Yoga is a very ancient discipline, born in India. It has its roots in the millennial Vedic philosophy, which in turn is at the base of traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism and tantra.
The word yoga derives from the term Sanskrit Yuj, which means "to unite","union". Even the Italian words "conjugate" and "yoke", for example, have the same root.
So what unites yoga?
Yoga is the bond that balances opposites people, reconciles them and leads them to completion. It unites the body and mind, but also individuals between them and the individual with the universal consciousness.
Yoga is a spiritual practice of personal growth
Many people in the West approach yoga as a form of gymnastics, stretching to tone the body and reduce stress. Yoga undoubtedly brings many psychophysical benefits, working on the bones, muscles and joints, that is, the structure of our body, as well as on internal organs and circulation.
Soon, however, with regular practice, we realize that in addition to relieving tension and strengthening the muscles, yoga helps to concentrate the mind and better understand our body and its energy.
The sense of peace, wellbeing and awakening of the energies that one feels during and after the practice reveals the nature of this discipline: a path of personal growth that leads to self-awareness, to harmony with ourselves with what surrounds us.
There are many schools and many variants in the practice of yoga, which we have discussed and will deal with extensively in Le Vie Del Dharma. All these paths lead to the same goal: self-realization, awakening of consciousness, reconciliation of duality and union with the whole.
Yoga: a practice for everyone
The many ways of practicing yoga include breathing exercises, meditation, mantra and naturally lapostura, which is certainly the aspect of yoga most familiar and recognizable even for those who still know little about this discipline.
The positions in Sanskrit are called asana. Their exercise allows vital energies to flow at their best and must be performed within the limits of their own abilities, without effort. What is important is in fact the gradual progress of improvement, not the perfect execution of the position.
Yoga is suitable for everyone and anyone can practice it, regardless of their level of physical preparation and age. As the exercise of asanas is perfected, self-awareness, body, breath and thought also evolves.
Yoga is for everyone also in its inner aspects.
It is not a religion, but rather a spiritual practice and can well be combined with the religiousness of a faithful, as well as a form of secular spirituality.
Although its origins may seem distant in time and space, the objectives, methods and benefits of yoga are universal and current in the modern West as in ancient India.
Today there are those who approach yoga seeking the benefits for physical fitness, those who want to lead a healthier life, those who want to appease the mind, those who want to respond to a spiritual need. Whatever the reason for this encounter and whatever the yogic path taken, yoga will be "an adventure in awareness".