Being Human
Philosophy
Spirituality
Wisdom
Yoga
What is Yoga?
15.5.16More than poses and stretchy pants,
yoga is a system for living well and reconnecting.
Derived from the root yuj, yoga means to yoke, to bind or join,
to concentrate on. It also means union. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (the
first known compilation about yoga) describes eight limbs (Ashtanga
Yoga) - eight stages paving a path to bliss, self-realisation or
enlightenment (Samadhi).
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| Happy snaps from teacher training at Byron Yoga Centre |
Ashtanga Yoga begins at the broadest level of self-betterment - the Yamas - which
describes our interactions with others and with the world. The stages of yoga become
progressively more subtle and nuanced - traversing the interpersonal, to the
personal; the physical to the metaphysical (they are the Yamas, Niyamas, Asanas, Pranayama,
Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and finally Samadhi).
Each stage facilitates the transition to the next. This systematic approach, beginning with refinement of our outermost aspects, allows us to delve progressively deeper into the innermost recesses of the self.
The essence of yoga is the "quest of the soul, the spark of divinity within us" (BKS
Iyengar) - a way to understand the nature of reality, the self, and what it means to be human. Strictly speaking, yoga is not "a
religion" - at least, not in the misguided and convoluted contemporary sense of
this word that has become taboo.
However, allow me to break down the word, and you will see that yoga and religion have much in common. The roots of the word "religion" are "re-", meaning to do again, and "-ligion", meaning to unite or connect. Thus, anything which seeks to create unity - within the self, within society, with the divine/God/higher power etc, or within the world - is "religion". Redefined in its etymologically purest form, "religion" could be applied quite liberally to many things.
To view yoga only as what we see in a class, a gym and on
Instagram, is to miss out on an incredibly elegant system that is rich in
wisdom. Of course, not everyone is inclined to look into yoga as I have; ideas
and philosophies resonate differently for different people. All I can share
with you is my own experience; which is that life works better when I bring
yoga to it.
Each stage facilitates the transition to the next. This systematic approach, beginning with refinement of our outermost aspects, allows us to delve progressively deeper into the innermost recesses of the self.
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| Yoga pose pics: not really the "essence of yoga"... but |
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| ... you can see how much fun it is to practice yoga! |
However, allow me to break down the word, and you will see that yoga and religion have much in common. The roots of the word "religion" are "re-", meaning to do again, and "-ligion", meaning to unite or connect. Thus, anything which seeks to create unity - within the self, within society, with the divine/God/higher power etc, or within the world - is "religion". Redefined in its etymologically purest form, "religion" could be applied quite liberally to many things.
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| Ardha Bhujangasana (Baby Cobra) - doing yoga asana before I could walk :) |
| What does yoga mean to you? |
Dig deeper:
- Light on Yoga - BKS Iyengar (Free PDF of text)
- The yoga sutras of Patanjali
- Bringing yoga to life - Donna Farhi
2 comments
To me, yoga is about being able to quiet the mind and focus on the space occupied by the physical body... it's my time to dedicate to myself without the rest of the world creeping in!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, thank you for sharing :) I find dedicating time to yourself so important in keeping well and sane. (And probably spoken like a true introvert!)
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