“yogāṅgānuṣṭhānād aśuddhikṣaye jñānadīptirā vivekakhyāteḥ ॥28॥“
“योगाङ्गानुष्ठानादशुद्धिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिरा विवेकख्यातेः ॥२८॥“
“By the sustained practice of the eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed, and the light of wisdom, discrimination shines forth.”- Patañjali Yoga Sutra 2.28
Ancient Indian wisdom proposes that the universe is divided into two aspects: physical and metaphysical. Similarly, the universe of the brain is also divided into two entities; physical – the brain matter; and metaphysical – the mind
Aha! The mind. What an intangible entity it is. Our bodily health depends on the fitness of these two entities, physical and metaphysical. Although physical exercise helps the body to stay fit, it does little or nothing for mental fitness.
This is where comes in yoga for a healthy life. In our modern times, yoga is an internationally acknowledged practice embraced and performed daily by millions of people around the globe for solving their physical and mental issues. An International Yoga Day is also celebrated every year on the 21st of June.
International Yoga’s Ancient Indian Origins:
Although you might have heard the word around or seen many people actually performing it in Yoga Asanas or Yoga Mudras, the concept of yoga is much more than the asanas or mudras. As it evolved over the millennia, the origin of the word and the concept itself could be traced back to the pre-Vedic or Vedic period of 1500 BC to 1000 BC, when the ancient Indian text of Rig Veda was composed by sages of those times, who have developed this systematic ritualistic practice of staying healthy and fit.
Though the precise date could not be pinpointed, for generations, Vedas were an oral tradition strictly kept between certain supposedly purist communities of migrated peoples. As these people developed their supposedly superior Sanskrit language, the word Yoga evolved from the other Sanskrit word ‘Yuj, meaning to join or to unite something.
The union is supposed to be more than physical. It also comes into the metaphysical realm, as in the union of mind and body as Mind and Bodily or Individual and Universal Consciousness’s unification is the ultimate Yogic and Vedic goal of those pre-historic times.
A Universally Eternal IVC Yogi:
Vedic Scriptures depict Lord Shiv as the first Yogi who has believed to have distributed his own knowledge of Yogic unification to the Saptarishis; the seven learned sages, who then spread over this divine knowledge – that it is possible for humans to evolve beyond their physical limitations into the supernatural realm of metaphysical – throughout the mankind.
However, many historians want to prove – with the several seals and fossils depicting figures resembling Lord Shiv performing Asanas or Mudras in Yoga Sadhanas – that the practice of the system of yoga was not only known but might have been developed in the Indus Valley Civilization or IVC dating back to 3300BC-1500 BC
Surmounting the Unhealthy Times:
Whatever its history, the Yoga Asanas today offer unbelievable cures to people with illnesses, disorders, and diseases for which the other contemporary medical systems could not provide any promising results.
A seventeen year old young girl was suffering from the disorder of anorexia and attempted suicide multiple times before being introduced to the yoga class in the hospital. Her situation was so severe that she was in a terrible state of affairs, as she has been offered a choice of either going into a hospital or getting sectioned. Her suicide attempts increased to monthly, and she had been kept on a three-yearly suicide watch.
Initially, when she was in the class, she did not take it seriously, thinking it was just a fad. But eventually, she began to realize that Yoga’s benefits were enormous. Yoga taught her to look at her body in a new way. That is externally as well as internally. This unifying relationship changed her perspective about physical and mental fitness.
Gradually performing it for over a year, only for ten minutes daily, the young girl finally learned to stay calm, not to overthink, not to be anxious, to get rid of her eating disorder, do meditation, and not to panic every time something happens opposite to her desires. It helped her maintain steady relationships with family and friends. Yoga even helped her get into university and do well in her studies and in her education.
In another example, a middle-aged man of around fifty who could not quit drinking and smoking found that after doing Yoga Fitness class for only six months, he was not only able to quit those addictions but also began to be happier, friendlier, compassionate, welcoming, and more open to possibilities. Initially, he was also reluctant to join the classes, thinking of them as a waste of his time, but he soon found out after joining them that Yoga was the best way of stress relief.
He recollects that for ten years, that is, from the age of forty, he was drinking and smoking daily, shopping, and indulging in substance abuse on a regular basis. He was also feeling very low with depression, no confidence, and lowest self-esteem at that point in his life. However, post his first class, he says that everything changed forever.
In another example, a media person was going through a period of excruciating insomnia. It would keep her awake for the whole night till 4.00 am. She recollects that she would just beg and beg to her mind to go to sleep but to no avail. And then, she found out about nearby Yoga classes and began going there. She says that the positive results were immediate. She loved the slow, patient, methodical, mindful and positive thinking approach of the ancient fitness system, which she believes now is timeless.
Counting the Eight Limbs:>
All these examples are just a trickle of the transformational stories that the practice of Yoga Asanas has delivered to its millions of adherents. Since most of us are only aware of Yoga Asanas, we might think it is a limited system. But the reality is that Asanas or postures’ is only one aspect of the Ashtanga or Eight Limbed Yogic rituals.
The other seven limbs are Niyama’s (Rules), Yamas (Ethics), Pranayama (Breath Control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of sense), Dharana (focusing the mind), Dhnyana (Meditation), and Samadhi (unconditional state of universally conscious blissfulness).
Attaining the Perfect Mental Health Ever:
Again, these limbs could not be mistaken for steps. Just like a table has four limbs, the Yogic Ritual System has eight limbs. Pull one, and the table comes falling down. The same is with Yoga Sadhanas.
However, there are sequential systems, as in either one system starting with Yama, following it with Niyama, followed by Asanas, and then Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhnyana, and then Samadhi or the other system starting with Samadhi and ending at Yama.
Whatever the sequential system, the ultimate goal is unifying one’s own consciousness with that of the consciousness of the universe. That way, one could be the healthiest, fittest, smartest and become the wisest of the sapiens.
So, when are you commencing the process of your unification? If on 21st June 2022, then see ya on Tuesday.
!
