Derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate”, yoga is an over 5,000-year-old Indian body of knowledge. The central teaching of yoga is maintaining an equanimous state of mind. Being able to do any action with awareness.
By learning the art of dropping the effort through yoga, one experiences the state of being in total alignment with infinity. Yoga can bring about complete balance in one’s personality. It holds out the promise of many solutions that today’s behavioral sciences are looking for. Yoga is the way for human potential to blossom to its fullest, a path to attain the highest goal of uniting with the infinity.
Patanjali, the propounder of yoga, enunciates, “The purpose of yoga is to stop misery before it comes.” Whether it is greed, anger, jealousy, hatred, or frustration, all these negative emotions can be healed or re-oriented through yoga.
“Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam”, meaning yoga is a skill in action and expression. Yoga is the skill to live your life, manage your mind, deal with emotions, be with people, be in love, and not let that love turn into hatred. In this world everyone loves, but that love does not stay the same for long. It turns into hatred, sometimes almost immediately. Yoga is that skill, that perspective, that maintains love as love.
A Brief History of Yoga
In the hierarchy of Vedic knowledge, there are four Vedas – Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda., followed by four Upavedas or sub-Vedas – Ayurveda, Arthaveda, Dhanurveda, and Gandharvaveda. Further down the line are six upangas or components – Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakarana, Nirukta, Chandas, and Jyotisha. These are further classified into six sub-components – Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Sankhya, Mimansa, Vedanta, and Yoga.
Even during the Indus-Saraswati civilization (dating to 2700 BC), several seals and fossils have been found, with figures performing Yoga. This suggests that yoga was known and practiced even in those early stages of civilization. Read more about the origins of yoga here.
The science of Yoga imbibes the complete essence of the Way of Life, including Gyan Yoga or philosophy, Bhakti Yoga or the path of devotional bliss, Karma Yoga or the path of blissful action and Raja Yoga or the path of mind control.
Gyan Yoga
Gyan Yoga is the experiential knowledge of the Self which brings the mind back to purity.
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga is the spiritual practice of devoting oneself to a personal form of God.
Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga is the path of ‘action’, of putting in 100 per cent effort without being attached to the outcome. Acting without being attached to the fruits of one’s deeds – this alone can lead to union with the Self, which is the goal of yoga.
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is further divided into eight parts. At the heart of the Raja Yoga is balancing and unifying these various approaches in the practice of Yoga Asana.
The benefits of yoga are multifold
Yoga changes your behaviour; makes you friendly and pleasant to be around
synonymous with relaxation, happiness, and a creative mind.
For more than two decades, Sri Sri School of Yoga has trained yoga instructors in the authentic practice of Sri Sri Yoga. Rooted in the original teachings of the ancient yogis, this comprehensive training encompasses a deep and experiential understanding of postures (asanas), breathwork (pranayamas), meditation, yogic wisdom, and teaching techniques—brought to you in a way that is practical, fun, and accessible.
The primary elements of our training are yoga asanas (postures), pranayamas (breathing techniques), meditation and the experience and application of yoga beyond the yoga mat.
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The Sri Sri Yoga Deep Dive is a specially designed retreat which includes advanced yogic detox processes with a profound impact on the body and the mind.
A) The science of Yoga imbibes itself the complete essence of the Way of Life, including – Gyan Yoga or philosophy, Bhakti Yoga or path of devotional bliss, Karma Yoga or path of blissful action, and Raja Yoga or path of mind control. Yoga has eight limbs and one among them is physical postures. At the heart of the Raja Yoga system, balancing and unifying these various approaches is the practice of Yoga Asana.
A) In Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali elucidated eight limbs of yoga which are Yama (social ethics), Niyama (personal ethics), Asana (postures), Pranayama (life force), Pratyahara (turning the senses inwards), Dharana (one-pointed focus), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (merging with the self).
A) Yoga is not just a physical exercise or asanas but a complete science. It unites the body, mind, spirit and the universe. It brings peace and makes a big difference in one’s behaviour, thought patterns and attitude. Postures are part of yoga but it should not be limited or misunderstood as just exercise. Every baby is a yogi. A baby exhibits all the qualities of a yogi – its postures, breathing pattern, perceptual ability, sharpness and the ability to stay in the present moment. So yoga is holistic development, expression and connection of human life.
A) A yogi is someone skilful, calm and serene, happy, content and like a child. Every baby is a yogi and every yogi is a baby. This does not mean being childish or not growing up but feeling the freshness of a child, simplicity, sincerity, a mind without any fear, inhibition or arrogance. It is someone whose consciousness is developed. That is what signifies or qualifies a yogi.
A) We lose our naturalness and intuitive ability as we grow older. Animals and children have more intuition than adults do. This is because we make things so complicated in our mind when in reality it is not the case. There is a tendency of the mind to latch onto something negative. If ten compliments are given to you and one insult, the mind latches on to the insult. This tendency of latching on to the negative is not there in a baby. Somehow, we acquire this tendency as we grow up. With yoga, we get back to our original nature where we look at the positive aspects of life and see how things can be done. This is needed in every field of activity. When things appear gloomy everywhere, it is yoga that brings much-needed enthusiasm, energy and intuitive ability.
A) Yoga is a technology, a technique that will enable you to be more energetic, happier, and more compassionate. Yoga is a technology that removes stress, anger, greed, and all negative emotions. If someone thinks this is anti-religious, it is their ignorance because yoga gives them the freedom to think. If a religion does not advocate freedom of thinking and freedom of spirit, then it is doing injustice to humanity and its followers. The purpose and goal of all faith is to bring peace, love, freedom and a sense of belongingness, brotherhood and sisterhood to the whole planet and yoga is the technology to achieve these goals of faiths.
A) It is like a soul and everything else is like dressing on it. You can’t have a body without a soul and you can’t have a soul without a body. Patanjali has spoken about the eight limbs of yoga. And limbs develop simultaneously, not one after another. In a womb, a baby does not develop the legs first and then develop the arms or head. All the limbs are developed simultaneously. So all the eight limbs of yoga go together.
A) The ancient rishis have said ‘Vismaya Yoga Bhumika’, which means ‘a sense of wonder is the preface for yoga’. When your observation of yourself and of nature creates a wonder within, then mysticism dawns in your life. That connection to something ethereal, something so beautiful, concrete yet very abstract, comes up in our lives. If you do not wonder then you are not a yogi.
A) Yoga also helps one become more responsible in life. We have an option to play the role either as a yogi or as a non-yogi – one who is responsible or one who is not. You can be a responsible teacher, a doctor with responsibility, a businessman who cares. Caring, sharing, and responsibility are the characteristics that yoga nurtures in us, that is there in all of us. Yoga can make you more responsible because it produces more energy and enthusiasm in you. When do you not like to take responsibility? When you are tired and stressed. If you have taken care of these two issues you will definitely take more responsibility, and with a sense of lightness.
A) When you go to the root cause of conflicts, you will find that it is stress, mistrust, and fear of the other. Yoga helps you get over all the three. Fear of the other vanishes, because you have broadened awareness, broadened consciousness. You feel everyone is part of you and you are part of them. Fear of losing one’s identity or fear of losing one’s existence is something deep-rooted. Yoga is the best thing to remove these fears from the minds of people.
A) We convey a lot through our presence and our vibrations. Yoga helps to improve our vibrations. Have you noticed the difference when someone close to you says, “Have a nice day!” and when someone says the same thing at a store or after landing from a flight? When the air hostess or the store manager greets you, they may not mean it. But when the same words come from a close friend, they carry certain vibrations. When communication breaks down, we usually say, “our wavelengths don’t match” because our ability to communicate depends on our ability to receive communication from others. Here, yoga helps us to have a clear mind.
