A glance to Yoga - Concept, Origin & increasing Value

A scientific approach applied in India before years and years and now all over the world.

Yoga? What is it?

Let us check whether what we know about yoga is really true, partially true or just a misunderstanding? According to the dictionary, yoga is:

• (Indian in origin) a system of exercises for the body that involves breath control and helps relax both your mind and body.

योग (श्वास-नियंत्रण तथा शारीरिक व्यायाम या कसरत जिससे मन प्रफुल्ल या शांत रहता है)

• A Hindu philosophy which aims to unite the self with the spirit of the universe

योग (हिंदु शास्त्र में) विश्वात्मा से स्वयं का संयोग करने का लक्ष्य.

The director of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi says,

“Yoga works on the level of one’s body, mind, emotion and energy. This has given rise to four broad classifications of Yoga: karma yoga, where we utilize the body; bhakti yoga, where we utilize the emotions; gyana yoga, where we utilize the mind and intelect; and kriya yoga, where we utilize the energy."

Sadhguru explains concept of Yoga as,

• Yoga means union

• Yoga Signifies a Complete Path by Itself

• Yoga Means to Break the Cycle of Life

• Yoga Means Liberating Yourself from Memory

• Yoga is a Technology for Transformation

History

In the pre-Vedic period (2700 BC) there was historical evidence of the existence of yoga, and thereafter up to the time of Patanjali. Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis, teachings of Buddhism, Jainism, Panini, Epics, Puranas etc. are the main sources from which we get information about the Yoga practises and related literature from that period. The long and rich history of yoga can be divided into four main periods of innovation, practise and development.

• Pre Classical Yoga

• Classical Yoga

• Post Classical Yoga

• Modern Period

Different forms of yoga:

Pre-classical Yoga:

The beginnings of yoga were developed by the Indus Sarasvati civilisation in northern India more than 5,000 years ago. It is explained in the ancient sacred texts, the Rig Veda and the Vedas. Then yoga was gradually refined and improved by the Brahmans and Rishis (spiritual diviners) in the Upanishads. The most famous of the sacred yoga texts is the Bhagavad-Gita, written around 500 BC.

Classical Yoga:

This era is defined by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the first systematic exposition of yoga describing the path of Raj Yoga, documented in the second century. Patanjali divided the practise of yoga into an "eight-limbed path" containing the steps and stages to attain samadhi or enlightenment. Patanjali is considered the father of yoga, and his yoga sûtras still have a great influence on most modern styles of yoga.

Post Classical Yoga:

A few centuries after Patanjali, the yoga masters created a system of exercises to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. They rejected the teachings of the ancient Vedas and held to the physical body as the path to enlightenment. They created Tantra Yoga with radical methods to purify the body and mind, to untie the knots that bind us to our physical existence. The exploration of these body-mind connections and body-oriented practises led to the emergence of what we in the West basically call yoga: Hatha Yoga.

Modern Period:

To gain attention and followers, yoga masters began travelling to the West in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The first was in 1893 at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, when Swami Vivekananda impressed those present with his lectures on yoga and the universality of the world's religions. In the 1920s and 30s, Hatha Yoga was greatly promoted in India through the work of T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Sivananda and other yogis who practised Hatha Yoga. Krishnamacharya opened the first Hatha Yoga school in Mysore in 1924 and Sivananda founded the Divine Life Society on the banks of the holy river Ganges in 1936.

Celebration at LIT Sarigam

On International Yoga Day 2022, the "Energetic Youngsters" of LIT Sarigam participated in a yoga session. The idea of Yoga Day was first proposed by the Prime Minister in 2014. The first International Day of Yoga was observed the following year on 21 June. This day is recognised by the United Nations. Yoga has no barriers of age, caste, geography or religion, and everyone should make the ancient physical fitness programme a part of their daily routine to reap its rich benefits.

The guests of honour Poonam Shah and Jayesh Sanghvi taught the participants the importance of yoga and demonstrated many asanas. Dr Basavaraj Patil, Director and Prof Amrat Patel, Principal, felicitated the guests and Prof Kaushik Panara and the volunteers of NSS unit - LIT organised the event.

Glimpses: