How to be More Fit & Balanced with Yoga

Yoga has a rich history dating back 5,000 years in ancient Indian philosophy. It encompasses a set of practices designed to promote physical and mental wellness. The core purpose of yoga is to establish harmony among the body, mind, and environment. This philosophy has been transmitted through generations, and preserved in seminal texts and oral traditions.

The Yoga Sutra is one of the earliest written records of yoga and a foundational text for modern yoga. Written by the Indian sage Patanjali over 2,000 years ago, the Yoga Sutra serves as a guidebook for mastering the mind, controlling emotions, and nurturing spiritual growth. Throughout the centuries, yoga practitioners have passed down this discipline, leading to the development of various schools of yoga as it gained global popularity.

Yoga encompasses different styles that combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation. In recent years, it has gained popularity as a form of physical exercise that incorporates poses to improve mental and physical control, leading to overall well-being. Yogic traditions focus on practices like harnessing spiritual energy through breath control and mental focus. The explosion of interest in postural yoga began in the 1920s and 1930s, initially in India and later in the West.

Yoga often employs the metaphor of a tree with roots, a trunk, branches, blossoms, and fruits to convey its spiritual message and guide practitioners. Each “branch” of yoga represents a distinct focus and set of characteristics, including:

1. Hatha yoga: This is the physical and mental branch designed to prepare the body and mind.

2. Raja yoga: This branch involves meditation and strict adherence to a series of disciplinary steps known as the “eight limbs” of yoga.

3. Karma yoga: A path of service aimed at creating a future free from negativity and selfishness.

4. Bhakti yoga: Focusing on devotion, this path channels emotions positively and cultivates acceptance and tolerance.

5. Jnana yoga: This branch centers on wisdom, the path of the scholar, and intellectual development through study.

6. Tantra yoga: Focusing on ritual, ceremony, or the consummation of a relationship.

Approaching yoga with a specific goal in mind can help you choose the most suitable branch. In the Western world, several popular yoga schools incorporate some or all of the eight limbs of Asthangayoga as described by Patanjali. These eight limbs include:

1. Yama: Rules for successful living in society.

2. Niyama: Techniques for self-management and purification.

3. Asana: Posture techniques for physical and mental balance (commonly associated with yoga).

4. Pranayama: Breathing techniques for physical and mental balance.

5. Pratyahara: Techniques for detaching the mind from the senses for mental balance and calm.

6. Dharana: Concentration techniques for mental balance and calm.

7. Dhyana: Meditation techniques for mental balance and calm.

8. Samadhi: Advanced meditation techniques and psychic procedures attained through regular practice for universal consciousness.

This process involves awakening Kundalini Shakti, often depicted as a latent energy at the base of the spine. As practitioners employ various techniques, this energy ascends through Chakras, corresponding to various endocrine glands. When it reaches the highest center associated with the hypothalamus gland, control over the hypothalamus is achieved. This mechanism may explain yoga’s efficacy as a stress management technique. When all seven limbs of Yoga are engaged, the eighth limb, Samadhi, or Supreme Harmony, naturally follows.

Yoga practice fosters harmony across the physical, vital, mental, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of the human personality. Just as the human body has multiple limbs, yoga comprises various limbs. Advancing in one limb often leads to progress in others, with minimal effort on the practitioner’s part.