yoga for relaxation

Discover the true meaning of yoga…

When taking any modern yoga class, you will find parallels with ballet. Like ballet, the promise of poise, grace, and suppleness encourages a lot of interest. However, if yoga is like any other exercise, it is only at first glance. Beneath the coveted health and fitness benefits of the modern practice of yoga lie the roots of a great spiritual tradition that blends cultures and religions.

Unfortunately, due to the westernization of yoga, we have lost an essential component of this peaceful practice. Although the ritual remains intact, the meaning has been lost. Where before the postures of yoga practice were simply a branch of a tree; today they are seen by Western society as the tree itself. How do we bring meaning to our poses?

Roots and benefits of modern yoga

Although the development of yoga cannot be attributed to an exact year, the discovery of the Indus seals, which show figures in the classical yoga asana (posture) of the lotus position, traces yoga back to at least 3000 BC. At that time the Vedas were being written, from which the current yoga postures are derived. These gave rise to Vedic yoga, which adapted to the ancient Indians’ fixation on ritual and sacrifice. We see evidence of the importance of sacrifice in the yogic corpse pose. Lying down as if placed in a coffin, this represents the ultimate sacrifice: that of death. Morbid as it may seem, the corpse pose is one of hope when we understand that, according to the Vedanta sutras, death results in liberation.

The sacrifice was intended to unite the material and the physical, and create the desired “union” that defines the word Yoga. The Vedanta sutras (vv. 4:4, 13-14) declare that the liberated soul is not materially motivated. By asking us to free ourselves from the bondage of material motivation, compassion requires us to be selfless. Surely this giving is an exercise in compassion. Still, modern yoga practice makes this easy. Through postures and stillness, we alter our awareness and thus change our perspective. In our new understanding of others as part of the cosmic whole, we feel that by giving to them we are also giving to ourselves.

The ancient philosophy of yoga saw its postures as part of a greater whole. Thousands of years ago, during the time of Astanga yoga, the practice of postures was a piece of a more important whole. Astanga yoga, which originated during Vedic India, was derived from eight limbs; yama (control and discipline), niyama (rules, methods and principles), asana (posture), pranayama (focused breathing), prathyahara (avoidance of undesirable actions), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation). In contrast, most contemporary yoga focuses on postures and uses breathwork as a small component or afterthought. Although it is true that the current view of yoga emphasizes the asana too much, it is extremely important and has enormous benefits. Medically studied benefits of yoga include the following: reduced stress, improved muscle strength and tone, increased energy and flexibility, improved balance and coordination, and reduced depression.

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moving with compassion

Throughout most asana practice, we unconsciously engage in a physical metaphor. Many yoga poses are named after and mimic the living world; tree pose, eagle pose, frog pose, cat pose. By developing postures that mimic the posture of animals, the Vedic seers may have been seeking not only to embrace the qualities of these animals, but also to formulate compassion for them.

How compassion serves as a partner in yoga’s goal of liberation can be understood by reading ancient yogic texts. Understand these vedas; be it the Rig Veda (knowledge of praise), Yajur-Veda (knowledge of sacrifice), Sama-Veda (knowledge of chanting), and Atharva-Veda (knowledge of the atharvan), it is more likely while in deep meditation. By understanding the Vedic sutras, we are enabled to experience unknown bliss through material grasping.

In this state, everyday experiences fade and a larger perspective develops. Over time, meditation also allows us to become more intuitive and receptive. This opens us up to others, enhancing our compassionate nature. This experience has been discussed by the expert on Eastern sacred texts “HP Blavatsky” in “The Voice of the Silence”. Blavatsky writes: “Compassion is not an attribute. IT IS the LAW of LAWS – eternal Harmony, the SELF of Alaya; a boundless universal essence, the light of eternal Right and the fitness of all things, the law of eternal love.” “.

To experience compassion for others, we must first extend it to ourselves. Trying too hard in a pose is contrary to compassion. Why? Yoga teaches us that we are all connected, so when we hurt ourselves, this pain eventually reaches others. Instead, we should strive for soft self-acceptance, competing with no one, not even ourselves. This is essential for a rewarding yoga experience.

Postures for Peace

Around the time of Patanjali’s yoga sutras, which were written near the beginning of the common era, we begin to see a discussion of the more practical aspects of yoga. Posture (whether primarily for meditative purposes) is discussed, as is the concentration of the mind during this exercise. In the Yoga-Sutra, Patanjali presents relaxation as the very essence of yoga practice. He teaches us that the posture must be firm and comfortable, this feeling is reflected in the postures (asanas) of current practice. The physical dimension of yogic exercise requires that we have compassion for our limits. We are never asked to press, only to release. Mercifully, our small efforts have the grace to connect us with a life force that is divine and all-encompassing.

The asanas encourage us to see our body as divine and to nurture health in this mortal temple. Yogic adepts understand that their body is flawed, no matter how slender and toned it may appear on the outside. This recognition leads to less judgment of the bodies of others. As pleasing as the form of a yogi may be to the eye, the same Vedic texts that encourage the practice of yoga for health also remind us that true “liberation” comes from being free from the cycle of rebirth, free from physical form.

Yogic postures work in contrast to the Western notion of exercise. Here we see exercise as an end, as the end of overweight and fatigue. Yoga is different. While in most forms of exercise physical results are the only goal, in yoga the soul is the goal. The ancient tradition of yoga exercise is prominent in its doctrines. The ancient yoga texts insist that the mind and spirit are more important than the physical body. While many other Eastern forms of mind and body attunement also foster this awareness, no other physical practice has the ultimate goal of union with the divine. In yoga, the process of achieving this union is just as important as the actual achievement.

Yoga practice is not a means to an end. It is an end in itself. Even unlike the Vedas and Sutras, the modern practice of yoga posture is a beautiful and relaxing activity. Although the modern practice of yoga makes little mention of the scriptures on which it is based, the experience of union and compassion can be woven into each pose. By doing this we are improving more than our practice, we are improving our lives.