Yoga in General

Yoga Talk: Discussions about Yoga in General

Inevitably, a lot of people write about the physical aspects of yoga where they say that yoga is a multi-tasked practice of physical postures, linked with sustained breathing and movement. All if that is true, but there is a bigger definition of yoga that the physical postures can lead us to, but don’t necessarily lead us to. Let us talk about the yoga in general; spiritual influence and its impact to the lives of many people.

What is Yoga?

In literal definition, yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline which involves simple meditation, relaxation and adoption of specific bodily postures to achieve full relaxation. This has been widely practices for invigoration, health and relaxation. Yoga involves a restraint of the fluctuation of the mind, meaning when you practice yoga, and the goal of yoga, the experience and the effort are to quiet the mind. It is hard to describe and define yoga in objective terms because it is within the experience of yoga, where its full meaning is revealed.

What is the Experience of Yoga Like?

Maybe you have experienced being on the top of the mountain, with the surrounding really quiet. Looking out in the horizon and sensing your place in the universe, you experience a sense of peace; this is how most people experience yoga. The experience of yoga in general is often described as a peaceful and tranquil sensation of wholeness.

Is Yoga for Everyone?

Yoga is for everyone regardless of the race, age, gender and economic status. It is the art of stilling the mind. It involves calming the fluctuations of the mind through various physical postures and meditation, enough to allow yourself to listen and pay attention.

Yoga and Religion

There has been a debate surrounding the identification of yoga within a certain religion. A study of the sutra will reveal the Hindu representation of yoga in general as a home in which God is conjured. If the sutra mentions God, does this make yoga a religion? The ancient practice of yoga has been associated with religion although many yoga instructors and enthusiast have not associated yoga as a religion, but as a discipline. They contest the literal definition of religion being, “the belief of a divine or superhuman to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator and the ruler of the universe,” and since the practice of yoga in general doesn’t really fit in the various definitions of religion, they claimed that yoga can only be linked and expressed through religion, but not necessarily equate to it.

Physical and Cognitive Benefits of Yoga in General

People practicing yoga come into the physical practice of yoga called Asana or the 12 basic yoga poses. Over time, as you practice and master the different physical postures of yoga, you will begin to understand that in addition to the enormous physical benefits; the fact that yoga makes you stronger, makes you more flexible, you sleep better, your breathing normalizes and digestion improves, you will also discover that the practice of yoga is really about training your mind. You feel more at ease with yourself, you can think clearly, you become less anxious and enable you to achieve mental clarity.