Yoga is different things to different people, so what it means to you
will depend greatly on how you were introduced to it and how you enjoyed your
initial experiences with it. For some
people Yoga is simply a method of exercising that ensures they have a healthy
supple body. For other people Yoga
transcends a method of exercise and is a spiritual experience that allows them
to find the balance and centring their lives need. This type of Yoga comes closer to a life
philosophy than any other.
Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is often placed in this final type when assessing
it's place as a Yoga discipline. It
descends from a document known as Korunta Yoga which deals with the 8 spiritual
movements which are described by Patanjali in Sutra Yoga. Today most Yoga disciplines are directly
descended from the descriptions of Yoga exercises in these documents, and so
most forms of Yoga are variations of Ashtanga Vinyasi.
Getting a complete understanding of Ashtanga Yoga is important as it's
proponents treat it as more that a form of exercise. While it's base is in physical movement it is
suggested that it's power in fact comes from the strength of spirit that is
developed from regular and disciplined practice of the 8 stages of Yoga. Through the eight stages of Yoga the body and
mind become pure, and so they are seen as a purifying discipline.
Furthermore the discipline of Ashtanga
Vinyasa deals with a profound and deep way of relating to others. The closest word to describe this aspect of
the Yoga discipline is manners, but it really does go beyond that. Yoga is a discipline of balance, and the
physical balance required to complete many of the exercises should be mirrored
by an internal balance or harmony of the soul.
It is said that a hyperactive person canot be successful with Yoga and
this is true on several levels. Firstly
they lack the discipline to sit calmly through the exercises, but they also
lack the mental calm to focus wholly and completely on a single task. Yoga requires deep concentrating on the
simple act of breathing and feeling the breath bring life to different areas of
your body.
The
power of Yoga is found in it's combination of the physical strength and
flexibility needed to complete movements and the mental discipline that is
required to maintain them. Yoga is not
just a form of exercise but most often it is thought of as a form of
meditation. Meditating successfully with
Yoga requires a pureness of thought and singularity of focus that is not found
in most modern exercise programs. It
seeks to bring the body back into balance and focus on maintaining that
balance.
This aspect of Yoga is often misunderstood, but balance plays a huge
role in Eastern Medicine and the purpose of Yoga and similar meditative
techniques is often no more than to achieve and maintain the level of balance
that keeps our bodies healthy. Yoga
teachers will often talk about one-ness and inner harmony, and this can be
mis-interpreted by people who lack a holistic understanding of what Yoga seeks
to achieve. Simple the harmony that is
achieved through Meditation and Yoga is a self-contentment or acceptance of
oneself. This shows that the first step
to becoming completely happy and healthy is to be content with yourself and
your life.
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