WHAT IS YOGA?
Yoga comes from the word yoke that means union.
Yoga is the union between the finite self, and the infinite
self.
What this mean?
The finite self is the physical body and the
experiences we have through the physical body. Everyone can relate to the
physical body because it can be seen and it can be touch. What is then the
infinite body? The infinite self is the inner self, the higher
self, the spiritual self.
Spiritual self doesn�t have anything to do with religion. Yoga
is not a religion. You can come to Yoga as a Christian, Jewish,
Agnostic, etc. No all the people who practice Yoga belong to a religion, and
not all the people who belong to a religion practice Yoga.
Yoga gives you the technology to connect to your
infinite body. Most people visualize Yoga as a workout, and there is
not doubt of the connection between physical activity and the release of
endorphins. Yoga positions (asanas) are very good not only for the body, also
for the neurological system, and endocrine system. Asanas are follow one after
the other in a specific way. In some Yoga paths the teachers should not modified
the sequence. The goal is to direct the flow of energy, and circulation to
different areas of the body, so it will prepare the body for meditation the
last step into the Yoga path to obtain bliss, also known as Nirvana.
The mix of breath exercises (pranayama), yoga
positions (asanas), mudras (hands positions), bhandas (body�s locks), and
meditation compone the practice of Yoga.
Yoga gives all the technology to deal with your body. In the
modern world when we go to the school we get lessons on how to deal with the
external world, but not how to deal with the inner world.
Yoga will teach you how your body works, how to breathe
properly, how to use all this techniques for your own benefit, how to understand,
relate, and use the mind, the tools to quiet the mind so you can access to the
natural state of the being oneness.