What is Yoga ?
The term Yoga has more definitions than you can imagine. You can make a try: Just type the word “Yoga” in your favourite search engine on internet. You will be as amazed as we were by the result... So many people stating different definitions about it ! (and so many styles of Yoga, by the way).
One word that you will find that many of them have in common is Union. Yoga has been described as the union of the body, mind and soul, as the union of the solar and lunar energy, the male and female power or Shiva and Shakti. It also has been understood as the union of ourselves with the Divine. Actually, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the founder of the International Society for Krshna Consciousness) has underlined in his translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, that the meaning of Yoga is “the process of linking oneself to the Supreme” (1).
On the other hand, Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, one of the classical yogic texts, says:
The term Yoga has more definitions than you can imagine. You can make a try: Just type the word “Yoga” in your favourite search engine on internet. You will be as amazed as we were by the result... So many people stating different definitions about it ! (and so many styles of Yoga, by the way).
One word that you will find that many of them have in common is Union. Yoga has been described as the union of the body, mind and soul, as the union of the solar and lunar energy, the male and female power or Shiva and Shakti. It also has been understood as the union of ourselves with the Divine. Actually, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the founder of the International Society for Krshna Consciousness) has underlined in his translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, that the meaning of Yoga is “the process of linking oneself to the Supreme” (1).
On the other hand, Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, one of the classical yogic texts, says:
Yoga is the suspension of the fluctuations of the mind.
Sutra 2, chapter I.
Basically, it can be understood as the cessation of any pattern that arises in the mind, these patterns are well described in the Yoga Sutras and briefly they can be translated as “right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep and memory”. Yoga would be to get rid of the automatic reactive patterns that operate within ourselves when we face, and react to, any situation, positive or negative, in our lives. It is a process of cleansing the mind, taking out what we do not need. As Gregor Maehle says, Yoga is “the effort or discipline that transforms the mind into a clear surface capable of reflecting whatever it is directed at”(2). It is a process of transformation. Without doubts, it is a process that lead us to liberation, or samadhi.
Nowadays, holistic definitions of Yoga have come out. We found this one in an article written by Vivian Lopez and Alejandro Díaz-Paez, which has become one of our favourite ones:
“Yoga is a method of conscious self-regulation that leads to the harmonic integration of the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the human personality. Moreover, it is a philosophy of life and a discipline of self-perfection that allows a harmonic relationship in between human beings and their surroundings” (3).
What experience has shown to us, is that everyone has a different understanding about what is Yoga, and everybody has different reasons to practice as well. Whether you want to release tensions, discipline your life or you pursue samadhi, Yoga is what you make of it. Is what makes you connect with the Divine, which is beyond ourselves, whether you call it God, Nature or Life.
Sutra 2, chapter I.
Basically, it can be understood as the cessation of any pattern that arises in the mind, these patterns are well described in the Yoga Sutras and briefly they can be translated as “right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep and memory”. Yoga would be to get rid of the automatic reactive patterns that operate within ourselves when we face, and react to, any situation, positive or negative, in our lives. It is a process of cleansing the mind, taking out what we do not need. As Gregor Maehle says, Yoga is “the effort or discipline that transforms the mind into a clear surface capable of reflecting whatever it is directed at”(2). It is a process of transformation. Without doubts, it is a process that lead us to liberation, or samadhi.
Nowadays, holistic definitions of Yoga have come out. We found this one in an article written by Vivian Lopez and Alejandro Díaz-Paez, which has become one of our favourite ones:
“Yoga is a method of conscious self-regulation that leads to the harmonic integration of the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the human personality. Moreover, it is a philosophy of life and a discipline of self-perfection that allows a harmonic relationship in between human beings and their surroundings” (3).
What experience has shown to us, is that everyone has a different understanding about what is Yoga, and everybody has different reasons to practice as well. Whether you want to release tensions, discipline your life or you pursue samadhi, Yoga is what you make of it. Is what makes you connect with the Divine, which is beyond ourselves, whether you call it God, Nature or Life.
You also may be interested in:
References:
- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1983) Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
- Maehle, G. (2006) Ashtanga Yoga, Practice and Philosophy. Kaivalya Publications, Australia.
- Lopez, V., Diaz-Paez, A. (1997). Efectos del Hatha Yoga Sobre la Salud, Parte I. Available in http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?pid=S0864-21251998000400012&script=sci_arttext