CHAPTER-5 YOGA 5.1 Meaning and Importance of Yoga Meaning of yoga: The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, Yoga means union of the individual consciousness or soul with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. Yoga means "to join" or "to integrate the spirit and physical body ".Yoga is a 5000 year old Indian body of knowledge. It refers to physical, spiritual, mental practices or disciplines that aim to transform body and mind. Therefore, we can say that Yoga means ‘union’ or ‘connection’. In Sanskrit, the word ‘yoga’ is used to signify any form of connection. Yoga is both a state of connection and a body of techniques that allow us to connect to anything. Definition of Yoga The great sage Patanjali, in the system of Raja Yoga, gave one of the best definitions of yoga. Patanjali said, ‘Yoga is the blocking (nirodha) of mental modifications (chitta vritti) so that the seer (drashta) re-identifies with the (higher) Self’. “Checking the impulses of mind is Yoga”. By Patanjli According to the definition of yoga in the Hatha Yoga, ‘Yoga texts is the union of the upward force (prana) and the downward force (apana) at the navel center (manipura chakra). Hatha yoga teaches us to master the totality of our life force, which is also called prana. By learning how to feel and manipulate the life force, we access the source of our being’. According to the definition of yoga in Kundalini yoga, ‘Yoga is the union of the mental current (ida) and the pranic current (pingala) in the third eye (ajna chakra) or at the base chakra (muladhara chakra). This unifies duality in us by connecting body and mind and leads to the awakening of spiritual consciousnesses. “Yoga is attaining the pose”. By Marishi Ved Vyas Importance of Yaga Yoga plays most vital role in balancing equilibrium between your mind, body and soul. Meditation and breathing exercises help to combat organizational and family stress and pressure. Various studies have shown that it is the complete cure-all for all types of diseases. Yoga plays an important role in sports. The essentials of yoga like Asana, Pranayam and meditation are by and large doing by sportspersons for various purposes in sports. It helps out in developing health, well for relaxation, excellent for rehabilitation after injury, control anxiety, gets better concentration, increase immunity, control diet etc. 1. Enhance Mental health: Regular yoga practice helps children with attention deficit disorder and people suffering from anxiety, depression and mood swings. It also helps keep the mind calm and reduce stress and thereby increase the general well being of the person. 2. Improves Strength: Yoga helps to generate inner strength. Inner strength is essential in doing day to day activities and in preventing you from injuries. This is especially useful, as we grow old and need more energy and strength to do the same activity. 3. Increase Flexibility: Yoga increases a range of motions of the less used inner muscles and helps in lubrication of joints. The result is a more flexible body, able to perform tasks easily. 4. Reduces Respiratory problems: Practice of certain asanas of Yoga has helped check chronic cases of Asthma and other respiratory problems. Respiratory problems could also be caused by multiple factors like allergy, exercise, weather change etc. By practicing yoga, the lungs capacities increase and so does stamina and stress on air passages is reduced. 5. Increase Memory Capacity: Yoga helps in retaining information better and for a longer period of time due to its focus on concentration and meditation. By breathing right, concentrating and meditating, more blood flows to the brain, making it supple and ready to accept more information and reproduce that information when required. 6. Obesity: Yoga helps to reduce obesity by inhaling more oxygen, which helps in breaking down fat cells and increasing your metabolism. Also, it helps remove sluggishness from the digestive and endocrine systems, making them work better. 7. Anti ageing: Regular practice of yoga has anti ageing effects. Yoga revitalizes the mind and makes the approach towards life positive and stress free. Overall happiness and positive attitude towards life reflects on the face, leaving it glowing and reverses the ageing effect internally. 8. Boosting the Immune System: Yoga boosts our immune system by enhancing the circulation of blood cells, decreasing stress hormones and stimulating the lymphatic system that aids to protect our body from the evil effects of toxins. 9. Controls anxiety: During sports competition a balanced form of stress and anxiety is required. Pranayams are very helpful in controlling the anxiety of the individual thus, performance is increased. 5.2 Elements of Yoga In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called Ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs” (Ashta=Eight, Anga=Limb). These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline; they direct attention toward one’s health; and they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature. 1. Yama: Yama deals with one’s ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”The five yamas are: a. Ahimsa: nonviolence (Compassion for all living things) b. Satya: Commitment to Truthfulness c. Asteya: Non-stealing d. Brahmacharya: Continence (Sense control) e. Aparigraha: Neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth 2. Niyama: Niyama, the second limb, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Regularly attending temple or church services, saying grace before meals, developing your own personal meditation practices, or making a habit of taking contemplative walks alone are all examples of niyamas in practice. The five niyamas are: a. Saucha: Cleanliness b. Samtosa: Contentment c. Tapas: Heat; Spiritual Austerities d. Svadhyaya: Study of the sacred scriptures and of one’s self e. Isvara pranidhana: Surrender to God 3. Asana: The postures practiced in yoga, comprise the third limb. In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation. 4. Pranayama: The process of respiration has three components. Pooraka is inspiration of air, kumbhaka means retention, and rechaka is expiration. It can be said that kumbhaka is pranayama and pranayama is kumbhaka, not pooraka and rechaka, which are natural processes. 5. Pratyahara: Pratyahara means withdrawal or sensory transcendence. In pratyahara we sever this link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Keenly aware of, yet cultivating a detachment from, our senses, we direct our attention internally. The practice of pratyahara provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves. This withdrawal allows us to objectively observe our cravings: habits that are perhaps detrimental to our health and which likely interfere with our inner growth. 6. Dharana: As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting for dharana, or concentration. Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: a specific energetic center in the body, an image of a deity, or the silent repetition of a sound. We, of course, have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of posture, breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. In asana and pranayama, although we pay attention to our actions, our attention travels. Our focus constantly shifts as we fine-tune the many nuances of any particular posture or breathing technique. In pratyahara we become self- observant; now, in dharana, we focus our attention on a single point. Extended periods of concentration naturally lead to meditation. 7. Dhyana: Meditation or contemplation is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be one and the same, a fine line of distinction exists between these two stages. Where dharana practices one-pointed attention, dhyana is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all. The strength and stamina it takes to reach this state of stillness is quite impressive. But don’t give up. While this may seem a difficult if not impossible task, remember that yoga is a process. Even though we may not attain the “picture perfect” pose, or the ideal state of consciousness, we benefit at every stage of our progress. 8. Samadhi: It describes this eighth and final stage of ashtanga, samadhi, as a state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator merges with his or her point of focus and transcends the Self altogether. The meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the divine, interconnectedness with all living things. 5.3 Introduction to Asanas, Pranayamas, Meditation & Yogic Kriyas ASANAS: Asana are the Yoga Postures. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras define Asana as ‘Sthiram Sukham Asanam’, which means Asana is a pose that is steady and comfortable. Asana is the third step in the eight rungs of yoga.