Yoga

Yoga is unity

Yoga is more than just physical exercises and meditation. The word yoga means unity: wholeness of body and mind, connection of our “me” and our emotions, harmonic relationship between our personality and the world around us. That harmony, Hatha yoga does through compatibility of movement, breath and attention in static and dynamic poses (asanas) and with breathing exercises (pranayama). Body is connected with our emotional state on much deeper level than it is just seen on the surface. In the body, we store all the impressions, emotions and inevitable stress, whether we are aware of it or not. Yoga is a way to find that time and space in current rapid rhythm of life and to approach to ourselves with attention and care. The more flexible body means more flexible mind, which constantly deals with challenges, and feeling of relaxation and easiness after yoga class appears not just on physical but on emotional field also.

Yoga is balance

Hatha yoga teaches us to create a point of balance in unstable and varying world, to find a peace and balance within ourselves. Awareness that we create in the yoga class slowly shapes our everyday habits and doings too, thus making our lives more quality. Balance that we achieve on yoga mat transfers into the other spheres of our life, so we deal with our obligations with more success, at the same time fully experiencing every moment. In the yoga class, we dive into santosa / natural state of happiness and satisfaction that we had known during our childhood, but we have forgotten during growing up. Even if it is for a short while, but constantly, staying in that state creates positive thoughts and attitude that shape our act and our life.

Yoga is exploring

Practicing yoga is process of getting to know oneself better and getting to know the world better through oneself. Yoga encourages our natural curiosity and gives us deeper insight into ingrained mechanisms and causes of our behaviour. On the yoga mat, we recognize our painful points, focus, resistance and we learn to respect them and to overcome them. The fact alone that we have the insight into the fact how we are today, gives us much better start for action. Awareness of the possibility of choice, that we can change our current condition is beginning of freedom. Yoga is the way of life; it is consciousness and constant overcoming the limitations that is leading to constant personal development.

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”Yoga means unity. Every living being has body, mind and consciousness. Consciousness is the energy emanating from the soul or the atma. To harmonize the body, the mind and the soul is the art of yoga. If we don’t have unity within ourselves, then is it possible for us to create unity in the world around us? You can’t give something you don’t have, even if you have all good intentions. If we have unity, we can create unity.  If our mind is in conflict, if our mind is not balanced with our body and with the needs of the soul, then there is a fundamental disunity in our life. And when there are so many dysfunctional people—they may be simple people in the streets, they may be big politicians or wealthy industrialists—but if they are not in harmony with their own consciousness, if their mind, body and soul are not one in interest, in purpose, if they are not unified, then there will be problems. There can be no real peace, there can be no real happiness, and there can be no real love. That is what yoga means – simply to unite. “

Radhanath Swami

„Yoga defines itself as a science–that is, as a practical, methodical, and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty goal of helping human beings to become aware of their deepest nature. The goal of seeking to experience this deepest potential is not part of a religious process, but an experiential science of self-study. Religions seek to define what we should believe, while a practical science such as meditation is based on the concrete experience of those teachers and yogis who have previously used these techniques to experience the deepest Self. Yoga does not contradict or interfere with any religion, and may be practiced by everyone, whether they regard themselves as agnostics or members of a particular faith. “

Bhole Prabhu