The goal of yoga

The goal of yoga may range from improving health to achieving Moksha. Within Jainism and the monist schools of Advaita Vedanta and Shaivism the goal of yoga takes the form of Moksha, which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (Samsara), at which point there is a realisation of identity with the Supreme Brahman. In the Mahabharata, the goal of yoga is variously described as entering the world of Brahma, as Brahman, or as perceiving the Brahman or Atman that pervades all things.For the bhakti schools of Vaishnavism, bhakti or service to Svayam bhagavan itself may be the ultimate goal of the yoga process, where the goal is to enjoy an eternal relationship with Vishnu.

Benefits of yoga
There are numerous benefits which the people could derive from the practice of yoga. The spiritual and physical well being of the individuals practising yoga is guaranteed. The exercises of yoga help in increasing flexibility of the body. It also leads to an increase in the lubrication of joints and tendons. The human body is made up of a variety of vital organs and yoga provides a method by which those organs could be massaged for better functioning. That is why Yoga in the modern times still holds a lot of relevance.

Meditation

Meditation

Meditation is often considered to be prolonged mental introspection or contemplation which the practicant may or may not consider spiritual or mystical in intent. Many practices, beliefs, and traditions (including philosophical and religious) utilize the term, and a range of subjective interpretations also attach to it. It is widely thought to be of Eastern origin.

Types Of Yoga

There are many types of yoga and these fall basically into two types, the divisions of classical yoga techniques and the many modern styles of yoga so these are dealt with below under these sub headings

Classical Yoga Techniques
These all date back almost to the origins of yoga, they allow people to follow the type of yoga that is best suited to their temperament and life styles. All of these paths alone can lead the participant to enlightenment but in practice it is normal for there to be considerable overlap and parts of each discipline can be brought into your favoured path.videos here

Bhakti Yoga
This is the yoga of devotion, worship and focused love. Traditionally the focus could be on a deity or on ones personal Guru. Westerners who have strong religious backgrounds would feel comfortable with this branch of Yoga as it would fit in with worship in whatever form.videos here

Hatha Yoga
This is the form of yoga most familiar in the west, it is the main stay of the majority of yoga classes in the UK. The word Hatha is made up of "ha" meaning Sun and "tha" meaning Moon representing the positive and negative energy flows in the body. Hatha yoga regulates and balances these energy flows. Hatha Yoga involves the physical posture work, the breath control (Pranayam) and prepares the body for meditation.videos here

Jnana Yoga
This is the path of spiritual knowledge and wisdom and would suit someone who had an intellectual temperament.videos here

Karma Yoga
Karma Yoga is the path of selfless service, of working or performing actions without seeking any reward. Most yoga ashrams have periods of "Karma Yoga" when those staying at the ashram can help with daily tasks.videos here

Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga aims to awaken the potential energies at the base of the spine (Symbolised as a coiled snake) and direct this energy upwards through the spine and the Chakras thus bringing about increasing degrees of enlightenment. When the energy reaches the head (Sahasrara Chakra) then intuitive enlightenment is triggered.videos here

Mantra Yoga
Mantra Yoga involves the practice of chanting words or phrases repeatedly either aloud or internally thus influencing the consciousness. The rhythmic repetition of mantras is called Japa.videos here

Raja Yoga
Raja yoga means Royal yoga and is associated with the yoga of Patanjali who promulgated the Yoga Sutras, here he lists the eightfold path or the eight limbs of yoga. These are :
Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.
Yama (Abstentions) are:
Non Violence, Truthfulness, Non Stealing, Purity, Avoidance of Greed.
Niyama (Observances) are :
Cleanliness, Contentment, Austerity, Study or Wisdom, Devotion to the Divine.
Asana (Postures):
The physical posture work familiar in most yoga classes.
Pranayama (Breath Control):
Control of breath and direction of Prana (Life Force Energy) within the body.
Pratyahara (sense withdrawal):
Detaching the mind from the 5 senses
Dharana (Concentration):
Holding the mind on a particular object or thought, Single pointed awareness.
Dhyana (Meditation):
Prolonged concentration to the point where it becomes effortless.
Samadhi Contemplation, Union, Bliss:
This has to be experienced to be understood, it is beyond words.videos here

Tantric Yoga
Tantric Yoga breaks into two distinct variations the Left hand and Right hand paths.

The Left hand path is the Tantra that most people have heard about, it is a yoga found mainly in Northern India and Tibet and involves the union of male and female either actually or in the imagination.

The Right hand path is epitomised by the Bihar Yoga and Mandala Ashram below and encourages Fidelity and Celibacy. Here the emphasis is on Kriya Yoga which comes under the general heading of Tantra.videos here

Kriya Yoga
Kriya Yoga is a very systemised form of yoga from the Tantras, There are about 70 Kriyas or actions of which only about 20 are in common usage. Kriya yoga increases concentration and leads to meditation and ultimately to enlightenment but this is done more through awareness than pure concentration. Again this system is taught at Mandala Ashram.videos here

Yantra Yoga
Similar to Mantra yoga but involving sight and form. Yantras are colourful geometric mandalas or designs which are used for concentration ether on the Mandala itself or during the preparation of the Mandala.videos here

Ashtanga Vinyasa YogaA classical form of ancient origin that emphasizes the eight limbs of yoga as suggested by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. It develops great breath awareness and uses muscular 'locks' known as bandhas. These used together generate a lot of heat. It is this heat that assists in attaining some of the more strenuous or challenging stages of the practice. Surya Namaskar is used as a preparation, then the series progresses through standing, seated, back-bending and inverted poses. These classical asanas gradually come together in an extended flowing sequence known as the primary series. The benefits permeate the physical and non-physical body at every level. Sessions are always followed by savasana, that most important relaxation pose.videos here

Modern Yoga -To Day

Today

Yoga in the modern times is one of the popular forms of exercises opted by millions of people living in different parts of the world.

Popularity of Yoga in the modern times

Yoga is one of the popular forms of treatments suggested and adopted by millions of people around the world. It also helps the healthy people to keep themselves fit and running. It is not only in the country of India that the yoga practised, but also in numerous other countries of the world. The popularity of yoga in the west is also growing by leaps and bounds. Plenty of yoga centers have sprung up in different parts of the world helping the people to learn the different yoga exercises.

Why Yoga in the modern times?

It is a well known fact that the level of stress which the modern day man has to face is quite incredible. The increase in stress levels have been the cause of numerous diseases and has led to the development of life threatening medical conditions in the human beings. Numerous forms of treatments have been suggested for reducing the effect of the stress levels and yoga is one of them. Yoga also works very well as a method of treatment for various ailments and medical problems.

Modern growth of yoga in the West

In the West followers of yoga have taken a less spiritual approach and focusing more on the physical part of it that is stretching and breathing. While Yoga is a religion to many, most practitioners in the west separate yoga from its spiritual goal, seeing yoga strictly as an exercise/fitness regimen, or an overall program of keeping physical and emotional wellbeing. However, some modern arts such as Zen Yoga seek to bridge mind-body connection by blending the philosophies of tai chi and yoga together to create a spiritual practice.

In the West, hatha yoga has become wildly popular as a purely physical exercise regimen divorced of its original purpose. Currently, it is estimated that about 30 million Americans practice hatha yoga. But in the Indian subcontinent the traditional practice is still to be found. The guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship that exists without need for sanction from non-religious educational institutions, and which gave rise to all the great yogins and yogis who made way into international consciousness in the 20th century, has been maintained in India, Nepal and Tibet.

In India, whose Hindu population combines to a staggering 800 million, Yoga is a commonly used word. It isn't unusual to see people performing Sūrya namaskāra (a yogic set of asanas and pranayam dedicated to Surya, the Sun) in the morning or body therapy based on Yoga. While a majority of the populace does not necessarily prcatice Yoga in its totality, many have in their lives numerous practices and beliefs derived from Yoga. However, for Hindu holy-men, Yoga is a fundamental part of life.

History of Yoga

The History of Yoga

From four to eight thousand years ago to the current day. From hints of its practice in the Indus Valley civilization (c. 3000 BC), the Vedic civilization (c. 1500 BC), the first elucidations and detailed elaborations in Hindu texts, absorption into Buddhist and Jain philosophies, up to its modern suffusion into secular life, its applicability has stood the test of time.
Seal from the Indus Valley Civilisation, showing a figure in meditation posture

Older findings are some to show that "yoga" existed in some form well before the establishment of vedas in the Indian subcontinent. As such, the history of yoga may go back to eight thousand years, depending on the perspective of the historian, and interpretation of the Mohenjo-daro seals. 5,000 year old carvings from the Indus Valley Civilization depict a figure that some archeologists believe represents a yogi sitting in meditation posture. The figure is shown sitting in a traditional cross-legged yoga pose with its hands resting on its knees. The seal’s discoverer, archeologist Sir John Marshall, named the figure Shiva Pashupati.

Yoga was first clearly expounded in the Vedic shastras (Hindu religious texts). Those that estimate Yoga's age to be four thousand years see the history of Yoga from this point.

David Frawley, a Vedic scholar, writes: "Yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda itself, the oldest Hindu text which speaks about yoking our mind and insight to the Sun of Truth. Great teachers of early Yoga include the names of many famous Vedic sages like Vasishta, Yajnavalkya, and Jaigishavya."

Ideas of uniting mind, body and soul in the cosmic one, however, do not find real yogic explication until the most important texts of Hinduism, the Upanishads or Vedanta, commentaries on the Vedas