What is Yoga?
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “yug”, which means to yolk, unite or bind. Yoga means: ‘That which unites you to reality.’
There is a misconception, especially in the West, that Yoga is flexing your body and moving into pretzel-like postures on a mat. When people say: ‘I did Yoga today’ we automatically assume they mean they went to a yoga class and did some exercise.
This ‘exercise’ part of Yoga is called Asana. It is only one eighth of the full quota of what Yoga is actually about. Yoga was originally designed to be a system that, when followed, would take you out of all your suffering, shift you out of your old patterns, move you out of your ill-health, and raise you into being a high vibrational being, full of vitality, awareness, enlightenment (Samadhi) and capable of reaching states of bliss (Ananda).
This cannot be achieved by only working on a mat, but rather by incorporating yoga principles across all aspects of your lifestyle.
Yoga and the different areas of lifestlye
There are different paths of yoga and different styles of yoga.
But when we go right back to the origin of yoga we have to go back to Patanjalis Yoga Sutras.
Patanjalis Sutras is the first recorded collection of Sanskrit Sutras (aphorisms) on the philosophy and practice of yoga. It is a spiritual journey guide.
Patanjali outlines 8 aspects:
1. Yamas – Behaviours and ethical standards
2. Niyamas – Self discipline
3. Asana – Posture, pose or movement
4. Pranayama – Control of the breath and vital energy
5. Pratyahara – Withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana – Concentrating the mind
7. Dhyana – Meditation
8. Samadhi – Super-conscious state, transcendence of the self, merging with universal consciousness, bliss.
Yoga = Yug = Unity
What is being united?
From my years of experience I have witnessed and experienced that, as we consistently follow a practice of Yoga, we go through levels of unity.
Level 1: When we start yoga we first experience the unity of our Mind and Body
Level 2: Then after some more practice we unite our Mind and Body with our Emotions and Sensations. We call this combination of unity ‘mindfulness’.
Level 3: Uniting of Mind, Body, Emotions, Sensations, with awareness of our own Energy, how the Environment and Interactions with others affect us and how we affect others and our environment.
Level 4: At this level we have Self-Realisation of our limited self and our Ego. We become deeply aware that we are more than this limited self.
Level 5: At this level there is awareness that the world we have been playing in is an illusion, that our thoughts are creating our reality and nothing is actually what it seems to be at first sight.
Level 6: Uniting Individual consciousness with Soul consciousness
Level 7: Uniting Individual and Soul consciousness with Universal consciousness
Level 8: Awareness and knowing that we are Universal consciousness and everything is connected. The deep knowing of Oneness. This level is called Nirvana, Samadhi or Moksha.
What yoga is NOT?
Yoga is not an exercise session
Yoga is not about physical flexibility
Yoga is not about extreme pretzel-like poses
Yoga is not flashy tight pants and micro garments
Yoga is not tattoos, piercings and mala beads
Yoga is not a religion
Yoga is not a cult
Yoga is not an idea
Yoga is not intellectualising concepts
Yoga is not a philosophy
The Benefits of Yoga
Physical benefits
- Increases flexibility, especially the spine
- Improves respiration
- Increases energy
- Increases vitality
- Balances metabolism
- Reduces aging
- Improves skin
- Increased cardiac health
- improved athletic performance
- Increases muscle strength and tone
- Prevents injury
- Recovery from illness and injury
- Improves sleep
- Improves arthritis
- Improves lymphatic drainage
- Releases toxins from the body
- Increases sensitivity of the senses
Emotional benefits
- Relieves depression
- Reduces stress
- Eases anxiety
- Reduces the effects of PTSD
- Balances hormones, so balances emotions
- Increases emotional intelligence (IQ)
- Increases acceptance and patience
Behaviour benefits
- Encourages healthy lifestyle choices
- Increases compassion, caring and kindness
- Increases sincerity
- Slowing down
- More self acceptance
- Brings in creativity
Mental benefits
- Calms the mind
- Balances brain hemispheres
- Boosts concentration
- Improves focus and alertness
- Boosts short & long term memory
- Keeps your brain young
- Shifts into positive thinking
Spiritual benefits
- Balances chakras
- Helps with forgiveness
- Increases gratitude and appreciation
- Increases intuition
- Connects you to your higher self
- helps you face and work through your shadow self
- Increases awareness
- Increases consciousness
Ready to begin your Yoga Journey?
Now the question is: What path of Yoga do you take?
To help you with this answer read here.
Once you have chosen your Yoga path, Yoga style and started your Sadhan practice you will start peeling back the layers of yourself and it will be liberating and wonderful.
Everything you experience in the practice will start to permeate into the rest of your life. When you can fully integrate the lessons of Yoga in everything you do you become a Yogi.
Article by Nicola (Sita Amrit Kaur) April 2021
Edited March 2022
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