Yoga is more popular now than it has ever been. Famous entertainers and other celebrities practice it and thousands or perhaps millions of other people are also doing yoga exercises in one form or another. Yet, despite this widespread popularity, yoga is still misunderstood. Many people think that yoga is primarily a physical activity, something that they can use to get their body in shape. While it is true that yoga has a great role to play in the physical realm, yoga is much more than this.

Yoga is, in its deepest sense, the science of human perfection. It is the means by which a person can attain his or her fullest development: physical, mental and spiritual.

Human perfection? This is a tall order. It does not come with just a few stretches of your thighs. While yoga has its external practices and exercises, its true foundation is proper conduct. Proper conduct means living a life that will put you in harmony with the society around you and with your own inner self.

When I first began practicing yoga, I told one of my friends about it. He became interested and wanted to begin. I wasn’t a teacher at that time so I recommended a book. He looked at me and said, with all seriousness, “Where can I steal it!”

Well, you can’t begin yoga like that because stealing is not a way to get in harmony with society or with yourself. In yoga disciplined or controlled conduct is known by its Sanskrit term, “samyama” and this controlled conduct has two parts “Yama” and “Niyama.”

In many yoga books Yama is sometimes defined as “abstinences,” meaning things that you shouldn’t do. Niyama is sometimes translated as “observances,” referring to things that you should do. These rough translations are not quite correct.

A better way to understand Yama is to think of it as a discipline that will help you to find harmony with your external environment. Niyama, on the other hand, are those practices that will help you to attain internal harmony.

Let’s look briefly at the various parts of Yama and Niyama. In future articles of this series I will focus in more detail on each aspect of Yama and Niyama.

Yama has five parts. They are as follows.

1. “Ahimsa” means to refrain from harming others with your thoughts, words or actions. Consciously we should not do anything that will harm others or block their physical, mental or spiritual progress. If you want a two or three-word English definition of this Sanskrit word just remember “non injury” or “non-harming.” But there is more to Ahimsa than just two words. What about self-defense? What about our relations to other living beings? These are important issues and there are a variety of viewpoints. I will discuss them at length in the next article in this series.

2. “Sayta” is generally referred to as truthfulness. A better definition given by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti is “action of mind and right use of words with the spirit of welfare.” Whatever we think or say should be done with the spirit of helping others. It generally means to tell the truth, but if the exact truth will create harm to someone, then we have to choose our words carefully. That is why a good two-word definition would be “discriminating truthfulness.”

3. “Asteya” means non-stealing. We should not take possession of something that is owned by another. We should not even think of stealing something and we should also refrain from depriving others of what they are due.

4. “Brahmacarya” literally means to “remain attached to Brahma (the Supreme Consciousness). The idea of this practice is to treat every living and non-living entity as an expression of God.

5. “Aparigraha” is defined as non-accumulation of physical objects that are superfluous to our needs. According to your circumstances you should acquire what you need to live your life, but you should not accumulate luxuries that go beyond your real needs.

These are the five parts of Yama.

Just as there are five aspects of yama, niyama is also composed of five principles. Practice these five and you will achieve inner harmony. Briefly, they are as follows:

1. “Shaoca” (pronounced: Sha-o-cha) means cleanliness and purity. Keep your environment clean and your thoughts pure. The old proverb says “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and it is true.

2. “Santosha” is contentment of mind. Work hard, do the best you can, and then remain contented with what you have.

3. “Tapah” signifies the practice of penance to reach the goal. It doesn’t mean suffering for the sake of suffering. Rather, look around and you will find people with difficulties. Take on some of the burdens of others and you will not only help society but your own inner self will be purified.

4. “Svadhyaya” is the study and true understanding of uplifting literature. Whenever possible seek out the company of spiritually minded people. When that is not possible read and absorb the teachings contained in books written by enlightened teachers.

5. “Iishvara Pranidhana” literally means to take shelter in the controller of the universe. It is practiced through daily meditation on the ultimate goal of life.

In the following articles of this series I will explain each part of Yama and Niyama with more detail.

Dada Vedaprajinananda is a senior yoga and meditation teacher with the Ananda Marga Society, http://www.anandamarga.org He is the author of Yoga Weight Loss Secrets, http://www.yogaweightlosssecrets, and Start Meditation, Stop Smoking, http://www.start-meditation-stop-smoking.com

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The word ‘yoga’ is taken from the Sanskrit word ‘yuga’ which means ‘to join.’

Pantanjali, an Indian philosopher, wrote what is thought of as the “bible of yoga” approximately two thousand five hundred years ago. While certain aspects of yoga were being done well before Pantanjali, his writing “encouraged” the practice of yoga and it began widespread practice throughout India.

Written in Sanskrit it contained the eight sutras that are the basic principles of Yoga practice. Physical activity focuses on the body, meditation on the mind and emotions. Yoga combines the practices to give you an overall sense of physical and mental health. Let’s look at the sutras and learn a little about each one.

Those eight are:

1. Yama

2. Niyama

3. Asana

4. Pranayama

5. Pratyahara

6. Dharana

7. Dhyana

8. Samadhi

The first two sutras, similar to the Ten Commandments of the Bible, deal with moral and ethical issues. They are basic laws to govern the actions of humanity.

Asana refers to the different postures, or poses, that can be used to strengthen the body physically. This sutra is the one most used by the Western civilization.

Pranayama is the control of our breathing during yoga exercise.

Pratyahara is reached when you withdraw all of your senses from the outside world. You are focusing, on what is going on within your body.

Dharana, this sutra centers on your concentration. It’s to help you in developing a one-mindedness that, special concentration techniques to enable you to focus only on your inner world.

Dhyana is translated as contemplation. You merge with your inner self and your image of concentration. You use the time to reflect on your special qualities.

The last sutra is Samadhi. Reaching Samadhi is the goal of all who practice classical yoga. The word means. “Union with the Supreme.”

For yoga enthusiasts, this is the supreme goal. It is the identification with unchanging reality. It takes dedicated practice to reach the perfect sutra.

It takes plenty of dedicated practice on concentration, contemplation, and meditation to move you toward the final sutra of Samadhi. With this sutra, you develop a tremendous amount of willpower.

Today most people turn to yoga for Asanas, the poses, and are looking for ways of relaxing, increase their flexibility and do exercise that isn’t boring.

In Asana, the poses should be steady and pleasant. It may take a while for them to feel that way, as some of the postures are not easy or comfortable to do at first. If you’re just starting out you can use props, aids, to help you feel steady and pleasant. That feeling can be achieved but meanwhile, use props, such as a pillow to allow more comfort. You should challenge yourself but don’t move on until you are feeling comfortable with the first postures you learn. The same applies to your everyday life; you need to find a stable and comfortable place within you to find your true potential. The inner center is where all action should come from.

Eventually you are able to relax and meditate. While practicing Yoga and it’s going smoothly, you’re already half way there. The feeling of achievement makes you know that all things are possible. The secret is to take the feeling you get from your Yoga postures through the rest of the day. Challenge yourself today to find your quiet, peaceful inner peace.

Yoga is an Exercise that Helps with Many Aspects of Life Including Health, Weight Loss, Stress Reduction, Breath Control and Clarity of the Mind Learn More About Yoga

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Shoulderstand - (Sarvangasana)

“Healthy thyroid means healthy functioning of all the organs of the body”

Yogasana the third limb of Raja Yoga also popularly understood by mass population as yoga is getting popular as never before in both eastern and western countries. The reason for Yogasana (popularly know as Yoga) to gain popularity are numerous ranging from releasing stress, flexibility to helping patient suffering from various disease. Although the initial objective of Yogasana (Yoga) in Raja Yoga was different, however the ability of yoga to help patient with various ailments is really praiseworthy.

The Shoulderstand is called the Queen of all asanas as it benefits the whole body. It is a forward-bending posture engaging all parts of the body and stretching the shoulders, neck and upper back. In the Shoulderstand the whole body is supported by the hands, arms and shoulders. As the body is inverted the blood flows to the heart without any strain by force of the gravity.

The Shoulderstand nourishes the thyroid gland which: regulates the body’s metabolism, controls the heart rate, promotes the growth and balances the digestive and nervous system. This asana tones the legs and abdomen increasing circulation to those areas. It massages the abdominal organs and it relieves stress. Because of the enriched blood flow to the brain it also relieves emotional and mental stress, headaches and it is very tranquilising.

When you are in the Shoulderstand there will be a sensation of extra pressure and tension in the neck because of the severe flexion in the neck. Your eyes, ears and face may also experience an increased sensation of pressure.

During the Shoulderstand the expansion of the chest is restricted leading to breathe at the rates of not less than eight breaths per minutes, and in many cases up to twenty breaths per minute.
During holding this posture the blood pressure in the brain will be an average of 110mmHg.

Three important reasons (out of many) you should not do Shoulderstand:

1) If you have High Blood Pressure the posture is better to avoid.

2) Anyone who has Cervical Spondylities should not attempt to practice this pose because as you hold the pose the weight of the body is taken through the neck.

3) If you have Glaucoma or Detached Retina please, avoid the Shoulderstand as it could worsen the condition.

Issued in the interest of people practicing Hatha Yoga by Subodh Gupta, Yoga Expert based in London.

Mr. Subodh Gupta, consultant with The Times of India group and has conducted more than 500 workshops on Yoga and Stress Management. He has been interviewed by various TV channels in India and London.
For reaching to Subodh Gupta website http://www.subodhgupta.com/ and for Subodh Gupta article webpage http://www.subodhgupta.com/yogaarticle.html.

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