According to The Yoga Sutras, “Yoga is the settling of the mind in silence. The essence of yoga is the union or integration of all layers of life: physical, emotional and spiritual. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root “yug”, which literally means to play or unite. The definition of yoga as “union” is also associated with Patanjali, and more precisely, with the union between you and the divine called Purusha.
This is where the term theist, relative to God, applies. By increasing the range of motion and strengthening the body, it becomes clear that yoga postures affect us physically. There is also a mythical life in yoga asanas, many are named after characteristics found in nature or in great people, or are defined by the muscle groups involved. But understanding postures requires that we go beyond simply doing the postures, to an internal state that is calm and focused.
Deeper practices also involve an energetic experience both during and after our practice. As we move forward, we realize that the inner life of poses is the true nature of asanas, and any sequence of postures can help awaken an experience of being within ourselves. Therefore, Yoga means “unity of physical and mental energies. When the restlessness of mind, intellect and self is stabilized, through the practice of Yoga, the yogi, by the grace of the Spirit, finds fullness within himself.
There is nothing higher and happier than this. However, unfortunately, in the immensity of its diffusion, some of its profound essence is lost and misunderstood. The philosophy of yoga holds that breathing is the most important facet of health, since breathing is the greatest source of prana, or life force, and hatha yoga uses pranayama, which literally means science or breath control. In order for us to understand the true meaning of the practice, let's first familiarize ourselves with the etymology of the term.
When you feel scared or angry, your breathing becomes quick and shallow, but when you are relaxed and tension-free, your breathing becomes slow and deep. In contemporary times, yoga as a practice has been renamed and labeled in many ways, which has led to the discipline losing its essence and its true meaning. 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. The word “yoga” has become a namesake, with a traditional meaning that has to do with the realization, through direct experience, of the pre-existing union between Atman and Brahman, Jivatman and Paramatman, and Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of Purusha being alone as separate from Prakriti, and the modern.
meaning of yoga as any of a wide variety of exercise or fitness routines. In a satsang I was in not long ago, with Deepak Chopra and Eddie Stern (celebrity guru), it became clear that Asana is only one of eight members of yoga. As yoga continues to evolve, try to evolve within your deepest personal meaning of the evolution of yoga. Yoga for infants and toddlers can improve sleep, relieve digestive problems, facilitate neuromuscular development, strengthen the immune system, deepen parent-child bonds, serve as an outlet for creative play and self-expression, and reduce stress and anxiety for both parents and children.
The term itself derives from the Sanskrit translation, which means “yoke” in reference to the union of body and mind. 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. In order to understand the true meaning of yoga, it is useful to start with the etymology of the word itself. The meaning of spirituality, in Yoga, is defined as experiencing the spirit, the energy, the driving force, the motivation behind every action and the experience in life.
.
