What is Yoga?

Yoga can seem like a complicated concept; or, at the very least, a dizzying array of physical manipulations that turn seemingly happy-looking human beings into happy looking human pretzels. Or even more disconcerting, as we have alluded to in the Introduction, a stereotype does exist in places where the term yoga is synonymous with the cult, or some kind of archaic spiritual belief that compels one to quit their job, sell their house, and go live in the middle of nowhere. In actual fact, Yoga is a very basic thing; and if you’ve had the opportunity to visit a country where it has been established for generations – India, Japan, China, and others – it’s really rather, well, ordinary.

The practice of yoga came to the west back in 1893 when one of India’s celebrated gurus, Swami Vivekananda, was welcomed at the World Fair in Chicago.  He is now known for having sparked the West’s interest in yoga. Literally, the word yoga comes from the Sanskrit term Yug, which means: “to yoke, bind, join, or direct one’s attention”. At the same time, yoga can also imply concepts such as fusion, union, and discipline.

The sacred scriptures of Hinduism (an ancient belief system from India that has a global presence) also define yoga as “unitive discipline”; the kind of discipline that, according to experts Georg Feuerstein and Stephan Bodian in their book Living Yoga, leads to inner and outer union, harmony and joy. In essence, yoga is most commonly understood as conscious living; of tapping into one’s inner potential for happiness (what Sanskrit refers to as Canada).

What Yoga Isn’t

Sometimes it’s helpful to understand things by what they aren’t; especially when dealing with a topic, like Yoga, that is quite easily misunderstood. Authors and yoga scholars Feuerstein and Brian help us understand yoga by telling us what it is NOT:

✗ Yoga is NOT callisthenics (marked by the headstand, the lotus posture or some pretzel-like pose).  While it is true that yoga involves many postures – especially in hatha yoga – these are only intended to make people get in touch with their inner feelings.

✗ Yoga is NOT a system of meditation – or a religion – the way many people are misled to believe. Meditation is only part of the whole process of bringing ourselves into the realm of the spiritual.

The Essence of Yoga

Virtually all yogic science and philosophy states that a human being is but a fragment of an enormous universe, and when this human being learns to “communion” with this vastness, then he/she attains union with something that is bigger than him/her.  This attachment or tapping into something bigger thus enables one to walk the true path of happiness. By flowing along with the force, the individual is able to discover the truth.

And with truth comes realisation; but to attain realisation, our words, thoughts and deeds must be based on truth. People attend courses on yoga and go to studios to learn new techniques in yoga, but yoga teacher Tim Miller said that “true yoga begins when leaving the studio; it’s all about being awake and being mindful of your actions”.

Yoga and Physical Health

Yoga does not see a distinction between the body and the mind, and this is an understanding that Western psychology has also concluded for many years now (the link between mental health and physical health, and vice versa). If you’ve come to this course looking to understand yoga as a means to help your body heal or improve, then please don’t worry; you’ve come to the right place!

Yoga is indeed a process that involves releasing blocked tension and energy in the body, and helping make the muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, and all other components work to their utmost potential. Yoga believes that human beings are optimally designed, by nature, to be flexible and agile; and stiffness and lack of mobility only arrive when the body is unhealthy or out of alignment. Therefore, countless people have found themselves in a yoga class, or on a yoga mat at home in front of a Yoga video or DVD, in the hopes of improving their physical health; and perhaps you may be one of them. If that’s the case, then keep reading!

There are proven physical benefits of yoga, which include:

• Increased flexibility and range of motion
• Reduced pain in joints and muscles
• Stronger immune system
• Stronger lung capacity and therefore higher quality respiration
• Increased metabolism (which can lead to weight loss!)
• Higher quality of sleep (especially due to improved breathing and a more oxygenated body)

Given that certain yoga practices require postures to be mastered, yoga has always helped promote the body’s flexibility; it also helps in lubricating the joints, ligaments and tendons. Yoga detoxifies by increasing the flow of blood to various parts of the body.  It helps tone and invigorate muscles that have grown flaccid and weak. So please do keep in mind that, while yoga is often discussed in terms of its mental approach, there are clear and proven physical benefits that are a part of this approach.

Therefore, if weight loss is your goal, or the ability to shovel the snow in winter without having your back ache for days, then yoga is as viable an option to you as it is for the stressed-out corporate executive who needs to find a strategy for coping with the craziness if her busy life! “Yoga is thus just not twisting the body to perform certain asanas or postures but balancing the mind and body, making it more receptive to the universal life force pouring from the Supreme Self. Hence, be truthful, do your duty and love all, along with a few asanas daily to keep yourself on the path of evolution.” Meena Om, in Yoga – Beyond the Body and Mind.

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