Yoga: Art of Self Concentration

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a Sanskrit word which defines a majestic art which maintains physical, mental as well as spiritual discipline of our body. Through the practices of Yoga, we discover that concern for the happiness and well being of others, including animals, must be an essential part of our own quest for happiness and well being. The fork can be a powerful weapon of mass destruction or a tool to create peace on Earth.

It is a very famous saying by B.K.S Iyegnar Yoga teaches us to cure what needs to be endured and endure what needs to be cured. Yoga is the art of seeking and discovering the universal reality by following a set of physical and mental exercises. This truth is revealed when there is complete harmony and peace between body, mind and spirit. In Sanskrit, the word Yoga is derived from 'yog' which means yoke or to join. More contemporary rewards of Yoga are accomplishing physical beauty, youth and vitality that makes it so popular.

The primary goal of this majestic art, Yoga, is to attain a state of perfect spiritual inside and perfection which requires mediating on our super soul. The goals of Yoga are varied and it ranges from improvement of health till the achievement of Moksha. If we talk about the goals of Yoga according to the concept of the Hindu Monist schools like Advaita Vedanta, Shaivism and Jainism, Yoga is primarily performed to attain Moksha which is liberation from all types of sufferings of this world in between the cycle of birth and death.

Yoga - Its Significances

Yoga is performed by practicing its various Asanas which have been developed over more than 1500 years. These Asanas of Yoga have come into existence with the primary aim of promoting our physical, mental as well as spiritual development. Each Asana is particularly designed to focus on only specific areas of the body. The special effects of Asana include:

• Building strength in specific muscle groups
• Stretching specific soft tissues including muscles, ligament and tendons
• Opening specific joints
• Developing balance and concentration
• Massaging and stimulating internal organs

These special effects can have individual significant benefits, but by combine individual Asana into a carefully developed and balanced routine e.g. the Hatha Yoga practitioner can develop their entire physical body, internal organ function and mental clarity.

Yoga - Its importance in the Modern society:

In the present modern scenario, Yoga is very essential to be performed because technology has given rise to certain new types of physical ailments such as nervous, tension, stress, insomnia, different types of allergies, mental illness such as constant cravings, mental instability and so on. So now we have reached the stage where, we have to make the use of our higher life forces to get rid of these maladies, otherwise, the future of man and society will be in jeopardy. It has already been proved that Yoga has got power to prevent and cure most of the diseases without medicine. So, Yoga is the primary requirement to adopt with today's lifestyle.

Benefits of Yoga in our life:

Yoga has several benefits like on physical level, Yoga helps in curing of psychosomatic diseases, non-infectious physical diseases. Yoga help us in developing a beautiful, all buoyant and healthy body. On the mental level- it can improve the powers of memory, concentration, logical thinking and creativity. On the behavioral level- it cures bad habits and addictions. On the spiritual level-it helps in achieving self purification. In Yoga, the man goes transcendental and experiences bliss which refreshes him thoroughly. In the advanced stage of Yoga, one attains direct perception of the self-realization.

Yoga - Discover Its Types:

Yoga is of basically eight types. The majority of them engage the use of different Asana & Pranayams, which are meditation and breathing exercises. Here we shall discuss few of the well-known types of yoga, their methods and their benefits on the health:

• Bhakti Yoga: The Bhakti Yoga is dedicated on the devotion and love to the God. This Yoga is primarily performed to realize the existence of the Almighty power in the universe.
• Hatha Yoga: The Hatha Yoga was discovered by a very profound Yogi Swatmarama who belongs to India. The practice includes presentation of postures, exercises related to breathing, meditation, and cleansing actions such as Shatkriyas.
• Jnana Yoga: The Jnana Yoga aimed towards separating the person from all the lavish facilities of the life .The person who performs this Yoga achieves calm, satisfaction of brain, confidence, aptitude for attentiveness and the staying power to survive.
• Karma Yoga:The Karma Yoga is based on the devotion of all elements or karmas and their fruits to the Almighty. This Yoga helps in internal purification to discover our inner potential. This Yoga is designed to provide selfless service to the needy and poor people.
• Astanga: The Power Yoga: The Astanga also known as Power Yoga was developed by a renowned yogi K.Pattabhi Jois. This Yoga primarily focuses on performing the poses in a certain order at a fast pace. Since, it is practiced at a fast rate; it requires a lot of endurance.
• Birkram: The Hot Yoga: This Yoga was developed by Bikram Choudary and it gains its reputation of being the Hot Yoga. It is called so, because it requires 26 poses to be performed at a very high temperature of 95 degrees as according to Bikram, practicing at high temperature helps our muscles to loosen and it also helps in sweating which is a very important method of cleaning toxins from our body.

Whatever we choose, Yoga is a pleasing form of exercise and fitness for many people, as it holds many physical as well as mental benefits.

Lets have a look at some famous books on Yoga which are written by very profound literate to explore its important techniques and principles.

Yoga Poses/ Yoga Positions / Yoga Asana

Yoga is always considered as the most influential way of maintaining good health along with spiritual advancement. Yoga is practised in various poses and most of the poses are easy to learn and they also help in maintaining physical as well as spiritual growth.

Lets have a look at some Carmon poses of Yoga:

• Shoulder stand: This is a very common pose of yoga which is practiced for rejuvenation of all body parts including loss of body weight also.
• Bow pose: The bow pose of Yoga is practiced to produce excessive heat from the body which in turn helps in burning of extra body fat thus maintaining a healthy body.
• Tree pose: The Tree pose is very easy to be learnt but it should be learnt with a clear mind. This pose helps in maintaining the strength of legs as well as the balance of our body.
• Forward Bend: This pose is basically based on the spine and by practicing this pose, one can easily maintain the regulation of his/ her kidneys.
• Sun Salutations: This Yoga is performed to warm up our entire body and this pose also helps in maintaining the flexibility of our body.

Hence, these are some of the most common poses of Yoga which you can perform by yourself to maintain your physical as well as mental development. Apart, from these poses, you may can also consider the following books to learn more about Yoga and its poses. Have a look at the below mentioned books to enhance your knowledge about Yoga.

Yoga: Explore some famous books

• Light on Yoga: This book is written by B.K.S Iyegnar who is a profound literate of this art and he uses magical words to explain every principle of Yoga to its readers to help them achieve a better spiritual, mental and emotional state of being.
• Yoga Anatomy: This is a very popular book on Yoga written by Leslie Kaminoff which provides step by step instruction on the various poses that we can perform when practicing Yoga. The principles of Yoga are well defined to help you not only to learn Yoga, but it also helps you to explore the deeper meaning of each exercises.
• The Key muscles of Yoga: This book is written by Ray Long, and it aims to show the most important muscles that are affected by yoga and the ways in which that helps your body overall. It allows you to really get an anatomical sense of how yoga is benefiting you as well as to see it all through color and three-dimensional photos that can help you understand just how it is affecting your overall person.
• The Subtle Story: This book is written Cyndi Dale. This Book produces an anatomy for all the unseen factors such as our spirit and mind, and shows the ways in which healing can affect these parts of your body. The unseen fields hinge upon the physical condition but can be affected and bettered with various breathing methods and exercises so that you get a really deep kind of therapy in your life.

Apparently, at the end, many people have experienced how yoga has improved their lives. With all the different styles and types of Yoga, each individual can surely settle on a practice that will meet their physical needs. In short, for betterment of your lives and to achieve the utmost pleasure, do Yoga regularly.