Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India. It’s mind and body practice with a rich history and philosophy.
What is Yoga?
Yoga combines physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation or relaxation.
It’s not just about flexibility. It’s about cultivating a union between the mind, body, and spirit.
Aims of Yoga
The ultimate aim of yoga, according to ancient texts, is to achieve liberation or enlightenment. The benefits of yoga include:
- Physical Health: Improves flexibility, strength, balance, and posture. Can help manage stress, anxiety, and chronic pain.
- Mental Wellbeing: Promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and enhances mental clarity and focus.
- Spiritual Growth: Cultivates self-awareness, inner peace, and a deeper connection to oneself and the world.
It is impossible to discuss yoga without touching on Hinduism because this is where it all began.
The ancient sages and yogis were concerned with the question, ‘Who am I?’
They used meditation, breath control, and simple physical postures to find the answers.
Revelations came in the form of mantras, hymns, chants, and philosophical understandings. It became known as Sanātana Dharma — the ‘path to eternal truth’.
First records of Yoga
It wasn’t until 5,000 years ago that Sanātana Dharma started being recorded.
The recordings became known as the Vedas.
The Vedas are the basis of Sanātana Dharma. Yoga is mentioned in the Rig Veda (one of the four Vedas).
The Indoos became the Hindus
Sanātana Dharma originated in the Indus-Sarasvati Valley. The people living beyond the Indus River became known (by the Persian and later Greek invaders) as ‘Indoos’.
The word ‘Hindu’ is a recent term. It was coined by British writers in the early 19th century.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
Around the 2nd century BCE, Patanjali, a renowned sage, compiled the Yoga Sutras, a systematic guide to yoga practice. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe the eight limbs of yoga. (An excellent description is here.)
The principles included non-violence and harmlessness to all living beings, honesty, purity, generosity, forbearance, mercy, and goodwill.
It was not a religion or dogma, simply a set of rituals and philosophies by which to live the best life.
Aum – the sounds of the sun
The ancient yogis knew sound had a healing effect on the body.
At a physical level, the Aum addresses the whole of the human sound instrument, according to Iyengar Yoga London. “By chanting Aum we move the energy from the abdomen up to the brain.”
The sound of Aum is also the sound of our sun. This is according to sonification, which is the translation of the data revealing the sun’s waves into sound. This recording was made by NASA.
Listen to the sounds of our sun with Alex Young, the associate director of the Heliophysics Science Division of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
To understand the science behind Aum and how it calms the mind and clears thoughts, read The Science behind Aum.
Mixing with the West
The Greek invaders (under Alexander) followed Abrahamic traditions of punishment and reward systems (heaven and hell) with eternal damnation. They insisted on the truth of their way as the only right way.
Aum became Om and Amen.
The colonists described the ‘Indoos’ as followers of all different gods. In fact, they all followed the path of Sanātana Dharma, which envelops many different practices and ways.
Hinduism is a way of life followed by around 900 million people. The philosophy does not exclude other faiths.
The various deities represent a single supreme God.
Hinduism is better known as Vedanta and Sanātana Dharma. The core belief is that there is one supreme God. The deities (both male and female) represent God’s qualities and forms.
However, Hindus believe in honouring the equal worth of all people, regardless of their beliefs. Key values include truth, kindness, and generosity.
Today, yoga is renowned for its health benefits. The spiritual aspects have been largely dropped in the West.
Wrapping Up
The reason I am so interested in Hinduism is because it’s so different from what I always thought. It’s gentle, forgiving, and inclusive. There’s no punishment or hell. And it’s the source of yoga.
We’re all works in progress. We’re all in the making. We should forgive each other and remember that those who don’t go within, go without.
Questions to consider
Have you ever practiced yoga?
Is it for your physical health, mental clarity, or both?
Do you consider yourself spiritual?
Do you feel that MS is happening for you or to you?
