The society has strange ideas regarding yoga. Some mean it as a religion, some as a physical exercise, gymnastic play and an acrobatics. But no, it is neither like any of the above nor sum total of above even.
It is completely a different affair than what people gossip about. Yoga is an inter-disciplinary study. It includes many branches of knowledge, i.e. Sanskrit, Philosophy, Psychology, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Physic-therapy, Psycho-therapy, Stress Management, and Health Education, Nutrition study, Ecology and Research methodology and so on.
Yoga is not for treatment of diseases but it is an output of the practices. Yoga is a self evolutionary process. It starts from gross physical practices and ends at samadhior self realization.
Yoga is not a set of asana, pranayama or meditation. It is an integrated approach to the all round personality development including physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well being.
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Since Yoga involves all the parts of a being, it at the outset disciplines our body, then breath (life) and mind .The body comes first for the harmonization process. The postures necessary for body are called yogasanas.
In the process of discipline one is required to undergo eight fold steps, patanjali (2nd century B.C.) exposes them as yama (restrainment), niyama(rules), asana(postures), pranayama (the control of breath), pratyahara(reaction), dharana(contemplation), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi(trance). The yogasastra or the principles of yoga is propounded by the God Vishnu himself .Then he told it to sun god and. tought it to manu.
“Imam vivasvate yogam proktavanahamavyam /
vivasvan manave praha manuriksvakavevravit // Srimad bhagavad gita-lV-1″
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In the form of sutra (aphorisms) Patanjali wrote them with the principle of tradition which came from Yogesvara Siva who is sitting in Padmasana(Crossed legged posture). This picture is as early as the era of Indus Valley civilization [See the Marshalls Pasupati seal] where a person sits in a meditative position. (C 3000 B.C)
The acaryas/authorities of yoga
The authorities like Gorakhnath a Matsyendranatha etc. who have practiced yoga in caves of Ujjayini where finally Bhartrihari did his tapasya. (Which is at present known as Bhartrihari gumpha)? The natha-yogis or the klnphatayogis of Gorakhapura (Uttarpradesha) have started this tradition with Gorakhanatha (Goraksanatha).
The author of Hatha yoga pradipika. Svatmaramaenumerates many authorities in this regard. They are Adinatha, Matsendranatha, Sabarinatha, Nandanatha, Bhairava.chaur anginatha, Minanatham.Virupaksa.Vilesaya, Manthan, Kanthadi, Korantaka, Surananda,Siddhapada, Charpati, Kaneri, Pujyapada, Nityanatha .Niranjana, Kapali,Bindunatha, Kakacandi, Svara hvaya, Allama, Prabhudeva, Ghodacholi, Tintini, Bhanuki, Naradeva, Khanda.andKapalika like many siddha yogis, the realized souls, are there who are very much known in this tradition.
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Yoga Vasitha Ramayana is also a text for yogis because it is written by a sage no less than Vasistha. He was a yogi who had controlled his impulses. The meditative posture of Jainas and Buddhas also remind us about the extent of yogic practices from those days.
The image of dhyani Buddhas, in bhumispasa mudra is a common phenomenon in Orissa. Places like Lalitagiri, Udayagiri, Bauddha district these images are available in plenty. Many Jain tirhankara images in Prachivalley are quite explicit in Orissan temple art. This is also a common feature in the Buddhist and Jaina icons of India. See Lokesh Chandra Buddhist Iconography
Yoga leads man to Summum Bonum of life and the life becomes beautiful, blissful and truthful. The ordinary life becomes life divine. The life is regulated by the inner self but not from any surface which is governed by impulses, illusions and ignorance. The life becomes conscious, well-planned and beautiful.