The Mind Creative OCTOBER 2013 | Page 18

The Mind Creative OCT 2013 From time in memorial, there has existed a set of procedures, that allows us to develop physical strength, flexibility, will power and clarity of mind. This amazing discipline, that has proven its effectiveness for over 5000 years through trials and experiments is known to most of us as Yoga. History and the philosophy of Yoga The word Yoga means “to join or to unite” and the roots of this word can be traced back to the Sanskrit word “Yuj”. The philosophy behind this science is to unite the soul (“Jeev Atmaan”) of an individual to the supreme soul (“Parmatamaan”) and this unique technique of self-realisation has been passed on to us by ancient spiritual sages (Rishis) of India. In fact, Yoga has been traced back to 5000 years by archaeologists, based on findings in the ruins of the Indus Valley civilization. The earliest documentation goes back to around 2nd century B.C., when the sage Patanjali wrote the Yoga “sutras” that formulated the eight limbs of yoga: Yamas, Niyamas, Asanaa, Praanayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samaadhi. 18