Yoga - A Brief Overview.

Yoga is one of asia's wonderful gifts to mankind. One of its valuable qualities is that it builds up a store of physical health through the practice of a system of exercises called asanas which keep the body cleansed and fit. Yoga believes that exercise is essential for speedy removal of toxins and for keeping blood circulation and all internal processes functioning smoothly.

Ilaving dealt with the physical side of life, yoga turns to the mental. Here different breathing

exercises or techniques quieten the mind and brain.

YOGA - A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Yoga has been practised in asia for over two millenia.

Stories and legends from ancient times all testify to

the existence of yoga, and to the practitioners and

divinities associated with it.

Indian literature is a storehouse of knowledge about

yoga covering every conceivable level. Roughly in

chronological order are the Vedas (books of scriptural

knowledge), the Upanisads• (philosophical

speculations), and their commentaries; then the

Puranas (ancient cosmologies), and the two epics, the

Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata

contains within itself that masterpiece of ancient

scripture, the Bhagavad Cita. "Toward the end of the

Vedic period comes the aphoristic literature, with the

"Yoga Aphorisms" of Patanjali of especial interest to

yoga students. 'Ihere are, besides, whole bodies of

works both ancient (pre-Christian) and more modern

dealing with various aspects of yoga and yoga

philosophy, testifying to the continued relevance of

yoga as a discipline.

Yoga is considered to be a philosophy, a science and

an art. It has eight clearly defined aspects and, in its

purest form, is a complete system capable of

answering all human needs. However, it has always

been, and still is, used as a basis for other activities

and disciplines. Today, for example physiotherapy

and exercise classes often adapt movements from yoga

postures.

Different schools of yoga through the ages have stressed different aspects, but all branches have a common ideological basis, of seeking the betterment of individual yoga practitioners, and, in a broader context, of humanity.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj" meaning to join or yoke, implying the integration (or joining) of every aspect of a human being from the innermost to the external. Another frequently used definition of yoga is that of union of the individual spirit with the universal, since that is its highest aim. As a philosophy, yoga is unusual in that it insists that the practice of postures — apparently physical exercises — and breathing techniques is essential in

order to lead a worthy and satisfying life. A whole doctrine attaches to the postural and breathing aspects of yoga. The parallel classical Western concept of "mens sana in corpore sano" — a healthy body in a healthy mind — has always been recognized and is finding increasing emphasis today.