Yoga: Right Path to Health and Wellness
Y
Yogic principles
of lifestyle help to
strengthen and develop
positive health enabling
us to withstand stress
better. This Yogic health
insurance has achieved
by normalizing the
perception of stress,
optimizing the reaction
to it and by releasing the
pent-up stress effectively
through the practice of
various Yogic steps
1
Chinky Gupta
OGA IS a spiritual
discipline based on
an extremely subtle
science, which
focuses on bringing
harmony between
mind and body. It is an art and science
of healthy living. The holistic approach
of Yoga is well established and it brings
harmony in all walks of life and thus,
known for disease prevention, health
promotion and management of many
lifestyle –related disorders. The term
‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root
‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’
or ‘to unite’. As per Yogic scriptures,
the practice of Yoga leads to the union
of individual consciousness with
that of the Universal Consciousness,
indicating a perfect harmony between
the mind and body, man and nature.
The aim of yoga is self-realization, to
overcome all kinds of sufferings leading
to 'the state of liberation' (Moksha) or
‘freedom’(Kaivalya). Living with
freedom in all walks of life, health and
harmony are the main objectives of
yoga practice. The practice of yoga is
believed to have started with the very
dawn of civilization. Yoga, being
widely considered as an ‘immortal
cultural outcome’ of Indus Saraswati
Valley civilization – dating back to
2700 B.C– has proved itself catering to
both material and spiritual upliftment
of humanity.
The science of yoga has its origin
thousands of years ago, long before
the first religion or belief systems
were born. According to yogic lore,
Shiva is seen as the first Yogi or
Adiyogi, and the first Guru or Adi
Guru. Several thousand years ago,
on the banks of the lake Kantisarovar
in the Himalayas, Adiyogi poured his
profound knowledge into the legendary
Saptarishis or “seven sages”. The
sages carried this powerful yogic
science to different parts of the world,
including Asia, the Middle East,
Northern Africa and South America.
Interestingly, modern scholars have
noted and marvelled at the close
parallels found between ancient
cultures across the globe. However,
it was in India that the yogic system
found its fullest expression. Agastya,
the Saptarishi who travelled across
the Indian subcontinent, crafted this
culture around a core yogic way of
life.
The number of seals and fossil
remains of Indus Saraswati Valley
civilization with yogic motives and
figures performing Yoga Sadhana
suggest the presence of yoga in
ancient India. The phallic symbols,
seals of idols of mother Goddess
are suggestive of Tantra Yoga.
Presence of yoga is available in folk
traditions, Indus Saraswati valley
civilization, Vedic and Upanishadic
heritage, Buddhist and Jain traditions,
Darshanas, epics of Mahabharat
including Bhagavadgeeta and
Ramayana, theistic traditions of
Shaivas, Vaishnavas, and Tantric
traditions. Though yoga was being
practiced in the pre-Vedic period,
the great Sage Maharshi Patanjali
systematized and codified the then
existing practices of Yoga, its meaning
and its related knowledge through his
Yoga Sutras. After Patanjali, many
Sages and Yoga Masters contributed
greatly for the preservation and
development of the field through
their well documented practices and
literature. Now-a-days, everybody
has conviction about yoga practices
towards prevention, maintenance
and promotion of health. Yoga has
spread all over the world by the
teachings of great personalities and
yoga masters.