ST.

PAUL’S UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BUSINESS STUDIES

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND

MANAGAMENT

THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND ITS PHILOSOPHY

Presented by: Suthar Shweta Dinesh

B/P/770/09

Lecturer: Mr. Peter

Course code: UCC 102

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THE PRACTICE OF YOGA AND ITS PHILOSOPHY

Chapter one

Introduction

The saying “what’s in the past should remain in the past” is not applicable in this area.
This is due to the humongous importance of yoga which is a divine blessing to mankind
from the great old “rishis” (sages) of India. Yoga is a healing system of theory and
practice. It is a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation that
has been practiced for more than 5,000 years.

There are many ways by which Yoga can be explained. The word ‘Yoga’ comes from the
Sanskrit word ‘Yug’ which literally means ‘to yoke’ or ‘unite’. Therefore the term yoga
implies the union of “atma” (soul) with “paramatma” (God, Supersoul). This union is
achieved as yoga leads us to a stage when we become aware of God hence making the
human unite with the divine. The main aim of yoga is self-realisation. “Yogi” is an
aspirant or a student of the path of yoga.

Yoga is not a body of doctrines, theories or principles only but is a collection of simple
practices, a kind of body rituals, consisting of action methods and techniques. Therefore
yoga doesn’t have a philosophical look only but an equally significant physical basis.
Yoga is a vast subject as its philosophies differ according to different school of thoughts.
Yoga can be understood as one of the six “darshan” (Orthodox Schools of Philosophy),
as explained in the holy book of Gita which explains three main types of yoga which
were later refined by sages to five types of yoga so that the common man can understand
it and practice it.

In recent times the meaning of yoga is highly misunderstood as people take it to be the
physical exercise only. But the reality is that yoga is more of a divine and spiritual
revelation than just a subject of health and exercise. This is so because Yoga is a gradual
process whereby a soul struggles to bond with the Supersoul (God).

The origin of yoga

Yoga is said to be as old as civilization, but there are no physical evidence but the seals
which depict figures of yoga poses existence around 3000 B.C. In the valley of River
Indus, a team of archaeologist under Sir Mortimer Wheeler discovered the remains of a
civilization, which is now acknowledged to be approximately 5000 years old. Amongst
the valued artefacts are a number of seals depicting horn-copped figures sitting in
positions which are advanced Yogic postures. The most famous of these seal is the
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ithyphallic deity which is recognised as “Shiva”. The history of yoga is based in the Indus
Valley civilization.

Scholars believe yoga existed in the Stone Age and Shamanism. The shamanistic
civilization revered the sacred art of discern the cosmic order through inner vision; they
used rituals to create shifts in their perceptual field to communicate with the spirit world.
Shamans were the pioneer Yogis.

In ancient times, the desire for greater personal freedom, health and long life, and
heightened self-understanding gave birth to this system of physical and mental exercise
which has since spread throughout the world. Similarly to improve human condition and
to heal the community members, the practitioners acted as religious mediators. Yoga
focuses more on self, but it started as a community-oriented before it turned inwards.
Within Hinduism, yoga also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu
philosophy.

In order to understand the rich history of yoga, we will divide it in five main periods:

1) The Vedic period

The existence of “Vedas” marks this period. Vedas are sacred scripture of Brahmanism
which forms the basis of modern Hinduism. Vedas are collection of four books. Vedas
are a compilation of hymns and rituals which contain a comprehensive key to cosmic
evolution, the Sanskrit word “Veda” means "knowledge". The actual word “Yoga” was
first mentioned in the ‘’Rigveda”, which dates back to approximately 1,500 before the
Common Era; is a collection of hymns describing the practice of meditation as a
discipline.

The Vedas contains the oldest known Yogic teachings and is considered divine
revelation. Teachings found in the Vedas are called Vedic Yoga, this teachings revolves
around the thought of reuniting the visible material world with the spiritual world
transcending the limitations of the mind. During this time, the Vedic people relied on
rishis (Vedic prophets) to teach them how to live in divine harmony, understanding the
world. ‘Rishis’ are gifted with ability to see the ultimate reality through intensive spiritual
practice like constant meditation for years. The rich Indian culture is a gift from such
great ‘rishis” who worked selflessly to enrich the human life. They made the common
man realise the presence of God. Hinduism believes in rebirth- whereby a man keeps on
taking birth repeatedly with the same soul, mind and “karmas” (action which reaps either
bad or good results) until he/she merges his/her soul with God. Thus yoga shows this
path.

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 2) The pre-classical yoga
The creation of “Upanishads” marks this period. The 200 scriptures of Upanishad (the
conclusion of the Vedas) describe the inner vision of reality resulting from devotion to
“Brahman” (God). Upanishad explains three subjects: the ultimate reality (“Brahman”,
God), the transcendental self (“Atman”, soul) and the relationship between the two. They
were written to make the understanding of Vedas easier.

Around 500 B.C.E., the Bhagavad-Gita was created; it is a beautiful story of a

conversation between Lord Krishna (the eight incarnation of God) and the prince Arjuna.
In the Bhagavad-Gita, three aspects must be brought mutually in our existence: Bhakti
(devotion), Jnana (knowledge), and Karma (cause and effect). The Gita then tried to unify
the Yogic traditions of “Bhakti Yoga” (Devotional service), “Jnana Yoga”(path of
knowledge), and “Karma Yoga”(path of action) searching the sacrifice of the ego through
self-knowledge and it is because of this that it has gained importance. During this time,
Yoga found its way into Buddhism too, Lord Buddha (founder of Buddhism) saw that the
suffering is caused by desire, greed, and delusion, its Yoga stresses the importance of
Meditation and ethics over Physical Postures.

Yoga shares characteristics with Buddhism, during the 6th century B.C. Lord Buddha
stresses on the importance of meditation and practice of physical postures. The Mahayana
school of Buddhism is noted for its proximity with Yoga and has some of its roots in
yogic practices.

3) The classical yoga

The classical Yoga period is defined by the “Yoga Sutra”, composed by Patañjali. In
Patañjali’s sutras; Yoga is presented in a standardized and approachable way; Patañjali
has often been called the founder of Yoga because of this work. In the ‘Yoga sutras”,
yoga has been defined as the practice that brings spiritual awakening. Patañjali believed
that every individual is composed of ‘Prakrti” (matter) and “Purusha’ (spirit) and that the
goal of Yoga is to free the spirit from the material world. The concept of Patanjali was
dominant for some centuries that some yogis focused exclusively on meditation and
neglected asanas (physical postures). It was later that the belief of body as a temple was
rekindled and attention to importance of physical postures was revived.

In Hinduism, there are six main schools of philosophy called “shad darshan”. One of
these is the yoga system of philosophy. Another philosophy which is more related to the
yoga philosophy is the “Samkhya system of philosophy”. The Yoga school as expounded
by the sage Patanjali accepts the Samkhya psychology and metaphysics, but is more
theistic than the Samkhya, as evidenced by the addition of a divine entity to the
Samkhya's twenty-five elements of reality. In yoga philosophy a personal God is
introduced so as to make the concentration and meditation easier as a yogi concentrates
on the God to arrest the wonderings of the mind. The 195 sutras (words of wisdom) that

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comprise the Yoga Sutra expound the practice of yoga into an eight-limbed path of self
transcendence.

4) Post-Classical yoga

In this period we see a proliferation of literature as well as practice of yoga. It differs

from the first three as it no longer strives to liberate a person from reality but teaches one
to accept it and live at the moment. Yogis of the past had not paid much attention to the
physical body as they were focused on meditation and contemplation. A few centuries
after Patañjali, Yoga took a turn, the new generation of yoga masters beginning to probe
the hidden powers of the human body, developing a system where different exercises, in
conjunction with deep breathing and meditation, would help to rejuvenate the physical
body, prolong life and achieve enlightenment. The human body was regarded as the
temple of the immortal soul.

The Post-Classical Yoga period gave a dramatic increase in Yogic literature and brought
big changes to Yoga, with the developing of Hatha Yoga (which involves more of the
physical postures) and other branches of Yoga. During this time Yoga flourished and
nowadays is practised throughout the world. In contrast to classical Yoga, Post-Classical
Yoga is focused in the appreciation of the present moment and the affirmation of the
unity of everything.

5) Modern yoga

This era is marked when yoga reached the west in the late 1800s. Many gurus (spiritual
masters or teachers) made the effort to spread yoga world wide. Theses include Swami
Vivekananda, a student of Ramakrishna who was commissioned to attend the 1893
Parliament of Religions in Chicago causing deep impression on the Americans. Other
important Yoga gurus include Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Sivananda
Radha, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, Yogi Swami Sivananda, Swami Satchidananda
and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who popularized Transcendental Meditation in the 1960’s.
Dalai Lama is a great yogi from Tibet; he was awarded the Nobel price for peace and has
inspired many westerners to learn more about Buddhism and Yoga.

Yogi Swami Sivananda taught the Five Principles of Yoga which are:

1. Proper Relaxation (Savasana)

2. Proper Exercise (Asanas)
3. Proper Breathing (Pranayama)
4. Proper Diet
5. Positive Thinking and Meditation (Dhyana).

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Yoga now has several different schools or styles, all emphasizing the diverse aspects of
the practice. Hatha Yoga practitioners learn to recognize reality and use physical
resources in order to achieve self development.

Nowadays, Yoga is the mainly diversified spiritual practice in the planet; it has gained
enormously popularity throughout the last few years, and these days over 30 million
people follow the Yoga message of peace.

Therefore yoga is now is diverse form of exercise as well as spiritual practice. Different
scriptures portray different meaning and forms of yoga. Let us try and evaluate what
different scriptures of Hinduism and well as Buddhism and Jainism (whose roots of
origin are from the ancient Hinduism) say in regard to Yoga and its philosophy.

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 Chapter two
Yoga is a state where there is no thought or doubt; it teaches us how to control the
thought waves of the mind and get freedom and attain one’s pure state of bliss. What man
really wants is eternal bliss but he does not know where or how to get it. He mistakes
sense pleasure for pure bliss, so long as man is driven by worldly desires neither this
world nor the next one can bring him eternal bliss.

There different Yoga systems, different paths for the realisation of the self. Which path or
combination of the paths one chooses would depend on individual taste and capacity. But
all the paths lead to the same goal. We will look into the different types of yoga in details.
There are five types of Yoga. These are:-
A. Raja yoga (graded course of mental concentration)
B. Bhakti yoga (path of love and devotion)
C. Jnana yoga (path of knowledge)
D. Karma yoga (path of action)
E. Hath yoga (methods of bodily control and regulation of breath)

A) “Raja Yoga” (graded course of mental concentration)

Raja means royal or kingly. Raja Yoga is so-called because it is primarily concerned with
the mind. The mind is traditionally conceived as the "king" of the psycho-physical
structure which does its bidding (whether or not one has realized this). Because of the
relationship between the mind and the body, the body must be first "tamed" through self-
discipline and purified by various means. Humans have all sorts of addictions and
obsessions and these preclude the attainment of tranquil abiding (meditation).

Raja Yoga is the royal road to freedom from misery. It treats of the four great principles:
misery, its cause, freedom from misery and the means. The practice of the methods
prescribed in Raja Yoga leads to the cessation of all miseries and attainment of eternal
bliss. Raja yoga prescribes a graded course of mental concentration. It helps us to first
control the gross physical body, and then step by step it leads us onto the control of subtle
sheaths (the mental sheath, the intellectual sheath and the bliss sheath) and it takes us to
eternal ever-perfect self which is beyond all these sheaths.

Though this method is difficult as it requires regular practice and total dedication but then
the goal is the greatest bliss. Raja yoga is divided into eight successive courses through
which one has to pass and it’s called ‘Ashtanga Yoga”, “Ashta” means eight and “anga”
means limbs, therefore, it’s called the eight limbs of Yoga. Every person in this world is
craving for peace and happiness. Some people propagate Christianity or Islam, on the
other hand some people swear by Buddhism or Jainism. The world is overflowing with
such claims and teachers who make tall promises of world peace. But none have been
broad enough to cover the whole world with their philosophy. Can’t we have a
philosophy of life that a person of any religion or nationality can follow? What is this
magical word that promises individuals joy, peace and prosperity in their personal lives
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and shows them a path to world peace that they can adopt fearlessly? The word is Yoga,
the path of “Astanga Yoga” which has been propagated by Maharishi(great sage)
Patanjali. It is not a cult or theory but a complete way of life.

The eight limbs are:-

1. Yama – Self-restraint or ethical conduct

2. Niyama – Personal and religious observance of purity, devotion and study
3. Asana – Physical activity
4. Pranayama – Breath control or regulation
5. Pratyahara – Abstraction of the senses
6. Dharana – Concentration
7. Dhyana – Meditation that leads to Samadhi
8. Samadhi – Absorption in the sublime and blissful awareness.
1) “Yama”  These are code of conduct for living in health, happiness and
contentment, physically, mentally, ethically and morally.There are five Yamas
namely:-
a) “Ahinsa” (non-violence)
b) “Satya” (truth)
c) “Bhrahmacharya” (celibacy)
d) “Asteya” ( non-stealing)
e) “Aparigraha” (non-acquisition)

These are like the prerequisites of yoga and they benefit the individual practising it as
well as the society.

2) “Niyama” Are meant for moral training to purify the mind. These are:-
a) “Souch” (cleanliness)
b) “Santosh” (contentment)
c) “Tapas” (austerity)
d) “Swadhyaya” (self-study)
e) “Ishwarwpranidhana” (complete surrender to the will of God)

“Niyamas” are meant to uplift oneself. After practice of Yama and Niyama then only one
should consider to move to the next step. It is dangerous to jump or omit any of the stages
as the progress should be slow but sure and the body and the mind should be ready to
accept the fruits of each step.

3) “Asanas”  This is the discipline of the body through posture to provide a sound
base for taming the mind. It involves exercises; physical and mental to make the body
physically and mentally healthy to reach its goal. In Hindi and Sanskrit, Asana means
literally "seat", the place where one sits; or posture, position of the body (any position).
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Asanas (in the sense of Yoga "posture") are said to derive from the various positions of
animals' bodies (whence are derived most of the names of the positions). Therefore,
according to Yoga philosophy, there are 8.4 million of them (as are living beings on the
Earth). 84 Asanas are considered to be the main postures, of which the highest are
“Shirshasan” (headstand), and “Padmasan’ (lotus).The practice of Asanas affects the
following aspects or planes of the human being:-

• physical (blood circulation, inner organs, glands, muscles, joints and nerve
system)
• psychological (developing emotional balance and stability, harmony)
• mental (improved ability to concentrate, memory)
• consciousness (purifying and clarifying consciousness/awareness)

Posture is extremely important in meditation. A question usually arises “why do

Yogis sit cross-legged?” Yoga stresses on the importance of sitting with the spine in
as erect as possible. “Prana” (the vital air) which circulates in us, flows round the
body and tends to escape at the fingers and feet. If the hands and the legs are crossed
especially in lotus seat (padmasana) then a “closed circuit” of energy is formed,
minimizing the leak of energy by feeding it back to the body. Most deities are shown
in “padmasana” which is neither athletic nor warrior, but the dispassionate ascetic
who has always been held in high esteem, example is Lord Buddha. The highly
revered pose of “padmasana” is on the left and ‘shirshasan’ on the right:

There are some requirements for the practice of Asanas. The floor should be even,
one spread a thick sheet, and a woollen blanket (should be non conductors of energy.)
As regarding time, morning is the best time when the mind remains calm. It can also
be done in the evening on empty stomach, 5-6 hours after lunch. Comfortable clothes
should be worn. Asanas can be done together with “pranayama” (breathing
exercises). Asanas are mainly useful for abdomen, the healthiness of our abdomen,
the digestive system which includes stomach, liver, spleen, intestines, gall bladder
and pancreas. Healthiness of the heart also depends on the digestive system. Some
Yoga poses are as shown below:-

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The best poses in Yoga are considered to be “Surya-Namaskar” (Sun salutations).
They are 12 poses in total. It helps the entire body become disease-free, gain strength
and energy. It reactivates all the body parts and enables regulation of hormonal
secretions of all the internal glands. Its best performed at sunrise. It increases mental
peace, strength and energy and vitality of the body. The following is the series of the
poses of sun-salutation.

4) “Pranayama”  Pranayama is derived from 2 Sanskrit words – ‘Prana” (life

force) and ‘Ayama” (control). Therefore, in its broadest description, Pranayama
would mean the control of the flow of life force. It is the discipline of the breath to
refine the base developed through asana. It involves control of breathing; rhythmic
breathing helps in concentration of mind and makes the mind fit for looking inwards.
With control of breathing one would be able to control “Prana”, the vital air, vital
force in everything. “Prana” (air) is one of the five major elements of which our body
is constituted. It keeps us alive and is one of three humors of our body. Bile, phlegm
and other constituents of our body and the dross elements are all lame, in that, they on
their own are not capable of going from one place to another, or affect any function of
the body. It is the air in our body that takes them from one place to another as the
clouds in the sky are drifted from one place to another by the force of wind.
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 By practicing Asanas (physical poses), we remove the distortions and disabilities of
the physical body and bring it under discipline. However, Pranayama influences the
subtle and physical bodies, in a greater measure than the Asanas do. In the human
body, lungs, heart and brain hold very important positions and they depend on each
other immensely for their health. Pranayama is a systematic exercise of respiration,
which makes the lungs stronger, improves blood circulation, makes man healthier and
bestows upon him the boon of long life.
There are four stages of Pranayama:-
 “Deerghshwasana” (Breathing quickly)
 “Purak shwasan” (Inhalation)
 “Rechak” (Exhalation)
 “Kumbhaka” (Retention of breath)

The great reformer of Hinduism, Swami Shankracharya gives metaphysical interpretation

of the stages of Pranayama. Emptying the mind of the whole of its illusion is the true
‘rechak” (exhalation). The realisation that: I am “Atman” (the infinite spirit) is the true
“purak” (inhalation). Finally the steady sustenance of the mind on the conviction is true
‘kumbhaka” (retention of breath).

An analogy is made to prove the importance of Pranayama; human nature is like a chariot
yoked to a team of powerful horses. One of them is “Prana”, the vital air, the other is
desires. The chariot moves in the direction of more powerful animal. If breath prevails,
the desires are controlled, the senses are held in check and the mind is stilled. If desire
prevails, breath is in disarray and mind is agitated and troubled. Therefore, a yogi (the
student of yoga) masters the science of breath and by the regulation and control of breath
he controls the mind. Thus much importance is given to Pranayama. Several breathing
exercises exist with their own benefits. But one must be very careful when starting the
exercise of “Asanas and Pranayama” (physical and breathing exercises). Don’t be in a
hurry, do it appropriately so that it does good on your body and not the opposite. It’s
recommended to have a “Yoga Guru” (teacher) who can initiate the process and give
guidance as well moral and spiritual teachings related to Yoga and its philosophy. Some
techniques related to Pranayama are as follows.

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 “Anulom-vilom Pranayama” “Kapala-Bhati
pranayama”

5) “Pratyahara”  This is a mental exercise which gradually slows down the rush of
thoughts from within to the surface of the mind. This is the drawing of the sense organs
and bringing them under the control of will – as the tortoise withdraws its organs into the
shell so should we withdraw all our sense organs inwards and hence have full control on
our desires. Once our desires and sense organs are controlled our mind will become calm
and serene. With the steadiness of the mind all its faculties become keener. The power of
observation, reasoning and memory will increase as the restlessness of the mind
decreases. A steady mind is firm, keen and vigorous mind. Hence “Pratyahara” means
shutting out all outward impressions from the mind and looking inwards. It consists of
detaching the inner organs from the outer instruments and keeping them unruffled.

It is the beginning of mental concentration, holding to a single object for about 10-20
seconds. This is the start of meditation, in proper. Achievement to this level brings
mental control over the sense gates, so that one can withdraw from sense experience. This
is useful because it allows one to further purify the mind and heart without the normal
distractions of the mind and senses. The most common object of concentration is the
symbol ‘AUM’ for Hindus. It is the name of the creator, the first sound that came out the
time of creation. “Aum” is represented as:-

6) “Dharana”  This is the intermediate mental concentration, holding to a single

object for 2-4 minutes. It means to concentrate our mind on any object which could be a
light within the mind or a form of image of God used in prayer. That is the main reason
why our sages gave us the deities and idols of God so that we can concentrate on them,
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our mind is always agitated and it does not stay still at one place. To improve on this we
have to practice concentration and what is the best object to concentrate upon than God
whom we see in the idol of our choice. Hinduism does not believe in many Gods, God is
ONE but His attributes and qualities are different. Hindu scriptures define God as all
pervading, lustrous, bodiless, flawless, pure, free of sin, all knowing, existing in all,
transcendental, ever-living and self-proven. Thus different idols depict different roles,
moods, attributes and qualities of that single God and thousands of names are given to
Him.

7) “Dhyana”  This is an advanced mental concentration, holding to a single object

for 30-40 minutes. It’s achieved after repeated attempts at fixing the mind at one object.
The mind then appears to flow in an unbroken current towards its target. This is
meditating in its actual sense. A person uplifts himself/herself at this. Raja yoga
meditation is generally based on directing one’s life force to bring the mind and emotions
so into balance that the attention may be easily focused on the object of meditation, or the
Lord directly. Generally, life force is directed to move up and down the spine until it is
balanced and the mind and emotions are serenely content. Then awareness is generally
directed to move forward into a point in the centre of the lower forehead. This meditation
point, which is about half an inch above where the eyebrows meet, is called ‘ajna”, or the
third eye as shown below.

When the energy is balanced throughout the brain and body and easily moving forward in
the area of the third eye, your mind becomes very calm. While your mind is not passive,
it is free of meaningless thoughts, worries, and the bric-a-brac of the subconscious mind.
This state usually gives you a very pleasant sense of well being and your mind seems
filled with a velvety darkness.

8) “Samadhi”  This is the very advanced mental concentration, holding to a single

object for 6 hours or more. The most advanced practitioners can remain in “Samadhi”
indefinitely. This is concentration par excellence. During this stage the mind loses grip on
all other things. As in deep sleep, a man in Samadhi becomes unconscious of everything
about him. Even the object of meditation melts away. Yet Samadhi makes the mind
keener than ever. It is in this stage that the real import of the object comes in a flash, and
then ones knowledge about the object becomes complete. Through such concentration on
the gross elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) the Yogi gains the power of
controlling the external nature.
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 At the first stage of Samadhi the yogi gets “siddhis” i.e. power of mind reading, thought
transmission etc. Masses get taken up by these people as they seem to perform miracles.
The second step that is the superconciousness, the bonds of ‘samsara’ break and the soul
is liberated and the self stands revealed in its divine glory. Hindus believe in the cycle of
birth and death which can be broken in order to achieve “moksha/mukti” (liberation,
emancipation, salvation). Raja yoga’s final aim is to free oneself from this cycle of birth
and death so as to unite our soul with God (the Supreme Soul), which is also the aim of
Yoga. Great people like Lord Buddha emphasises on meditation as it enables us to see the
divinity in ourselves.

Lord Buddha

B) “The Bhakti Yoga” (Yoga of Devotion)

This is the most popular of the Yoga system. It rests on the simple truth that one can
realise God by loving Him. Nothing else is required – neither abstract thinking nor any
mechanical exercise of the mind and body. It does not make any unnatural demand; love
is a basic and universal emotion and a very potent factor of our life. We love ourselves,
our friends and family, our country, our community, our race and our wealth. Our fear of
death arises from our love of life. A soldier dares death for the love of his country; a
mother can face a Lion to save her child. Therefore, Yoga prescribes the best possible use
of this emotion – to achieve the goal of life. All that we have to do is love God intensely
just as we do to other worldly objects; we need to shift our focus from the worldly objects
to God. As love of God develops, attachment to other things gradually melts away hence
renunciation comes about naturally. With deep and unselfish love one can realise God,
that’s the reason why this yoga is the easiest; and it suites to the majority of mankind.

Yet to achieve love for God is not as easy as it seems. To love an object that pleases our
senses is one thing and to love God whom we neither see nor feel at the beginning is
something different. ‘Bhakti Yoga” offers solution to this; it helps us develop the deep
love and unshakable faith in God. Such love cannot be attained in one day; a person has
to undergo a preparatory course of training, which through practice matures into supreme
devotion or one pointed love for God. One must adopt moral preparations by controlling
passions, practice self-restraint, honesty, non-injury and truth. The spiritual practice
prescribed is constant thinking of God.
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The first stage of “bhakti Yoga” consists of sincere efforts to fix the mind on God. God is
worshipped by symbols, images or pictures. One should choose any idol of God so that
there is something concrete to help us draw our mind away from other sense-objects. It
must be understood that the image to which one prays is considered a symbol of God-
head only and not God Himself. To develop love for the chosen idol one should perform
daily ritual of personal worship. One should repeat His name, chant hymns and prayers,
meditate on Him and His power and glory. One may read scriptures, hear discourses and
join in the communal prayers. Pilgrimages, visit to temple, taking part in feast and
festivals are part of the first stage.

The next stage the devotee is consumed with love for his God. He sees Him everywhere
and is intoxicated by His visions. The person dances with joy at all-pervading ecstasy of
his divine love. He is all bliss; he desires nothing but his God. He reaches the divinity
through single-minded love for Divinity. It knows no rule; it transcends all rituals and
convections.

C) “Jnana Yoga”
This is the path of knowledge and wisdom. This is the most difficult of the paths and
therefore chosen by very few. It is not mere knowledge but spiritual practice that helps
one to penetrate the depths of ignorance. It does not prescribe any code of ritualism nor
does it require one to go through any quasi-mechanical exercises of the body or the mind.
This appeal to those intellectuals who are rational by nature.

It is not easy. A good deal of mental preparation is necessary before one may take to this
path. One must have a pure and sound mind. There are two types of knowledge, the
higher and the lower. Of the lower consists of the knowledge of the Vedas, all sciences
and arts. And the higher knowledge is that by which the immortal absolute is Known.
This yoga presents three steps:-
 “Shravana” (hearing of scriptures)
 “Manana” (cogitating or thinking and hearing)
 “Nididhyasana” (meditating)

The first step, “shravana” consists in hearing about the Real Self. One needs to have a
“Guru”, teacher for guidance. “Manana”, is where one has to reason out what has been
heard from the ‘Guru’ and the scriptures. A good deal of hard and constant thinking is
necessary. At the third stage one practices deep meditation on the Absolute God. At this
stage ones mind should be unmoving and should be all bliss. Thus with the help of these
steps, “Jnana Yoga” peels the universe layer by layer and reaches its very core and comes
to be blessed with the supreme realisation.

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D) “Karma yoga”
“Karma” is a Sanskrit term. It means action or deed. Any physical or mental action is
Karma. Thinking is mental Karma. Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in the present
life and in the preceding births. Yoga means work as a path to perfection. This path is
chosen by people for whom selfless service is their profession, their chosen goal. It
teaches one to work for works sake is the aim and not work for its rewards. “Nishkama
karma” (actions without attachment to Ones action) is advocated for by this path. Rigid
self-discipline and self-restraint, total absorption in one’s action is the highest goal of this
path. Karma yoga is central theme of the holy book of “Bhagvad Gita” It stresses on
“Karma Yoga”, saying that work alone is our privilege, never the fruits thereof. Never let
the fruit of the action be your motive and never cease to work. Work in the name of Lord
abonding selfish desire. Be not affected by success or failure. This equipoise is called
Yoga.

Behind the action, there are desire and thought. A desire for an object arises in the mind.
Then you think how to get it. Then you exert to possess it. Desire, thought and action
always go together. They are the three threads, as it were, that are twisted into the cord of
Karma. Desire produces Karma. You work and exert to acquire the objects of your desire.
Karma produces its fruits as pain or pleasure. You will have to take births after births to
reap the fruits of your Karma. This is the Law of Karma.

This Yoga is a wonderful method of transforming worldly life into a life of intense
spiritual practice. By doing selfless service you purify your heart. Egoism, hatred,
jealousy, ideas of superiority and all the kindred negative qualities will vanish. You will
develop humility, pure love, sympathy, tolerance and mercy. Sense of separateness will
be annihilated. Selfishness will be eradicated. You will get a broad and liberal outlook on
life. You will begin to feel oneness and unity. Eventually you will obtain knowledge of
the Self. You will realize One in all and All in one.

E) “Hatha Yoga”
Traditional Hatha Yoga is a holistic yogic path, including moral disciplines, physical
postures (asana), purification procedures (shatkriya), poses (mudra), yogic breathing
(pranayama), and meditation. The Hatha yoga predominantly practiced in the West
consists of mostly Asanas understood as physical exercises. It is also recognized as a
stress-reducing practice.

The highest point of “hath yoga” is “Raja yoga”. As mentioned, Hatha Yoga is part of a
system of yoga aimed at achieving total enlightenment. And traditionally, hatha yoga is
used to cultivate the physical body in order to make it a healthy and fit vehicle for
meditation and further energy work. Far removed from this vision, the average westerner
today considers "yoga" to mean Hatha Yoga, to simply mean physical fitness. But, yoga
can be much more than a way to physical vitality. The yogic tradition is so ancient and
time-honoured, and has had so much positive spiritual energy invested in it over the
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millennia, that yoga can be better understood as a mighty spiritual river that encompasses
and supports all that encounter it.

So, yoga works not only with the physical body but also with increasingly more subtle
energy bodies. Hence, because yoga really is a vast and steady river of light, it can, and
does, support all those who will travel upon its waters, for however far a distance they
would travel. So, even a short journey for some good health is quite acceptable. This
special river, alluring in subtle ways, has a vibrancy that eventually draws back most that
have come to its shores.

Benefits of Yoga
We will look at the benefits of “Pranayama” (breathing exercises) and “Asana” (physical
poses). Yoga is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more and more aware of
your body, posture, alignment, and patterns of movement. According to Swami
Sivananda, the benefits of Pranayama “The body becomes strong and healthy. Too much
fat is reduced; there is luster in the face. Eyes sparkle like diamonds, the practitioner
becomes handsome”. Indra Devi suggests that with yoga “You will be able to enjoy
better sleep, a happier disposition, a clearer and calmer mind. You will learn how to build
health and protect yourself from colds, fever, constipation, headaches, fatigue and other
troubles. You will know what to do in order to remain youthful, vital and alert regardless
of your calendar-age, how to lose or gain weight, how to get rid of premature wrinkles
and keep a smooth skin and clear complexion.” Yoga gives an insight to know more
about the self. The dormant inner powers blossom to give complete bliss and an
introduction to the true self.

Even modern science now believes that disease, decay and degeneration are due to the
presence of free radicals in the body. But how are the free radicals created?
Free radicals develop due to the accumulation of toxins in the body. Toxins, themselves,
are a product of our lifestyle, our diet, the environment and our emotional patterns.
With our unregulated and undisciplined lifestyle, the kind of food we eat, the air we
breathe, the water we drink and our emotional pulls and pressures, certain hormones are
secreted that have a tendency to leave behind toxins.
The accumulation of toxins in our body is, therefore, natural. We cannot escape from this.
.
However, Yoga has very practical purification practices that aim at the detoxification of
the body and mind. These detoxification techniques are a sort of cleansing that help the
body rid itself of toxins.

The following are some of the benefits of “Asanas”:-

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  Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the
body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone
exercised.
 Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-
researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the
body.
 Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of
activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a
thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get
externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner
on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn
benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first
possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.

 One of the far-reaching benefits of yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it
develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection.
 Complete detoxification, by gently stretching muscles and joints as well as
massaging the various organs, yoga ensures that optimum blood is supplied to
various parts of the body. This helps in flushing out toxins from body and
provides nourishment.
 Continuous practice of Yoga results to delayed aging, increased energy and zest
for life.
 Excellent toning of muscle

The benefits of “Pranayama’ includes:-

1. Physiological benefits are stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium e.g.
 Pulse rate decreases
 Respiratory rate decreases
 Blood pressure decreases
 Galvanic skin response increases
 Cardiovascular efficiency increase
 Respiratory efficiency increase
 Gastrointestinal function normalizes
 Endocrine function normalises
 Excretory function normalises
 Posture improves
 Energy level increases
 Weight normalises
 Sleep improves
 Immunity increases
2. Psychological benefits are:-
 Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
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  Social adjustment
 Anxiety and depression decreases
 Concentration increases
 Memory increases
 Attention increases
3. Biochemical benefits are:-
 Glucose decreases
 Sodium decreases
 Total cholesterol
 ATPase increases
 Haemoglobin increases
 Total white blood cell count decreases
 Vitamin C increases
 Total serum protein increases
4. Healing effect of Yoga. Following diseases are proven to be cured through
regular practice of yoga:-
 Acid stomach
 Addiction
 Asthma
 Backache
 Bronchitis
 Cancer
 Cold
 Constipation
 Depression
 Diabetes
 Headache
 Heart disorders
 High BP
 Indigestion
 Insomnia
 Obesity
 Sinus
 Skin diseases
 Menstrual disorders
 Rheumatism etc.

This proves that Yoga is very beneficial to a person’s health but it should be practised
regularly, with using the appropriate techniques, timing and clothing.

The spread of Yoga to the West

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Yoga was introduced in the West during the 19th century. First it was studied as part of
Eastern philosophy and began as a movement for health and vegetarianism around 1930s.
By 1960s there was an influx of Indian teachers who expounded on yoga. One of them
was Maharishi Mahesh, the Yogi who popularised Transcendental Meditation (alternative
practise of relaxation whereby mantra (holy hymn) is repeated rhythmically to further
ease the mind).
Another one was Yoga Guru Swami Sivanada who was a doctor in Malaysia later opened
a school in America and Europe. Swami Vivekanand was also prominent to spread the
concept of Yoga. His first speech was at the World Parliament of Religious in Chicago.
He believed that India has an abundance of spiritual wealth and that yoga is a method that
could help those who were bound by the materialism of capitalist societies to achieve
spiritual well-being. After that many teachers opened schools in America and Europe.

Up to this day Yoga continues to proliferate and spread its teaching. A proliferation of
yoga clinics and non-spiritual yoga systems are seen in West. Americans see it as
exercise system that simply enhances health, a great number of Indians still see Yoga as it
has been over 5000 years ago; a system of spirituality universal in its application.

Yoga is a healing system of theory and practice. In West world, Asanas have grown
popular as a form of physical exercises. Yoga is believed to calm the nervous system and
balance the body, mind and spirit.
Yoga classes usually range from 60 to 90 minutes in length. Due to its spread in the West
and the world at large, new forms of Yoga have sprung up. But the most famous is the
“Hath” Yoga which is a step to climb the ladder to “Raja yoga”. It comprises the physical
postures. Other forms of Modern yoga include:-
 “Ashtanga yoga”: Ashtanga yoga is a vigorous, fast-paced form of yoga that helps
to build flexibility, strength, concentration, and stamina. When doing Ashtanga
yoga, a person moves quickly through a set of predetermined poses while
remaining focused on deep breathing.

 “Bikram yoga”: Bikram yoga is also known as "hot yoga." It is practiced in rooms
that may be heated to more than 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) and focuses on
stamina and purification.

 “Gentle yoga”: Gentle yoga focuses on slow stretches, flexibility, and deep
breathing.

 “Kundalini yoga”: Kundalini yoga uses different poses, breathing techniques,

chanting, and meditation to awaken life energy.

 “Iyengar yoga”: This type of yoga focuses on precise alignment of the poses.
Participants use "props" like blankets, straps, mats, blocks, and chairs.

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  Restorative yoga: This practice allows the body to fully relax by holding simple
postures passively for extended periods of time

 “Vinyasa/power yoga”: Similar to Ashtanga yoga, these are also very active
forms of yoga that improve strength, flexibility, and stamina. This type of yoga is
popular in the United States.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Westerners may have “modernised” the yoga system and reduced it to just
the physical exercises but Indians still highly regard it as a spiritual path. Yoga as
exercise has evolved into numerous subdivisions and variations. Naked Yoga, Chair
yoga, Acroyoga and Hiphop Yoga are some modern types. However, most of them do not
involve themselves in the spiritual aspect while performing the Yoga. They give attention
to the exercises of breathing and physical poses.

In the US 16.5 million people practice “hatha yoga” whereas 5 million people practice it
in Europe. Today Yoga is a lucrative and growing business. A 2008 poll by Harris
Interactive on behalf of Yoga Journal magazine revealed that 15.8 million Americans
spend nearly $ 6 billion annually on Yoga classes and products. With the popularity of
Yoga, “Ayurveda” (the science of life) which is a system of traditional medicine made
out of herbs and vegetation is also on the growth. Most people practicing Yoga base on
this herbal medicine which is an alternative to the other chemical medicine. This is so as
herbal medicines have no side effects. With Yoga and “ayurveda” comes the popularity
of Vegetarianism. In Hinduism it’s advocated for due to the aspect of non-violence, but
now many non-Hindus practice it due to its health reasons.

Yoga is spiritual, it’s ethical, it’s intellectual, it’s emotional and it’s practical. It’s meant
to transform the human beings from their natural form to perfected form. Thus may Yoga
be practiced everyday by everyone. Yoga invokes the ideals of harmony, health and
balance; it “fits” well in the environment of modernity. The acculturation of Yoga in
America and Europe can be viewed as a welcome celebration of multiculturalism,
promoting more open and tolerant cultural dispositions. On the other hand, the process of
commercialization may have debased what may hold high as a sacred practice of the
Indians.
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References:

Anne Prizer, 2007. About Yoga,com: Yoga. (Updated on 26 November, 2007)

Available at: http:/yoga.about.com/

Divya Prakashan, 2007. Yoga: its philosophy and practice. 1st ed. Delhi-Hardwar: Sai
Security Printers Limited.

Divya Prakashan, 2006. Pranayama: its philosophy and practice. 1st ed. Delhi-
Hardwar: Sai Security Printers Limited.

Yoga. (Updated on 5 August, 2010)

Available at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/yoga

History of Yoga. (Updated on 17 July, 2010)

Availble at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_yoga.

Yoga as exercise or alternative medicine, (2003).

Available at: en.wikipedia.org/…/yoga_as_ex_or_al_med

Hindu council of Kenya, 1988. Hindism. 1st ed. Eldoret: KIE.

Yoga, as a life, (2010). History of yoga

Available at: www.yogaweb.com/yoga/essentials/history.asp

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