but only over his actions. This leads him to the idea that his efforts alone matter, making him a Karmayogi.

3. Asana
Sthira sukham Asanam Posture - sitting in certain comfortable, steady postures for the purpose of relaxation of efforts or meditation on the Infinite. The most famous is the Lotus Posture (padmasana). All Asanas can be interpreted to instill values and attitudes while teaching or learning them. There are various benefits to the regular practice of Asanas, if they are done correctly, in a disciplined manner, and religiously. The practice of Asanas regularly helps to develop a disciplined mind, a kind and sensitive heart and a rationally guided intellect, with intuition as its power. The steadiness and steadfastness that comes with this kind of practice leads man to his goals more easily as he needs to put in less effort to achieve his goals. It teaches man to conserve energy and utilise it in a stringent manner for maximum benefits. Asana, along with Pranayama, leads man to achieve the goal of Arogyam ca dine dine. This discipline helps in keeping the various organs of the body in perfect condition, such as the heart, kidneys, lungs, stomach, liver, the indriyas, the brain and the spine. Practice of Asanas helps to move further with dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

4. Pranayama

Pranayama involves breath-control or the regulation of psychic prana through the regulation of inhalation and exhalation, to enhance physical and spiritual aspects in oneself. Regulated breathing helps to manage good intake of oxygen, which in turn determines the level of energy in an individual, his tolerance to stress and strain, and his nature of managing fatigue. It helps to judge the state of mind of an individual by watching his rate and state of breathing. The technique of getting aware of ones own breathing helps to be aware of oneself. This awareness leads to heightened sensitivity in oneself towards oneself and others. The rate of breathing of individuals can be monitored, regulated and trained for increased performance and good health. The agitated and restless mind of an individual can be calmed down by regulating and steadying his breathing. It is a good technique to manage stress. Pranayama helps in checking a wandering mind, thus leading to increased attention and concentration. Prana or ki is that life energy which keeps the body alive and healthy. In Greek it is called pneuma, in Polynesian mana and in Hebrew ruah which means breath of life. Basically there are three major sources of prana: solar prana, air prana and ground prana, which are recognised and respected for their life-giving capacity. The three pranas invigorate the body and promote life in all forms. Prana absorbed by the body from the various sources is absorbed directly by the energy centres of the bioplasmic body. These energy centres are called chakras. Pranayama helps the individual to monitor, regulate and channelise the vital energy, through techniques and asanas. It is the vital force that propels life ahead and beyond the physical. It pulsates with a regular frequency and rhythm in all living beings. Pranayama is disciplined breathing which improves the functioning of all body systems. Special emphasis is given to the improvement of the respiratory and nervous systems in the body. It helps the seeker of Truth to arrive at it with ease and comfort, by simply blending the vital energy within himself with Cosmic Energy. It is a bridge that links the micro with the macro. Pranayama helps the individual to attain the state of Samadhi. It helps in the proper circulation of blood in the body, in the digestion of food and the elimination of waste from our body. Pranayama influences ones rate of breathing, thus instilling calmness in the mind. Breathing and thinking are closely related and Pranayama is the best technique to understand this. By regulating ones breathing, it is possible to slow down the agitated mental state, and this helps to experience mental quietitude and concentration. Pranayama helps to augment a pleasant feeling throughout the body and in the mind. There is a lot of importance given to Pranayama in the Gita, Buddhist tradition and the philosophical traditions of the various sages and seers.

5. Pratyahara
Pratyahara is a technique of withdrawal, where the sensory organs are trained to ignore their perceptions and consequent feelings and look within. Every individual gets drawn to the beauty and power of the external, physical world. The colours, shapes, sizes and variety of the objects in the world keep man trapped in sensory perceptions. Man needs to assimilate all that he gathers as input through his senses and act by volition to achieve. In order to do this, man needs to move inwards, draw himself away from the transient beauty of this world and know more about himself. The individual who knows himself well alone

can be a winner and achiever, contributing to the many, as he has realised his capabilities, limitations and needs. This process of introversion is unique and novel to Indian culture. The scientific study of an individual by himself for himself, in a holistic manner is what Yoga teaches.

6. Dharana
Dharana is a technique leading to steadying the mind by concentrating on a single object, an icon or a sacred symbol or a body part, such as the tip of the nose. Asana and Pranayama help in steadying and stabilising the body and mind, inciting the individual to be healthy and motivated. Such an individual now needs to focus his energies and direct them towards the goal of self-realisation. With Pratyahara and Dharana, the individual mind is introverted, attention span is increased and concentration is also heightened. Dharana helps to focus on goals.

7. Dhyana Tatra pratyayaikatanta Dhyana


Dhyana is Meditation, which is a technique learnt to help the object of concentration to fill the whole mind. It can be compared to the science experiment done with children in schools, where the Suns energy is focussed on a piece of paper through a magnifying glass, and this concentration of solar energy brings flames on the paper, thoroughly burning it. The Sun does not normally burn things such as paper or cloth when it shines regularly, but its focussed energy does so. Similarly, the energy in an individual needs to be trained to focus.

8. Samadhi
Samadhi involves deep Meditation, when the whole personality is dissolved, where the individual realises his real self and moves on the path of self-actualisation and selfrealisation. Samadhi is not to be understood as renunciation of the physical body, or even burying oneself in soil or walking down to a water-bed. It merely talks about renouncing the desire and craving for the benefits of ones efforts. It is a technique that teaches one to be detached, doing ones duty in life according to ones station in life. This is the heightened practical dimension to Dharma and the concept of Nishkamakarma, as given in our scriptures and culture. Yoga is a school of thought that constitutes the perennial wisdom of India. The Yogic culture is evident in all aspects of life in India, be it food, dress styles, postures, activities, habits and attitudes. It is expressed in all art forms such as music, dance and sculpture. All through the years, it has remained as one of the most important facets of Indian Culture, remaining vibrant and responsive to the changing times all through this period. As it developed in India, it came to be associated with the development of Hinduism and its philosophy. Yet in its essence it has always remained away from any religious doctrines or dogmas and never demanded acceptance of any specific belief system. It has always remained as a pathway to realisation of Truth, open for all the people professing different faiths belonging to different religions and different races. In essence, it is a path of spiritual enquiry, awakened by the earnest desire for having a deeper understanding of Life and the entire phenomenon associated with it.

The literal meaning of the word Yoga in Sanskrit is INTEGRATION. In this sense, Yoga represents a process through which one can learn how to live in the most integrated way. It involves therefore the process of identification and then elimination of all that would contribute to disintegration. It teaches one to integrate the body, mind and soul in oneself. It further goes on to teach integration of individual goals and objectives with the social and organisational goals. It is also a way of life that integrates the phenomenal with the transcendental, the individual soul with the Divine. When taken in this sense it becomes a continuous process, requiring constant vigilance and involving all the aspects of life. Yoga system nicely embodies Indian concepts of value and spirituality and plays a vital role in value education. The first thing that comes to our mind when we speak about yoga is that The Yoga System is not only a fine ,divine art and science as dealing with the human being but also the functioning of the body ,mind, intelligence and it also explains and defines so meticulously various behavioural pattern of an individual. Yoga is primarily a self-culturing process, a way of life. It is a process which facilitates one to turn inwards. Yoga-sadhana is a journey from the gross physical body to more subtle aspects of inner-self. The ultimate aim being self-realisation or whats popularly known as Kaivalya or Samadhi .It is predominantly concerned with maintaining an undisturbed, equanimous state of mind at all times. Every yoga school of thought emphasizes the importance of steadying the mind because as the saying goes, Only when the water is still, can you see through it. Yoga Darshan or Yoga Philosophy also happens to be a valid discipline of Indian metaphysics (Brahma Vidya).It is the human wisdom and an insight on philosophy, psychology, ethics and spirituality collected together and practiced over thousands of for the wellbeing of humanity. In Sanskrit the term Yoga is derived from the two roots one is Yujir" which means to join, to combine. So yoga is meant for union where the body, senses, organs of action, unite with the mind and mind unites with the intelligence, intelligence with the consciousness; consciousness with the soul. The second root is Yuj Samadhau means yoga is Samadhi. When you reach a higher level of consciousness, the consciousness transcends its own boundaries, almost reaching to the regime of the soul. There remains a parity between the consciousness and the soul. When the disparity vanishes, Samadhi happens. Yoga is a school of thought that constitutes the perennial wisdom of India. The Yogic culture is evident in all aspects of life in India, be it food, dress styles, postures, activities, habits and attitudes. It is expressed in all art forms such as music, dance and sculpture. All through the years, it has remained as one of the most important facets of Indian Culture, remaining vibrant and responsive to the changing times all through this period. As it developed in India, it came to be associated with the development of Hinduism and its philosophy. Yet in its essence it has always remained away from any religious doctrines or dogmas and never demanded acceptance of any specific belief system. It has always remained as a pathway to realisation of Truth, open for all the people professing different faiths belonging to different religions and different races. In essence, it is a path of spiritual

enquiry, awakened by the earnest desire for having a deeper understanding of Life and the entire phenomenon associated with it. The literal meaning of the word Yoga in Sanskrit is INTEGRATION. In this sense, Yoga represents a process through which one can learn how to live in the most integrated way. It involves therefore the process of identification and then elimination of all that would contribute to disintegration. It teaches one to integrate the body, mind and soul in oneself. It further goes on to teach integration of individual goals and objectives with the social and organisational goals. It is also a way of life that integrates the phenomenal with the transcendental, the individual soul with the Divine. When taken in this sense it becomes a continuous process, requiring constant vigilance and involving all the aspects of life. The process of identification of all the elements causing ill health and the use of appropriate techniques to neutralise their ill effects is one of the primary concerns of Yoga. When Yoga is used as a science of health and healing, all its techniques and methods that are meant for the spiritual experiences automatically get geared to do their job for the promotion of the wellbeing of the individual. Yoga is a way of life. This lifestyle includes Ahara (food), Ucchara (Right Speech), Acara (routines and relationships), Vihara (relaxation and recreation), Vichara (thought processes). As major aspects that determine individual health and wellbeing, Indian thought has discussed them in detail.

Ahara: As the food, so the mind; As the mind, so the speech: As the mind and speech, so the action; As the action, so the lifestyle; As the lifestyle, so the man. There can be no life without food, water and air. The ancient yogis have given enough thought to this aspect of mans life and they have suggested food habits that can help to preserve and protect health. Their analytic mind has led to the categorisation of food into three kinds Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. These categories come from the Samkhya analysis of Matter as having three gunas Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna discusses the three kinds of foods that are dear to different kinds of men, classifying them on the basis of the Gunas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. According to the Lord, food is of great importance as the mind is formed by the food that is taken by the individual. It is only pure food that helps to develop pure mind and it is only the pure mind that grasps the spiritual truth. On the hypothesis that spiritual excellence depends largely on mental efficiency and steadfastness, which in turn depends on physical fitness, the ethics of Gita proceeds to distinguish various kinds of foods and their effect on human nature. For the support of life and the maintenance of a healthy body, food is significant. According to the Gita, the

sattvika kind of food is the best for the individual with the higher goals in life who desires peace, tranquility and contentment. It nurtures life, provides energy and vigour, promotes positivity and joy, is simple and palatable. In the modern world, the choice of food is primarily based on taste, the time taken for its preparation, and the convenience in packaging while travelling. The industrial world has made it mandatory for people to manage with ready and fast foods that come in easy to use packs across the counters. All it requires is a little heating and boiling. The new approach to food is to break it into proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fat, minerals, etc. as food value. People who are very fastidious about their diet and health with a modern approach tend to calculate calories before consuming anything. In Yoga and Ayurveda, it is a tendency to select foods based on the gunas, with a consideration of the effect that the food has on the body and mind of the individual. What is necessary is to understand the nutritive value of the food, its resultant psycho-spiritual value, not just the caloric value. The Gita discusses the austerity of speech in Chpt. XVII, verse 15.The right kind of speech is that which does not excite others, which is truthful, delighting to the listener, beneficial to those who listen. Speech should convey that the speaker has studied the Vedas, Upanishads and the Puranas. He should be interested in sharing his knowledge with others. Anudvegakara vaakya implies that the refinement and austerity of speech is seen if it fulfils the four conditions mentioned in the above referred verse: not exciting or inciting, pleasant to the ears, soft and gently spoken. adhering to truth, with the right choice of words, and the right manner of conveying beneficial to those who listen to the speaker conveying truths and knowledge. The Gita emphasises on the need for Svadhyaya and Satsanga as it is necessary for the individual to know his real self and the Reality around him. If the individual takes to meditation and reading of the scriptures, he develops the right attitudes, learns to discriminate and this vivekajnana helps his communication. He develops mysterious powers that enable him to speak the truth fearlessly and directly. He also conveys to the listener that he expects nothing in return for what he has shared. His clarity of thought improves and his inspiration and enthusiasm becomes contagious. This will inspire others to follow his path of svadhyaya and meditation. The speaker with just the weapon of his speech can motivate others to seek Truth. Speech that provokes others to act wrongly is definitely considered wrong. Conveying what one does not know or mean is again considered a sin. Gossip, slander, untruth, lies, provocation, incitement, ridicule and mockery are all characteristics of speech that is wrong and vicious. When it comes to achaara, Indian philosophy needs no certification or authentication externally, as the entire philosophical trend seems pervaded by the theme of Dharma. As expounded in the Smriti shastras, acara is the ability to discriminate between dharmic and

adharmic actions. It is the enhancement of the ability to discriminate whether our actions are in accordance with the ethical norms and standards of the society in which we live. In Indian culture, an individual is honoured and respected for his conduct than his scholarly persona. The fact that he is wise and dharmic elevates an individual in society rather than his knowledge of the various scriptures, arts or sciences. If the individual is a scholar with a lot of knowledge with bad conduct, he is looked down upon much more than an individual who is primarily ignorant or mooda and is bad in conduct. The term vichara is understood as thought, reflection, discrimination, clear vision and thought processes leading to vivekajnana. According to Patanjali, vichara is a mental activity related to subtle objects, in which there is analysis of all experiences in his life. According to Vcaspati Mira, vichara is a mental activity by means of which the subject brings before consciousness all the subtle particularities and constitutive parts of a subtle object. It is the making evident of the sookshma, the subtle.i The yogi is first taught to realise what are his weaknesses/Kleshas. He has to learn to practice techniques and develop attitudes/Bhaavas that will help him eradicate these weaknesses. The yogi thus adapts himself better to change that is inevitable and adopts a way of life that, to a large extent, helps him to express his life philosophy. Vihara: Rest and relaxation are considered to be as important as work in Indian philosophy. Every individual needs to use his leisure time well. Man needs to replenish the energy used by the body and here, tamas helps in giving a break to mans activities. Recreation has been given its due significance as is seen in the encouragement of arts, performing or otherwise. Indian culture has always kept an open forum for display of individual creativity and imagination. Art and Architecture have opened vistas for man to express his aesthetic sense in a utilitarian manner. This is also seen in the colour and structure of dress styles and housing in India, where utility matches aesthetics with the available resources. Vihara plays an important role in developing the let go attitude. Man feels small and egoless when he is in a group of like-minded and similarly abled people. While getting together for recreation and entertainment, he chooses his group. He belongs to the group more easily and is spontaneous and natural with them. This approach of being oneself is very relaxing, and the individual feels at ease with himself. There is a reduction or elimination of stress in his life. His approach to life changes and he lives more joyful and happy. Vihara helps to maintain the sanity of the individual, as certain activities become means to express or vent out repressed emotions. Vihara is a technique of conscious and planned relaxation for rejuvenation of the body, mind and soul. Many times when people talk about Yoga they focus their attention only on the first component involving varieties of asanas, Pranayama and meditational techniques. Thus they confine Yoga to a small period of their daily life as if the rest of the day has nothing to do with Yoga. But really speaking the Yogic way of living in the rest of the day is not only equally but more important from the healing point of view. Whatever skills one has learnt

from the Yogic practices need to be used throughout the day. In this sense the UPAYOGA i.e. the use of the Yogic skills, through the day needs to be given proper attention. The last two components attend to this Upayoga aspect of Yoga. If one undertakes Yoga with this spirit kept in mind and comply with all the instructions given, one would find that Yoga not only gives relief from problems, but actually opens up a new way of enjoying your life. Yoga is today found to be very popular in the corporate sector. It is incorporated in many training programmes. The rising stress levels of the top manangement staff necessitates the practice of Yoga. The various benefits, facilities and perquisites given to all in the corporate sector makes it easier for people to manage their families. Yet the stress that arises due to the ever-rising inflation, work, responsibilities, the pressures of educating the children and the consumerism that needs to be understood can never be denied. Keeping up with the Jones is an attitude that is evident in every individual and his family members. The workers and the manual labourers, along with the non-management staff need to be physically fit and mentally peaceful, as they shoulder the responsibility of their large families entirely by themselves.

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