so… What is Yoga?
Yoga is more that just physical exercise. Unfortunately in the modern west, yoga consists only of corporal stretches or intense workouts, but is not just that. YOGA helps us to understand our role in this whole universe.
Yoga is a word, a four letter word that can be explained in many different ways. It has been defined by many yogis, from many different yoga schools, but all of them have one common concept that I can see: “a way of life”; where yoga is meant to shape our life.
To understand this term we have to first define it with the ancient language in Hinduism:
Sanskrit
The word “Yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root “yuj” which means “to joke”, “to unite”.
In the spiritual sense it means union of the mind with the divine intelligence of the universe.
There are many combination of words containing “Yoga” in Sanskrit; and it can take different meanings such as “connection”, “contact”, “union”, “method”, “application”, “addition” and “performance”. In simpler words, Yoga also means combined.
Maharshi Patanjali
Founder of the formal Yoga philosophy says: “Controlling the fluctuations of mind is yoga”; yoga is concentration. Vyasa the commentator of Yoga sutra says: “Yuj Samadhi” / yuj: yoga and Samadhi: concentration
Sutra (2.1) – Yoga is the ability to control the fluctuations of the mind
— Yoga Sutras of Patanjali —
Vedanta
Is the union of an individual soul with the creator.
Bhagavad Gita
Gives the definition of Yoga as a state of equilibrium. Practice of Yoga enhances one’s efficiency in action.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
As Swami Satyananda describes in his book “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha”, (2008) Yoga is the science of right living and, as such, is intended to be incorporated into daily life. It works on all aspects of the person: the physical, vital, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual.
Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow.
— Swami Satyananda Saraswati —
Oxford Dictionary
A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practised for health and relaxation.
All this bring me to the conclusion that Yoga is the unity of the individual and the universal consciousness that can be explained as a way of balancing and harmonizing our body, mind and emotions, and done with the practice of asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha and meditation.
— Asana: Postures of the body. It means a state of being, in which one can remain physically and mentally steady, calm, quiet and comfortable.
— Pranayama: Control of the prana (life force or breath) or vital breath.
Prana = Breath or vital energy in the body.
Ayama = Control
— Mudra: is a symbolic, ritualistic gesture used in yoga, Buddhism and Hinduism. The word is Sanskritmeaning “gesture,” “mark” or “seal.” Mudras are most commonly known as hand positions in yoga and meditation, which are believed to affect the flow of energy in the body and unblock chakras.
— Bandha: is a lock or bind in yoga, which is performed in order to direct and regulate the flow of prana (“life force energy”) to certain parts of the body. Also referred to as an energetic lock, bandha was practiced by yogis of the past to promote energy flow and maintain optimal health.
— Samadhi: is derived from the Sanskrit, sama, meaning “together,” and dhi, meaning “mind.” Its most basic definition implies a complete state of concentration. For a practitioner of yoga and for a disciple of meditation, the spiritual significance of samadhi is much more profound. Simply stated, samadhi is the mind’s ultimate state of being; it is enlightenment and the preliminary state to nirvana.
— Bhagavad Gita: is an ancient Indian text that became an important work of Hindu tradition in terms of both literature and philosophy. The name Bhagavad Gita means “the song of the Lord”. It is composed as a poem and it contains many key topics related to the Indian intellectual and spiritual tradition.
Yo-gabriela 