What is Yoga?
Apr 8, 2022
What is yoga?
Yoga, simply put, is union in, and union with, all spheres of life. One does not have to renounce this world and go to the mountains. A practitioner of yoga can lead the life of a householder, executing all his or her responsibilities towards the family and the society. It is the science of Creation, often called the final frontier, for it opens doorways not just to this world, but also that which lies beyond and controls and directs what happens in the physical dimension. Yoga helps unlock the phenomenal potential that lies hidden in a being. Manifestation of thought, health, beauty, glow, attraction are among the basic siddhis of Yoga under the guidance of a Guru.
Beginning of Yoga.
The ancient science of yoga date thousands of years back. The originator and the Adi Guru of this profound science was Lord Shiva, and Ma Parvati was the first disciple. It is said that when the shrotras and the smritis were being forgotten by man and the world was failing during the middle of Dwapar Yug, then there was the incarnation of Shesh Nag, the Serpent King and the carrier of Lord Vishnu, as ‘Patanjali’ the great sage who propounded Kriya Yoga, of which Hatha Yoga, the most popular form of yoga, is a part.
Why do Yoga?
Though the purpose of yoga is atmasakshatkar or self-realisation, there are various by-products as you move up the ladder towards realising yourself or to say being in yoga. Here you embrace the inner and outer realities for a perfect harmonious balance, the important point is that you do not intellectually understand the inner and outer realities but experience them. Yoga is an experience and not a subject of the intellect. Yoga works on all aspects of a person; physical, vital, mental, financial, emotional, psychic, and spiritual. Only when all the aspects are in a state of balance does a being experience liberation, perfect harmony. The aim of yoga is the awakening of the Kundalini for liberation from bondages.
The practice of yoga as taught in the Yoga Sutras strictly, is the key to a healthy life–internal and external. While physical and emotional health is not the primary purpose of yoga, they are definite by-products. A practitioner of true yoga will have a natural glow and serenity on the face and there would be an attraction which he would exude, forcing you to wonder what’s so special in him/her. The physical, emotional, and financial well-being of this yogi will reflect naturally without the aid of any make-up and the inner strength of the yogi can be felt without having to see rippling biceps. He/she physical would be perfect and so would be his speech, he/she would not attract you to himself/herself by promising you utopian remedies for your maladies.
A yogi has a healthy body that shows little or no signs of ageing. None of them use expensive cosmetics or adopt artificial means like face-lifts, etc. to look young and bright.
Yoga has to be followed in totality.
All yogic practices are to be done with proper guidance. Even a slight deviation from the right method can result in great complications. To reap the benefits of these practices you have to practice them regularly.
Our physical body is just a reflection. Sanatan Kriya works from the core to the periphery. Like everything else in Creation, our body too is run on the principle of balance and imbalance. When you are in a state of Yoga or balance, you exude health, beauty, glow and radiance. You possess within you the magnetism and attraction of the entire Creation. Continuous practice of Sanatan Kriya helps bring in balance all aspects of your life – Physical, health, financial, relationships – because it brings your body in balance with the Creation. However, these are just the by-products of practicing Yoga. For Yoga is the final frontier – the journey to beyond for the seeker.
At what age should I start practicing Yoga?
The earlier, the better. You are born with a limited life force and the body is deteriorating every second making you older and weaker by the day. Yoga and Sanatan Kriya slow down this process, proper practice under guidance of Guru has the effect of stalling and even reversing the process of ageing.
