What is Yoga?
Twisting, turning, stretching, and meditating all at one time, how can this be possible, and what exactly is Yoga? For someone who has never practiced this Eastern form of exercise and meditation, originating from India, it sounds almost impossible.
As with almost every form of discipline originating in the Eastern world, Yoga does not concentrate on only the body, it focuses on the mind, spirit, and the way life’s energy flows through all of them. When Yoga was introduced to western society many teachers and students started disconnecting the two components, turning Yoga into only a physical practice. This can still be greatly beneficial as the positions and techniques aid in improving flexibility, range of motion, and can increase circulation.
What is interesting, as most people begin practicing Yoga without any intent of following a spiritual path, they start dropping into an almost meditative state during their practice of the position, start experiencing the reduced stress, the clarity of mind, and many times feel called to experience Yoga’s other aspects more deeply. It may not be to experience the spiritual aspects of Eastern philosophies, but may be to experience a deeper spiritual connection within their own religion. Almost every religion uses prayer and meditation to have a deeper spiritual connection. Using Yoga to help you achieve a physical and mental state to support deeper contemplation and meditation can enhance anyone’s spiritual journey.
Yoga by literal definition is meant to control, unite, and join. As you begin practicing Yoga this definition begins to make perfect sense. You are taking extreme control of your entire body. You practice movements, stretches, and positions, which challenge your control, and give your further control as you perfect them. As you still your mind and meditate during the positions you begin to unite your body, mind, and spirit together. When all aspects of your being are joined together you experience deeper peace, and more control over all aspects of your life. Meditation during Yoga does not always need to be an empty mind, you can choose to use focused meditation during your practice of Yoga, and give yourself more drive, desire, and direction for reaching your goals.
Now this may be starting to sound like Yoga is magical, which is far from the truth. Yoga takes discipline, practice, and desire. When you combine work to perfect any portion of your life, the effect begins to show up in all other areas of your life. Using discipline to take control of your body and breathing during Yoga helps you to understand how to calm yourself in the most stressful situations in life. The calmer mind found during meditation gives you more clarity of thought, access to new ideas, and helps to reduce the noisy self-talk which obstructs your proper actions.
What is Yoga? It is not just an exercise form but a discipline of joining your mind, body, and spirit into unity. If you want to experience a form of activity which can affect every part of your life, consider giving Yoga a try.
