Yoga
–A way of Life
You get up early do all your
routine in a hurried manner. Most times you skip breakfast and rush to office
just to beat the traffic , just so you can reach a few minutes early and plump
at your workbench. You sit there all day long in that chair , your back and
neck all stiff from punching at the keyboard and multitasking with the desk
phone to the ear. Sometimes it’s well past your lunchtime and you say might as
well grab a sandwich and a Cola to save time and be back at the desk. You work
at the computer staring at the screen like a zombie. You answer some more calls
and finally end the day well past 7 or 8 o’clock. Then rush to catch that fast
local or grab a UBER / OLA to head back home . Have some dinner catch up on the
news if you are and plump on the bed to catch a few winks before the routine
begins all over again.
Then one day you are ordered
by the office management to have your Annual Comprehensive Health Check up with
the partnered Pathological Lab’s like SRL Diagnostics or Fortis Healthcare. The test are routine blood
check for diabetes, cholesterol and other body part analysis like Liver , Spleen
and Kidney’s. You are anxious about the test results like a school going kid
and finally the Lab reports are in. You look at all the red remarks – your
blood sugar is borderline on the higher side, your bad cholesterol is High and
going through the roof . Some may have their Livers remarked as sluggish and
needs attention. The doctor attached with the Labs prescribes total lifestyle
change , puts you on a diet and you get worried , what went wrong.
But this is the new normal.
You work like a dog and take all the stress that comes your way and finally end
up bruised and maligned healthwise. You think of changing your lifestyle but
don’t know what to do . Some of your colleagues suggest hitting the Gym. Some
say they need to hit the road either jogging or speed walking . The ladies
decide to do the in thing like Zumba. Then some wise guy in the office says “Why not try Yoga”
You start thinking of all the
asanas (twisting your body in unimaginable positions) and the bearded man in
orange robe teaching Kapalbhati on television . But Yoga is much more and
beyond all this. Derived from the
Sanskrit word yuj, Yoga means union of the individual
consciousness or soul with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. Yoga is a
5000-year-old Indian body of knowledge. Though many think of yoga only as a
physical exercise where people twist, turn, stretch, and breathe in the most
complex ways, these are actually only the most superficial aspect of this
profound science of unfolding the infinite potentials of the human mind and
soul. The science of Yoga imbibes the complete essence of the Way of Life.
Yoga
is more than 10,000 years old. The earliest metion of the contemplative
tradition is found inn the oldest surviving literature Rig Veda. It dates back
to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Pashupati
seal from the same civilization shows a figurine in yogic pose, further
corroborating its prevalence in those olden times. The practice of Pranayam of the art of breathing in and
breathing out , which we all have lost in todays hurried life is mentioned as a
hymn in Chandogya Upanishad. Yoga was seen as a process of inner journey or
ascent of consciousness.
Vratya
, a grup of ascetics mentioned in the Athravaveda , emphasized on bodily
postures which may have evolved into Yogasanas. Even Samhitas mention munis,
sages and seers who practiced rigorous deportments to meditate or do tapasya.
Yoga
is discussed in the ancient foundational Sutra of Hindu philosophy and is
perhaps most elaborately mentioned in Patanjali Yogasutra. Patanjali defines
yoga in his 2nd sutra as : “Yogah Citta-vrtti-nirodhaya” meaning “Yoga is the stilling of the modifications of the mind”.
Patanjali’s writing also became the basis of Ashtanga Yoga. Many practices like
five vows in Jainism and Yogachara of Buddhism have their root in Patanjali
Yogasutra. The medieval ages saw the development of Hatha Yoga. Patanjali is
considered father of Yoga and his Yoga Sutras the bible of Yoga , dedicated to
the knowledge of Yoga.
The western world has adopted this physical
practice of Yoga be it in the form of the regular Yoga or the extreme action
Yoga a combination of kick boxing & yoga asanas. Or another variant a
combination of Aerobics and Yoga exercises tuned to pump-up music.
But the best way to practice Yoga is to join
your friendly neighbourhood Yoga centre. In Dadar-Matunga belt you have 2 of
the oldest such centers . One is the Shri
Ramtirth Yogashram at Dadar East close to the Hindu Colony . Shri Ramtirth
Yogashram began its activities in 1933 , with an aim of propagating Yoga &
Nature cure. Till date they conduct Yoga classes early in the morning with fine
tutors experienced in Asanas , Meditation and Pranayam. Students and Patients from
all over the globe have come here and availed of the teachings and treatment.
The other being The Yoga Institute in Matunga Market near the famous Shri Kankhya Parmeshwari Temple. Their
founder Shri Yogendraji’s life mission was to bring yoga out of the forest ,
hermitages and make it accessible to the common men , women , young , old, sick
, healthy , people of castes and communities in all parts of the world. To actualize
his mission he and his wife Smt.Sitadevi worked tirelessly to make the science
of Yoga available to people, the world over and founded The Yoga Institute in
1948.The simplicity, sincerity & non-commercial angle of The Yoga Institute
caters to householders and offers guidelines of how to manage self and keep up
one’s sanity as well as balance in today’s competitive & tension ridden
world.
One of the beauties of the physical practice of
yoga is that the poses support & sustain you no matter how old or young or
fit of frail , you come to your mat. As you age , your understanding of asana
becomes more sophisticated. You move from working on the external alignment
& mechanics of the pose to refining the inner actions to finally just being
in the asana.
So go out there , start a new life , learn to
be one with the universe by way meditation , pranayama and Yoga asanas.
To quote the legendary Yoga Guru B.K Iyengar “ Live Happily and Die Majestically” ,
for you have this one life live it to the fullest….try Yoga and Reach your
balance…
No comments:
Post a Comment