The word “Yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root “Yuj”, which means “to unite” or “unite” or “unite”. According to Yogic scriptures, the practice of yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of Universal Consciousness, which indicates a perfect harmony between mind and body, Man & Nature. What Yoga means is to move towards an experiential reality in which one knows the supreme nature of existence, the way in which it is done. Essentially, in tradition, once we add the word “Yoga” to anything, it indicates that it is a complete path in and of itself.
We say “Hatha Yoga”, but we won't say “Asana Yoga”. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word, yuj, or yoke. Yoga means “linking”, “connecting” or “joining with. The word Yoga means union in Sanskrit, uniting your individual consciousness with the divine consciousness.
AiR's new book talks about yoga and its connection to life as most people know it. While it is considered to be a divine and mystical Indian concept that gives instant peace, it goes far beyond that. People say it's the union of body, mind and soul. But is this what yoga really is? The general understanding of yoga is limited to being a magical exercise that promises good health and well-being through proper body exercise and modulation of breath control.
Whereas, in reality, yoga has very little to do with physical and breathing exercises. In fact, yoga is all about transcending body and mind. Unfortunately, many think of Yoga as a physical activity that helps improve the body and have become prisoners of thought, although in reality, Yoga is a Union with the Divine. There is no doubt that, as part of the entire yogic experience, some proclaimed gurus advocate certain body postures and breathing exercises to be part of the general practice of yoga, but these are definitely not yoga by themselves.
While this is true, since physical fitness and flexibility are natural consequences of the constant practice of yoga, the real purpose and importance of yoga are much deeper and more absolute. Conscious experiences are actually conditioned by the subconscious instinct and the potentials of the unconscious. But if we change our understanding of the meaning of yoga, we will change not only what we associate with yoga, but also what we do on the mat. In order for us to understand the true meaning of practice, let's first know the etymology of the term.
The myth about yoga that circulates all over the world must be destroyed and one must discover the true meaning of yoga. To finish this mythical story of Yoga and realize the true meaning of this Divine activity, one must stop using the term Divine Yoga in vain. When you think something and stop thinking, it doesn't mean that chitta-vritta-nirodha has been reached, because you may be stopping the process of thinking about a particular thing due to pressure from another side that also catches your eye. In contemporary times, yoga as a practice has been renamed and labeled in many ways, leading to the discipline losing its essence and its true meaning.
In order to understand the true meaning of yoga, it is useful to start with the etymology of the word itself. The great sage Maharshi Patanjali systematized and codified the then-existing yoga practices, their meaning and their related knowledge through a series of ancient texts known as the Yoga Sutras. You need to adopt such means of action by which the rajasic and tamasic potentials of prarabdha are effectively mitigated. Asanas, literally meaning “posture” or “seat,” refer to the various physical postures that help maintain physical stability while stimulating the body's physiological systems, such as the circulatory, immune, digestive and nervous systems.
If the information you carry, which is memory, is the only thing that determines the nature of who you are at the moment, that means that you are in the past. Yoga means opening the circle and stretching it like a straight line, so if you follow the line, you'll go somewhere, you don't go around and around. . .
