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Unit 1 Yoga and Meditation Yoga and Meditation UNIT 1 YOGA AND MEDITATION Struture 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Yoga and Its History 1.3 Yoga as a science 1.4 Benefits of Yoga 1.5 Selected Asanas from Yoga 1.6 Meditation: Meaning and Process 1.7 Let us Sum Up 1.8 References and Suggested Readings 1.9 Check Your Progress-Possible Answers 1.1 INTRODUCTION During last 21st June, Mr. Das wrote to his grand children living in New York: "Dear Adi and Shashwat: today as we are celebrating International Yoga Day not only in India but throughout the globe, I have a small message to both of you. Do yoga and meditation every day; in good times as well tough times. As I understand, due to lockdown you all are not able to go out of your house; hence suffering from both physical and psychological stress. Yoga is the best remedy to your problems. In India, the practice of Yoga is believed to have started with the very dawn of civilization. You both would be surprised to know that the science of yoga has its origin thousands of years ago, long before the first religions or belief systems were born. In the yogic lore, Shiva is seen as the first yogi or Adiyogi, and the first Guru or Adi Guru. Yoga is now practicing worldwide and you both should be proud of India's ancient practice and research. Once this pandemic is over, we shall definitely meet and I will teach you many Yoga Asanas. With blessings from your Grandpa………." Like Mr. Das, you all should be proud of our ancient science and heritage. According to Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, the Director of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga; "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." Do you practice yoga and meditation? With the popularity of yoga due to its benefits; over the years it has become an important component of our school curriculum. Today, yoga is an important component of physical education and psychological treatment. Therefore, you all must know about science yoga and develop skills of practicing this ancient science. This would help you to teach our young generation on reaping golden benefits out of yogic practice and meditation. Yoga is more than just a workout-it's actually a combination of four components: postures (like tree pose), breathing practices, deep relaxation, and meditation that can many form yours as well as your students' health on many different. After completing this Unit, you shall be able to: 93 Yoga and Mediation Explain the origin and history of yoga; Appreciate the benefits that yoga gives to us; Describe various important asanas (exercises) of yoga; Explain about meditation and its process; Discuss the role of yoga and meditation in shaping our positive life style; 1.2 YOGA AND ITS HISTORY In Sanskrit, Yoga means 'to join, unite or yoke together', and the essential purpose of yoga is to bring together body, mind and spirit into a harmonious whole. As you know, the central methods of yoga are physical postures or 'asanas' and movement, breathing techniques or 'pranayama' and meditation. Yoga has a greater scope and application. It includes guidance on healthy lifestyle, eating habits and positive attitude on health. Ayurvedic medicine is also part of the yogic path to health and balance. Evidence report that the practice of Yoga was started during the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in India over 5,000 years ago. It was first mentioned in Rig Veda, a collection of texts that consisted of rituals, mantras, and songs. Later, yogic practices and beliefs were documented in the Upanishads that have over 200 scriptures. In the 3rd Century BCE, the word "yoga" became common in Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist writings. In Mahayana Buddhism, the practice of yoga for both spiritual and meditative use was known as Yogachara which consisted of eight significant steps of meditation called "insight". During the 5th century, yoga was basically practiced for meditation and religious use, but not as a form of workout. The concept gradually became more established among the Jains, Buddhists, and Hindus. The first versions of yoga were meant for spiritual practices and centered around several core values. The first core value of yoga was to analyse an individual's perception and cognitive state while understanding the cause of suffering and eventually using meditation to solve the issue. The second core value was to focus on consciousness in order to boost it, and the third was used as a way of achieving transcendence. The fourth value was full of mystery because it used yoga to penetrate into other people's bodies and act supernaturally. Yoga later became widely valued because of the Indian nationalist movement as a way of building up pride and cultural identity. Surprisingly, the practice of Yoga was widely promoted by powerful families, institutions, and activities until India attained its independence in 1947.Today, Yoga is practiced worldwide by millions of people in many forms and variations. 1.3 YOGA AS A SCIENCE Modern-day science confirms that the practice of yoga has several physical health benefits that include improved brain function and denser bones, as well as immune health, improved nervous system functioning and strength. According to Wikipedia, modern yoga has a strong scientific base as an exercise according to human anatomy, physiology, and psychology. Yoga has been studied scientifically since the 19th century physiology experiments of N. C. Paul. 94 The early 20th century pioneers Yogendra and Kuvalayananda both set up Yoga and Meditation institutes to study yoga systematically. Yoga's effects are to some extent shared with other forms of exercise, though it differs in the amount of stretching involved, and because of its frequent use of long holds and relaxation, in its ability to reduce stress. Yoga is here treated separately from meditation, which has effects of its own, though yoga and meditation are combined in some schools of yoga. The neuroscience behind Yoga can help to explain why a regular yoga practice is so effective in reducing stress and creating balance in the body. As we all know that there are two functional parts of the brain that play a key role in stress. These serve the functions of emotion and cognitive function. The 'emotional' brain (amygdala and its connections and medial forebrain structures including the medial prefrontal cortex) and the 'logical' brain (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, other parts of the prefrontal cortex, parts of the cingulate cortex and parts of the hippocampus). The emotional brain is able to initiate a 'stress response' via the sympathetic nervous system which culminates in adrenaline and cortisol racing through our circulation.The logical brain is always trying to 'turn-off' this stress response and it is also trying to restrain the emotional brain. The stronger our logical brain, the better it becomes at doing these two things. When the stress response is 'turned off', our parasympathetic nervous system signal is 'turned on'. This signal 'relaxes' the body. So, a strong logical brain goes hand in hand with relaxation."Some say yoga is a science, also an art and a philosophy. In a nutshell, we can say that yoga is based on scientific theories and applications. You have read about yoga and its history and yoga as a science, now answer the question given in check your progress 1. Check Your Progress 1 Note: a) Use the space provided for your answers. b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of this unit. Q1) When is International Yoga Day celebrated? ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... Q2) Explain briefly yoga as science? ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... 95 Yoga and Mediation 1.4 BENEFITS OF YOGA Now you know that the practice of yoga has several physical health benefits that include improved brain function and denser bones, as well as immune health, improved nervous system functioning and strength. But you should consider the benefits of yoga in a larger perspective. It is understood that yoga is the vehicle for the development of wisdom, of spiritual awakening. With regular practice of yoga and meditation, our body is considered
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