The Yoga and the Yoga Practice

- By: Noel Swanson, 2008-03-25


Yoga is a direct experience of the vast interrelatedness of all life and of all things. It is about learning from direct experience. It is control of mind and its modifications. Yoga is intimately connected to the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian religions.

What Yoga is not.

Yoga is not running away from home and human habitation, but a process of moulding one's attitude to home and society with a new understanding. It is not a turning away from life; it is spiritualization of life.

Although Yoga is not a religion, it aids to the practice of the basic spiritual truths in all religions. You can not experience Yoga by taking lysergic acid or mescalin or peyote (of Mexican origin) or divine mushrooms. Although Yoga is not a medical practice, it has been shown to be very helpful in many ways, so, Yoga is not just physical fitness training.

Meditation and Yoga

In addition to practicing the poses, yoga classes may also include instruction on breathing, call and response chanting, meditation, or an inspirational reading by the teacher. Using the term power yoga differentiated the intense, flowing style of yoga they were teaching from the gentle stretching and meditation that many Americans associated with yoga. However, power yoga will most likely appeal to people who are already quite fit, enjoy exercising, and want a minimal amount of chanting and meditation with their yoga.

Yoga practice

Practices may also include meditation, reflection, study and other classic elements, but the emphasis of this branch of Yoga practice is on coordinating breath and movement. What is commonly referred to as "yoga" can be more accurately described by the Sanskrit word "asana", which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses.

Practice asanas that draw your attention inward; forward bends and restorative poses. Outside India, Yoga is mostly associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga or as a form of exercise, although it has influenced the entire Indian religions family and other spiritual practices throughout the world.

It will not be out of place, therefore, for me to tell you frankly and clearly that not all that has been put across as Yoga is really Yoga. There are many heartening signs that this Yoga is being considered by many seekers in the West to be the most suitable method for the solution of the perplexing problems of their civilisation.

Eventually yoga is an all day long practice. While yoga is very effective in alleviating certain types of medical conditions, these are secondary benefits. The physical foundation of yoga is a series of structured poses (asanas) performed with breath awareness. Yoga is a complete practice that joins back mind, body and spirit. Decide if yoga is right for you.

Almost 25 years ago, Lillian Suamibinith recovered from a very dangerous physical injyry and found in Yoga and in Yoga practice a strong and gentle way to relief her pain. Feel free to visit Lillians's website to find more resources about Yoga.