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Yoga - an introduction

Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a family of ancient spiritual practices dating back more than 5000 years from India. It is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. In India, Yoga is seen as a means to both physiological and spiritual mastery. Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga (see Yoga as exercise).

Yoga as a means of spiritual attainment is central to Hinduism (including Vedanta), Buddhism and Jainism and has influenced other religious and spiritual practices throughout the world. Hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many others.

The four main paths of Yoga are Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. A committed practitioner of yoga is referred to as a yogi, yogin (masculine), or yogini (feminine).

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Texts on Yoga
2.1 Bhagavad Gita
2.2 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
2.3 Hatha Yoga Pradipika
2.4 Other works
3 Yoga philosophy
4 Yoga in other traditions
4.1 Yoga and Buddhism
4.2 Yoga and Tantra
5 See also
5.1 Related topics
5.2 Main schools of Yoga
5.3 Unorthodox and contemporary Yoga
6 References
7 External links

Schools
Samkhya · Yoga
Nyaya · Vaisheshika
Purva Mimamsa · Vedanta
Schools of Vedanta
Advaita · Vishishtadvaita
Dvaita
Important figures
Kapila · Patañjali
Gotama · Kanada
Jaimini · Vyasa
Medieval
Adi Shankara · Ramanuja
Madhva · Madhusudana
Vedanta Desika · Jayatirtha
Modern
Ramakrishna · Ramana
Vivekananda · Narayana Guru
Nitya Chaitanya Yati
Aurobindo ·Sivananda
Satyananda · Chinmayananda


See also: History of Yoga
The word "yoga" derives from the Sanskrit root yuj ("to yoke"); which is cognate to modern English "yoke", "jugal" and "jugum" in Latin. All derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *yeug- meaning "to join" or "unite".[1] It is generally translated as "union of the individual atma, loosely translated to mean soul) with Paramatma, the universal soul."


Texts on Yoga

Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita ('Song of the Lord'), thought to have been written some time between 400 and 100 BC, talks of four branches of yoga:
Karma yoga: The yoga of action in the world
Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge and intellectual endeavor
Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion to a deity
Raja yoga: The yoga of meditation

 Patanjali and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a book of 196 aphorisms compiled by the sage Patanjali sometime between 100 BC and 200 AD. Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras presents the goal of yoga as 'the cessation of mental fluctuations' (cittavrtti nirodha).
In reference to the Bhagavad Gita classifications, Patanjali's yoga is a form of Raja yoga, as it seeks meditiation as the path towards the ultimate goal. Patanjali himself referred to it as "Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga"), from the eight steps he set out as the practical path towards attainment of enlightenment. This eight-limbed concept became an authoritative feature of Raja yoga from that point forward, and is a core characteristic of practically every Raja yoga variation (including Hatha yoga) taught today.
Patanjali's Eight Limbs of yoga practice are:
(1) Yama (The five "abstentions"): violence, lying, theft, (illicit) sex, and possessions
(2) Niyama (The five "observances"): purity, contentment, austerities, study, and surrender to god
(3) Asana: Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to seated positions used for meditation. Later, with the rise of Hatha yoga, asana came to refer to all the "postures"
(4) Pranayama ("Life Force Control"): Control of prāna, life force, or vital energy
(5) Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Reversal of the sense organs
(6) Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object
(7) Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the true nature of reality
(8) Samadhi ("Liberation"): Super-conscious state of enlightenment

 Hatha yoga
Hatha Yoga is a particular system of Yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century in India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Hatha Yoga is a development of — but also differs substantially from — the Raja Yoga of Patanjali, in that it focuses on shatkarma, the purification of the physical as leading to the purification of the mind (ha) and prana, or vital energy (tha). In contrast, the Raja Yoga posited by Patanjali begins with a purification of the mind (yamas) and spirit (niyamas), then comes to the body via asana (body postures) and pranayama (breath). Hatha yoga contains substantial tantric influence, and marks the first point at which chakras and kundalini were introduced into the yogic canon. Compared to the seated asanas of Patanjali's Raja yoga which were seen largely as a means of preparing for meditation, it also marks the development of asanas as full body 'postures' in the modern sense.
Hatha Yoga in its many modern variations is the style that most people actually associate with the word "Yoga" today.[2] Because its emphasis is on the body through asana and pranayama practice, many western students are satisfied with the physical health and vitality it develops and are not interested in the other six limbs of the complete Hatha yoga teaching, or with the even older Raja Yoga tradition it is based on.

Other works
The sage Sri Nathamuni supposedly composed the Yoga-Rahasya in the 9th or 10th century CE, although no copies of this work are known to exist. Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya claimed to have received knowledge of this text in a vision. Krishnamacharya is also responsible for the only known translation of the Yogayajnavalikya Samhita, a dialogue between the great sage Yajnavalkya and his learned wife Maithreyi, to whom part of the Rig Veda is attributed. Like the Gheranda Samhita and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Yogayajnavalikya Samhita is generally considered a tantric yoga work.

 Yoga philosophy

A large statue in Bangalore depicting Lord Shiva meditating.
In all branches of yoga, the ultimate goal is the attainment of liberation from worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (Samsara). Yoga entails mastery over the body, mind, and emotional self, and transcendence of desire. According to the followers, the Yogi eventually reaches the enlightened state (Moksha) where there is a cessation of thought and an experience of blissful union. This union may be of the individual soul (Atman) with the supreme Reality (Brahman), as in Advaita Vedanta; with a specific god or goddess, as in Dvaita or dualistic forms of Hinduism and some forms of Buddhism.
Common to most forms of yoga is the practice of concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana). Dharana, according to Patanjali's definition, is the "binding of consciousness to a single point." The awareness is concentrated on a fine point of sensation (such as that of the breath entering and leaving the nostrils). Sustained single-pointed concentration gradually leads to meditation (dhyana), in which the inner faculties are able to expand and merge with something vast. Meditators sometimes report feelings of peace, joy, and oneness.
The focus of meditation may differ from school to school, e.g. meditation on one of the chakras, such as the heart center (anahata) or the 'third eye' (ajna); or meditation on a particular deity, such as Krishna; or on a quality like peace. Non-dualist schools such as Advaita Vedanta may stress meditation on the Supreme with no form or qualities (Nirguna Brahman). This is in many ways analogous to Buddhist meditation on Emptiness.


Yoga in other traditions

The goals of yoga are expressed differently in different traditions. In Hinduism, with its variegated viewpoints and sects, Self-Realization and God-Realization are used interchangeably, with the underlying belief that the true nature of self (truth, consciousness, and bliss), revealed through the practice of yoga, has the same nature as the universal self, which may or may not be identified with a 'creator God' depending on the philosophical standpoint of the practitioner. In Buddhism, which does not postulate a creator-type god, yoga may help people deepen their wisdom, compassion, and insight. In Western nations, where there is a strong emphasis on individualism, yoga practice may be an extension of the search for meaning in self, and integration of the different aspects of being.
For the average person still far from enlightenment, yoga can be a way of increasing one's spiritual awareness, or cultivating compassion and insight. While the history of yoga strongly connects it with Hinduism, proponents claim that yoga is not a religion itself, but contains practical steps which can be found in the esoteric spiritual practices of all religions, as well as those who do not consider themselves religious.

Yoga and Buddhism

It is quite likely that Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), who is estimated to have lived 563 to 483 BC, actually studied what was known of yoga at that time as part of his extensive education in Hindu philosophy. It is also very likely, given the rapid growth of Buddhism after his death and before the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras were composed, that Buddhism had some influence on those works.
In either case, there is a considerable overlap between the Hindu yoga tradition and Buddhism. Of particular interest is a comparison of the Buddhist eight-fold path and the eight limbs of Patanjali's Yoga. Their moral precepts (the sila of Buddhism, the yama and niyama of yoga) share the Hindu principle of non-violence (ahimsa); their final steps point towards a common goal - 6. Buddhist Samma Vayama (Effort) vs Yogic Dharana (Concentration), 7. Buddhist Samma Sati (Mindfulness) vs Yogic Dhyana (Meditation) and 8. Buddhist Samma Samadhi vs Yogic Samadhi. In relation to views of the Self, yoga's asmita-samapatti is designed to eradicate the wrong views on the Self much in the same way Buddha did it in Anatta-lakkhana-sutta.
Yoga is central to Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma tradition, practicioners progress to increasingly profound levels of yoga, starting with Mahā yoga, continuing to Anu yoga and ultimately undertaking the highest practice, Ati yoga. In the Sarma traditions, the Annutara yoga class is equivalent. Other tantra yoga practices include a system of 108 bodily postures practiced with breath and heart rhythm timing in movement exercises is known as Trul khor or union of moon and sun (channel) prajna energies, and the body postures of Tibetan ancient yogis are depicted on the walls of the Dalai Lama's summer temple of Lukhang.

Yoga and Tantra
 Tantra
Yoga is often mentioned in company with Tantra, and it is true that these traditions have influenced one another over time. They are both families of spiritual texts, practices, and lineages with origins in the Indian subcontinent and both have been popularized in the West.
Tantra has roots in the first millennium, and incorporates Shiva and Shakti worship. It focuses on the kundalini, a three and a half-coiled 'snake' of spiritual energy at the base of the spine that rises through chakras until union ('samadhi') between Shiva and Shakti is ultimately achieved. These concepts were formally introduced into yoga with the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and because of the subsequent popularity of Hatha Yoga, many Hindu and western yoga teachers now accept these essentially tantric concepts within the yogic philosophy, and this is the most obvious major intersection between tantra and yoga today. The acceptance of tantric kundalini teachings into modern yoga was reinforced by the New Age movement which accompanied (and fed into) the rise of popularity of yoga in the West.
However, Tantra and Yoga have notable points of difference. Where body consciousness is seen as the root cause of bondage in Yoga, Tantra views the body as a means to understanding, rather than as an obstruction, which bears certain similarities with the Natya Yoga. As a result, in India particularly, one of the two branches of Tantra often carries quite negative connotations involving sexual misbehavior and black magic, although it must be said most forms actually follow quite mainstream social mores and this is simply an expression of prejudice.
The actual method of Tantra is quite different to traditional Raja Yoga. It emphasises mantra (Sanskrit prayers, often to gods, that are repeated), yantra (complex symbols representing gods in various forms through intricate geometric figures), and rituals that range from simple murti (statue representations of deities) or image worship to meditation on a corpse.



 Related topics

Chakra
Five Tibetan Rites
Hesychasm
Hindu Philosophy
Hinduism
Hindu idealism
Holistic living
Kundalini
Meditation
Prana
Pranayama
Self-realization
Spirituality
Supramental Yoga
Trul khor (Yantra Yoga)
Tummo
Yogi
Yogini


 Main schools of Yoga

Anahata Yoga
Anusara Yoga
Anuyoga
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Ati yoga
Hatha Yoga
Integral Yoga
Iyengar Yoga
Kripalu
Krishnamacharya's yoga
Kriya yoga
Kundalini yoga
Mahayoga
Natya Yoga
Pranava yoga
Raja Yoga
Six Yogas of Naropa
Seven stages
Sivananda Yoga


Unorthodox and contemporary Yoga

Ananda Marga
Bikram Yoga
Cardiac yoga
Chair Yoga
Laya yoga
Naked yoga
Reiki Yoga
Sahaja Yoga
Trul khor (Yantra Yoga)
Yoga Chi Gung
Yin Yoga
Yoga as exercise
Yoga piracy
Yoga (alternative medicine)

References
Donatelle, Rebecca J. Health: The Basics. 6th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Education, Inc. 2005.
Feuerstein, Georg. The Shambhala Guide to Yoga. 1st ed. Boston & London: Shambhala Publications 1996.
Saraswati, swami satyananda (November 2002 (12th edition))"Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha" ISBN 81-86336-14-1
Mittra, Dharma Sri. Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses. 1st ed. California: New World Library 2003.
Usharabudh, Arya Pandit. Philosophy of Hatha Yoga. 2nd ed. Pennsylvania: Himalayan Institute Press 1977, 1985.

External links
JOY: The Journal of Yoga Online journal investigating the philosophy, science, and spirituality of yoga
A History of Yoga Detailed history
ABC of Yoga A comprehensive general site
Yoga Exercises Healthy Life with Yoga
Yoga Fitness General site for Yoga
Santosha General site
Sahaja Yoga Sahaja Yoga meditation practice
Yoga Cards Information, pictures of asanas
Yoga Darsana Reference to history and theory
Isha Yoga A Non-profit Organization - Isha Foundation
Yoga Pranayama Website on Yoga Pranaya of Swami Ramdev
Some posture of Yoga
Yoga Today Free HD Yoga classes delivered daily (also available as a podcast on iTunes)

Indian philosophy
Hindu philosophy
Samkhya Nyaya Vaisheshika Yoga Mimamsa Advaita Vedanta Vishishtadvaita Dvaita Carvaka Logic Idealism
Jain philosophy
Anekantavada
Buddhist philosophy
Shunyata Madhyamaka Yogacara Sautrantika Svatantrika
Philosophers
Gotama Patanjali Yajnavalkya Kanada Kapila Jaimini Vyasa Nagarjuna Madhavacharya Kumarajiva Padmasambhava Vasubandhu Adi Shankara Ramanuja Katyayana Batuo Bodhidharma More...
Texts
Yoga Sutra Nyaya Sutra Vaiseshika Sutra Samkhya Sutra Mimamsa Sutra Brahma Sutra Mūlamadhyamakakārikā More...

Topics in Yoga
Yoga
Agni Yoga - Anahata Yoga - Anusara Yoga - Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga - Bikram Yoga - Hatha yoga - Integral yoga - Iyengar Yoga - Kriya yoga - Kundalini yoga - Natya Yoga - Sahaj Marg - Sahaja Yoga - Satyananda Yoga - Sivananda Yoga - Six yogas of Naropa (Tummo) - Surat Shabd Yoga - Viniyoga - Yoga in Daily Life - Yoga Nidra
Texts:
Bhagavad Gita - Hatha Yoga Pradipika - Yoga Sutra - Gherand Samhita
Hinduism paths:
Bhakti yoga - Karma Yoga - Jnana Yoga - Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga limbs:
Yama - Niyama - Asana - Pranayama - Pratyahara - Dharana - Dhyana - Samadhi
Lists:
Yoga schools and their gurus - Hatha yoga postures
Related topics:
Ayurveda - Chakra - Mantra - Tantra - Vedanta - Yoga (alternative medicine) - Yoga as exercise

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