Yoga: What Is Good for Health and Spirit and Why To Do It

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Yoga: What Is Good for Health and Spirit and Why To Do It

Yoga has entered the life of a person quite tightly; the opportunities for practice have expanded with the popularization of online classes. The benefits of yoga are multifaceted, as yoga is a set of practices aimed at self-development of a person on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, psychic, energetic, spiritual.

When people hear the word yoga or hatha yoga, they associate it with a set of asanas on a mat. The importance of asanas is hard to dispute, but the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the fundamental text on yoga, also describes shatkarmas, pranayamas, mudras, bandhas, and contraindications to performing certain practices. These techniques are essential for the practitioner to maximize the benefits of practicing yoga.

Purpose of Yoga

The word “yoga” comes fr om the Sanskrit root yuj, which translates to ‘bind,’ ‘connect,’ ‘center.’ Hence, several goals of yoga are formulated:

Harmonious connection (unity) of body, mind and spirit:

Yoga is the integration and balance of thoughts, feelings and actions.

Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Self-realization, unity with the Supreme Consciousness:

The purpose of Yoga is to teach the means by which the human soul can be fully reunited with the Supreme Spirit that pervades the universe, and so free itself from imperfection .

B. K. S. Iyengar

Concentration, mind control:

atha yogānuśāsanam

yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ

Now concentration is explained.

Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Chitta) from taking various forms (Vrittis).

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Chapter 1, Sutras 1-2, Vivekananda (new translation)

Regular practice of hatha yoga brings into balance the energy flows that go through the ida (lunar) and pingala (solar) nadis (channels), which are associated with the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system on a physical level. To achieve this balance, the body is purified with shatkarmas, asanas, pranayamas, mudras, bandhas. Establishing balance in the channels and controlling the mind is an important part of preparing for successful meditation.

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Благодарим за репост и помощь в распространении знаний о саморазвитии!