Origin of Yoga

The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj” meaning to join, or to yoke, or to bind. Spiritually this implies the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. On the more practical level, yoga is all about balancing and harmonizing the body, mind and emotions. This is done through asanas, pranyamas, mudras, bandhas, shatkarmas and meditation.

The most familiar and practical starting point for yoga is with the outermost part of the personality – the physical body. When imbalances occur at this level, the body is prone to disease, because the endocrine system will become irregular and inefficient. Thus, yoga aims to bring all the systems of the body into perfect coordination. Once the physical body is taken care of, it is possible to move to the mental and emotional levels. Yoga offers a proven method to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Yoga originated thousands of years ago in India. The ancient yogis had a profound understanding of human beings’ true nature and their need to live in harmony with themselves and their environment. These yogis perceived the physical body as a vehicle, where the mind was the driver, the soul was the true identity, and action, emotion and intelligence were the three forces, which drove this vehicle. Keeping this relationship in mind, the yogis devised an eight-fold path to maintain this balance. Yoga postures (or “asanas”), breathing techniques (or “pranayama”) and mediation (or “dhyana”) form a part of this eight-fold path that help you discover your inner peace.