It is an ancient Indian spiritual science meant for total self-improvement. The
word YOGA is derived from Sanskrit verb 'YUJ' which means 'TO JOIN'. Yoga means the joining of two things. What are these things? It denotes joining of body and mind at basic level and then joining of individual being with the Supreme Reality at higher level. During the process of yoga practice physical and mental health comes first and the spiritual development comes later. We are restricting our focus on physical and mental health and creating grounds for spiritual development.
Why Yoga for Modern Age?
Examinations, competitions, making and maintaining friends, obeying rules and
being disciplined in life can result in stress or tension for a common student, but not for a student practicing Yoga. The practice of yogic techniques can prepare him to face life with relative ease.
Yoga is not just doing various asanas at the physical level. It is more to do with the mind. Yoga is Awareness, Concentration and Excellence. You can put it into practice in all your activities and experience joy and satisfaction. Yoga leads you to Perfection. By yogic techniques one learns to handle different situations and people with tact. One learns to rid him self of malice and be pure at heart and enjoy more peace, happiness and success.
Through Yoga one discovers the New Himself-both in body and mind.
Maharshi Patanjali and Hatha Yoga
Maharshi Patanjali was a great scholar of ancient India (prior to 200B.C.) was the first person to organize study of human mind, its potential capacities, its afflictions and ways to impart discipline on it. He wrote "PATANJALI YOGA DARSHANA ", a small book containing 195 sutras (sentences in poetry form), which forms the fundamentals of Yoga.
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Yoga contains eight steps (Ashtangas) and they are-
1. Yama
2. Niyam 3. Asanas
4. Pranayamas 5. Pratyahara
6. Dharana 7. Dhyna
8. Samadhi.
What is Hatha Yoga?
Hatha Yoga is the most commonly practiced form of Yoga. Hatha Yoga is not forcible body bending. Ha and Tha are two symbols representing the SUN and the MOON respectively. The Sun and the Moon are the indicators of the dualities of the world and Hatha Yoga teaches us to bring balance in the life, which is full of dualities.
Some Misconceptions Though many of the renowned doctors prescribed Yoga as prevention and cure of psychosomatic disorders, some people even today consider Yoga as a mystical discipline. They think that Yoga is something not meant for common people but, it can only be practiced by a few Sadhus and Babas doing Tapa Sadhana in mountain caves. In fact Yoga can safely be practiced by one and all.
There is yet another misconception about Yoga is that Yoga is only to be
practiced by old and sick people. The fact is that Yoga education is made compulsory in all sports training centers, armed forces, police dept. etc. Yoga makes the man perfect in any walk of life. Only little care should be taken to select the yogic practices for different segment of society depending upon the nature of work they do.
By practicing regular yoga, one can excel in his career may he be an office executive, a steno, an accountant, a professor, a student, a singer, a dancer, a sportsman or practically any body.
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Points to Remember
1. Seat: Perform your practices on a carpet covered with a clean towel/dari.
2. Clothing: Should be clean, minimum, loose and light, e.g. Track suit, T- shirt, kurta pajama, or salwar kameez.
3. Food: At least four and a half hours should lapse between a heavy meal and yogic practices. Two and half hours after snacks or tea, one hour after fruits, half an hour after fruit juice, yoga can be practiced. Little water may be taken at any time. In other words yogic practices must begin with a light stomach. A moderate quantity of food can be had half an hour after practices.
4. Time: Morning or evening time is preferable for the practices. However,
yoga can be practiced at any convenient time provided the above criteria are fulfilled.
5. "It is better to remain a bit hungry than to be a bit full" is an excellent rule for health.
6. Bath: If the yogic practices are performed in the morning, it is desirable
that full bath should precede them. As there is no sweating involved during the yogic practices, because they are exclusively relaxing, the bath turns joints flexible and one feels fresher.
7. Do not indulge in yogic practices indiscriminately. Follow only those
practices, which have been outlined for you.
8. Do the practices while you are in a calm and pleasant mood. If you are upset physically or mentally, try to come to normal state by sitting quietly or going into Shavasana before you start the practices.
9. Breathe normally through the nose while performing Asana.
10. Minimize your efforts to attain the pose.
11. Parts of the body which are not involved in the pose should be relaxed i.e. practice Differential Relaxation.
12. Try to attain the patterns according to your capacity. Avoid competitive spirit. Strain of any kind should be avoided.
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13. Perform all the practices slowly and smoothly. Any kind of violent action should be avoided during the practices.
14. While maintaining any Asana, take your mind away from it and engage it in Pranadharana, i.e. count the breath or feel the touch of the breath at the walls of the nose/or be aware of the inward and outward flow of the air.
15. Do not practice to the point of fatigue. If you feel tired, stop and practice Shavasana and be fresh again before you restart.
16. The suggested course is useful for maintaining positive health through releasing mental stress and strain. Hence useful in preventing as well as curing most of the modem psychosomatic disorders such as BP, diabetes, heart problems, spinal disorders, asthma, insomnia, constipation indigestion etc.
17. There is no harm in performing the yogic practices and other physical exercises successively. However, both should not be mixed up or practiced immediately one after another. At least half an hour should be allowed to pass in between.
18. Adopt yogic practices as a way of life and gain happiness in life by practicing regularly to become more steady, healthy and flexible.
Human Body Parts and Systems
Everyone knows about the visible body parts viz Head, Neck, Trunk and Limbs. Inside these parts dwell various Body Systems viz
Muscular system Circulatory system (Cardiovascular system) Respiratory system Digestive system Nervous system Endocrine system Excretory system Reproductive system
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Each system is a group of organs working in relationship and perfect harmony
with each other and fulfilling any common important function. Out of all the systems Endocrine System is unique because the secretion produced by glands directly go into the blood. The glands are called Ductless Glands and they secrete HORMONES. The Glands are Pituitary Gland, Thyroid Gland, Thymus Gland, Suprarenal Glands, Pancreas, Ovary, Testis.
Omkar Meditation
Omkar is a symbolic representation of ORIGIN. It is a mystical syllable having
intrinsic capacity of generating certain thoughts and feelings. It is written as AUM also. There are two sounds involved in OM. The first is '0' to be pronounced by opening the lips and the sound produced at throat. The second sound 'M' is produced by closing the lips. It is a nasal sound. The 0 and M are to be pronounced in the ratio 1:2 i.e. sound 0 is half of the sound of M.
Contra - Indications: -Nil-
Benefits: On expression of Omkar, positive vibrations are created in the body, one becomes introspective and divine consciousness is generated. By continuous utterances of Omkar the agitated, tensed, thought- polluted mind is absorbed in melodious, sonorous, singing sound. Repetition of Omkar helps one to gain mental and emotional calmness, to overcome obstacles, to gain clarity and clear understanding.
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Shavasana To perform Shavasana one has to lie supine, face upwards and to attain a corpse like posture. The body and mind both should be made motionless by initially fixing the mind on breathing process and later on merging the mind in the absolute nothingness. The aim of Shavasana is not to induce sleep but to develop a corpse like feeling and separate the mind from the body so as to free it from dormant and active tensions existing at conscious and sub-conscious level.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Persons having severe cervical defects should not
practice Shavasana.
Benefits: 1) The body and mind become fresh and efficient. The nervous system, the glandular system, the circulatory system are invigorated. 2) It rehabilitates heart patients. Lower down high blood pressure. 3) Eye defects resulting from strain are cured. 4) It is a powerful remedy against insomnia.
5) It quietens the mind, makes concentration easy and brings peace of mind.
