What Does The Word Yoga Mean Meaning And Definition Of Yoga
Have you ever wondered about the meaning of yoga? or what does the word yoga mean ? If this interests you, this is going to be a very interesting article for you. We have deep dived into history and mythology of yoga make things clear about meaning of yoga and the word ‘Yoga’ along with its definition. Stay Tuned.;
What Is Hatha Yoga And What Are The Different Styles Of Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga refers to a set of physical exercises , and sequences of asana, designed to align body, breath and mind. Hatha yoga is a path toward creating balance by developing strength and flexibility. These physical practices of asana bring attention to the breath, which helps to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.
Different styles of Hatha yoga include Vinyasa style, Iyengar style, Ashtanga style, Power, Yin or Restorative style, Kundalini style etc. These various styles focus on various aspects of the physical practice of Hatha yoga. Most of the modern “styles” of Hatha Yoga did not exist a few decades ago, while Yoga in its entirety as spiritual practice is thousands of years old.
Hatha yoga is meant to be a powerful tool for self-transformation.
The word Hatha comes from a scripture named Hatha Yoga Pradpik. It was composed by a sage named Svtmrma in the 15th century CE and explains the preparatory stage for physical purification that the body practices for higher meditation or Yoga.
The popular meaning of Hatha involves a metaphysical explanation of uniting the sun and moon . However, the literal Sanskrit meaning of the word Haha is force or absolute or inevitable necessity.
What Is The Difference Between Yoga And Asana
is that yoga is any of several hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquillity; especially a system of exercises practiced to promote control of the body and mind while asana is a body position, typically associated with the practice of yoga.
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Traits Of A True Guru
- Humble They want nothing for their own gain, only the good of the student.
- Honest – They are not seeking blind obedience or a cult-like following.
- Peaceful They are unflappable because their egos have no personal motive.
- Kind They exhibit pure, unconditional love and goodwill for all.
- Respectful They will never force their will on anyone or expect someone to renounce his/her free will.
- Discerning They do not use spiritual powers for show.
- Compassionate They work tirelessly and selflessly for the benefit of others.
- Virtuous They do not ask for adoration or sexual favors.
- Self-controlled They can enter the unblinking, un-moving, non-breathing state of samadhi at will.
What Does The Word Yoga Mean What Is The Meaning Of Yoga Word
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yutsu which means union.
It refers to uniting mind with Spirit.
It is a physical and spiritual discipline.
It creates balance in the mental, emotional, and physical body.
Yoga classical definition is the act of union with the Supreme Reality, or the experience of unity between the Self and the Universe.
In India, Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools .
Yoga and religion are not intertwined. It is not a religion.
Yoga is practiced by people from all faiths and spiritual backgrounds.
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What Does Yoga Mean The True Definition And History
But traditional yoga was never about flexibility, stretching exercises, or how many Downward Facing Dogs you can do. Modern postural yoga classes have more similarities with gymnastics and bodybuilding than it does with the spiritual lineage it has roots in.
But that doesnt mean all the benefits of modern yoga are negated. Even though it has turned into a fitness activity, the spiritual aspect of yoga still remains for many who have taken up the practice.
Why Is This Important
Once we understand that:
Yoga is something we do; to connect and engage with the world; and that it takes our entire mind/body attention
then it changes what we are doing when we do yoga.
We dont practice yoga by jumping on a mat or going to a yoga class. Its what we do on the mat, or in the class that matters. We do yoga when we connect with the process of acting and paying attention. It is a back-and-forth activity where one drives the other and vice-versa.
This also helps us understand the different types of yoga. If yoga isnt a noun, then we can practice yoga in lots of different ways. And that perfectly describes the spectrum of yoga.
Some create the process of yoga through asana, physical postures, as is more common in the West. Others participate through meditation, breath work or chanting. They are all yoga.
What we are doing in asana is using the postures as a tool to help us pay attention. This is valuable if we have difficulty sitting still and cannot imagine ourselves meditating. Or, we are short on time and want to get maximum value, by working out our body at the same time we calm our mind. We move our bodies to pay attention to what is going on within.
And finally, we wear attire that helps us;engage in the process of relating to the worldthe yoga pants. It always comes back to pants.
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Yoga In Advaita Vedanta
Adi Shankara with DisciplesRaja Ravi Varma
Vedanta is a varied tradition with numerous sub-schools and philosophical views. Vedanta focuses on the study of the Upanishads, and one of its early texts, the Brahma sutras. Regarding yoga or meditation, the Brahma sutras focuses on gaining spiritual knowledge of Brahman, the unchanging absolute reality or Self.
One of the earliest and most influential sub-traditions of Vedanta, is Advaita Vedanta, which posits non-dualisticmonism. This tradition emphasizes JñÄna yoga , which is aimed at realizing the identity of one’s atman with Brahman . The most influential thinker of this school is Adi Shankara , who wrote various commentaries and original works which teach JñÄna yoga. In Advaita Vedanta, JñÄna is attained on the basis of scripture and one’s guru and through a process of listening to teachings, thinking and reflecting on them and finally meditating on these teachings in order to realize their truth. It is also important to develop qualities such as discrimination , renunciation , tranquility, temperance, dispassion, endurance, faith, attention and a longing for knowledge and freedom .’ Yoga in Advaita is ultimately a “meditative exercise of withdrawal from the particular and identification with the universal, leading to contemplation of oneself as the most universal, namely, Consciousness”.
Yoga As In Yoke Not Yolk
Patanjali, who we know next to nothing about, is credited with compiling his yoga sutras. What we do know, from the text he put together, is that he was an ascetic.
Ascetics come from the second period of yoga and approach the world . This is known as Nivrtti yoga or the yoga of renunciation. You can see this language in both of the definitions of yoga above.
Both dictionaries also add an interesting fact.
Merriam-Websters states the first known use of yoga is 1785, but in their help section mentions that:
The first known use of the word yoga anywhere comes from the Rig Veda, dating back to 1700-1100 BCE, or about 3000 years before it appeared in English. The Oxford Dictionary gives the origin of yoga as:
Sanskrit, literally union.
The definition of yoga as union is also associated with Patanjali, and more precisely, the union between you and the divine called Purusha. This is where the term theistic, relating to god, applies.
Lets move beyond Patanjali and even god to explore the earlier meaning of yoke.
I love that they were war horses for they are the perfect symbol of frenetic beings chomping at the bit. If you couldnt control them, then there werent useful.
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What Does Namaste Mean
Ask most people in the yoga community to translate namaste and; the common reply will be something like, The Divine in me honors the Divine in you. Its a lovely sentiment that has inspired many a yoga studio poster. But is it accurate?
Nama means bow; as means I; and te means you, says yoga teacher Aadil Palkhivala. Therefore, namaste literally means bow me you or I bow to you.
The Divine in you interpretation comes from the Hindu belief that God resides in everyone, so any person you greet deserves respect. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another, says Palkhivala, who began studying under B. K. S. Iyengar when he was a child.
Tibetan Buddhism And Vajrayana
In Tibetan Buddhism, Om is often placed at the beginning of mantras and dharanis. Probably the most well known mantra is Om mani padme hum, the six syllable mantra of the Bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitevara. This mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokitevara. Moreover, as a seed syllable , Aum is considered sacred and holy in Esoteric Buddhism.
Some scholars interpret the first word of the mantra o maipadme h to be au, with a meaning similar to Hinduism the totality of sound, existence and consciousness.
O has been described by the 14th Dalai Lama as composed of three pure letters, A, U, and M. These symbolize the impure body, speech, and mind of everyday unenlightened life of a practitioner; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech and mind of an enlightened Buddha. According to Simpkins, Om is a part of many mantras in Tibetan Buddhism and is a symbolism for wholeness, perfection and the infinite.
The term a-un is used figuratively in some Japanese expressions as a-un breathing or a-un relationship , indicating an inherently harmonious relationship or non-verbal communication.
Ni guardian kings and Komainu lion-dogs
Ni statues in Japan, and their equivalent in East Asia, appear in pairs in front of Buddhist temple gates and stupas, in the form of two fierce looking guardian kings .
a-unIk Onkar
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Other Expressions Of Namaste
The gesture doesnt have to be directed toward another being.; You can express namaste to yourself and use the gesture as a form of personal meditation.
Namaskar brings harmony between two polarities within, says Isha Foundation leader Sadhguru. It levels out any internal sense of duality.;
It is also an effective way to enhance your connecting with others. He says that bringing your palms together and turn your loving attention to a person or situation you are honoring, brings almost instantaneous results. In three to five minutes you will begin to harmonize. Namaskar into peace. Namaskar yourself into love. Namaskar yourself into union, he says.
Sanskrit And Prakrit Languages
Colonial era scholars questioned whether Sanskrit was ever a spoken language, or just a literary language. Scholars disagree in their answers. A section of Western scholars state that Sanskrit was never a spoken language, while others and particularly most Indian scholars state the opposite. Those who affirm Sanskrit to have been a vernacular language point to the necessity of Sanskrit being a spoken language for the oral tradition that preserved the vast number of Sanskrit manuscripts from ancient India. Secondly, they state that the textual evidence in the works of Yaksa, Panini and Patanajali affirms that the Classical Sanskrit in their era was a language that is spoken by the cultured and educated. Some sutras expound upon the variant forms of spoken Sanskrit versus written Sanskrit. The 7th-century Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang mentioned in his memoir that official philosophical debates in India were held in Sanskrit, not in the vernacular language of that region.
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They Were Probably Speaking In Sanskrit
Definition of yoga in sanskrit. Conscious connection to something allows us to feel and experience that thing person or experience. Unlock the mystery of the language of yoga with this glossary of over 200 sanskrit yoga terms. Philosophically as that of the relative limited self with the absolute self.
Yoga literally means union. This is the second document of i hope a very long series of documents dedicated to sacred scriptures in sanskrit. What does yoga mean.
Sanskrit the language of yoga goes beyond the names of the poses and chants and informs the practice of yoga on a fundamental level. Sanskrit definition of yoga. Discerning dharma from kharma or bhakti from shakti is key whether you are a beginner or a long time yogi.
Yoga means union or connection. Sanskrit is the classical indian language still. Yogas chitta vritti nirodha yoga is the neutralization of the vortices of feeling patanjali.
This union can be understood on different levels. Yoga postures while having many great benefits is not what patanjali was referring to in his sutras. In the context of yoga sutras the word yoga means union.
Unlock the mystery of the language of yoga with this glossary of over 200 sanskrit yoga terms. Chanting sanskrit mantras in this ancient language is particularly powerful because it focuses and calms one s mind as well as promotes overall well being. The word yoga is derived from the sanskrit root yuj which has three meanings.
Where Did Yoga Come From
Most people know that yoga originally came from India. But this is only a tiny part of the picture.
Archeological evidence shows that some form of yoga asana seated meditation poses to be exact may have been practiced in the Indus Valley Civilization. This culture thrived sometime between 5000 and 3500 B.C.E. Researchers believed that even before the yogic wall art was made, it may have been practiced in a non-recorded, oral tradition for many generations even before that.
Yoga is an ancient practice whose exact roots cannot be traced. What is known is that the spiritual lineages of yoga thrived all over the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayas, and even spread throughout Southeast Asia, China, and Japan in the various forms of Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism, and Buddhism.
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Sanskrit Definition Of Yoga
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.
Conscious connection to something allows us to feel and experience that thing, person, or experience. The experience of connection is a state of yoga, a joyful and blissful, fulfilling experience.
Awareness is the secret of yoga.
The Eight Limbs Of Yoga
To overview the classical path of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, we begin with the Yamas, moral qualities we need to cultivate in order to reconnect with our true unified nature.
They include:
As described in Hatha yoga, asana is next, the third limb. It is the practice of correct posture to create a stable physical body that can sit at ease in meditation.
The fourth limb is Pranayama, the management of life force energy through the breath, environment and visualization.
Pratyahara is the fifth limb, and the practice of withdrawing from the sensory pull of the material world in order to shift inward toward stillness.
Once internalized, the sixth limb is Dharana or single-pointed concentration. Dharana is the ability to focus wholeheartedly on our breath, mantra, visualization of the Divine or whatever technique is being used to quiet the mind.
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This connects to the seventh limb, which is Dhyana, the state of stillness where individual consciousness reunites with universal consciousness.
The eighth limb is Samadhi, the full and final yoga union sustained for all time, the ever-awakening bliss of pure awareness.
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Although, these various designations of practice may sound complicated, they all point to the true meaning of yoga, which is union.
It is an embodied practice, with harmony-producing directives for our daily life.
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Yoga And The Circulatory System
A sedentary lifestyle can bring about a host of health problems including swelling, ageing, low immunity, and aches and pains.
This is because when we sit for too long, our internal organs are continuously compressed and blood circulation slows; Our cells are no longer getting the necessary oxygen and nutrients from the fresh blood supply.
Holding simple stretches help to bring blood flow into the muscles and internal organs. These start to function properly when oxygen, nutrients and enzymes are flowing smoothly throughout the body. If you can hold an inversion pose for more than 30 seconds, you will experience added benefits of lowered blood pressure and blood supply to the brain, which improve concentration and clarity.
For those who like vigorous exercises, you will be happy to know that moderate to high-intensity exercises such as power yoga or ashtanga yoga is great for circulating fresh blood through the whole body as well as the brain. These practices can also lower blood pressure due to the aerobic workout they provide.
Nonetheless, it is important NOT to overdo vigorous yoga flows as the blood flow tends to go to major muscle groups , leaving little fresh blood for the internal organs and many other tissues.
