What is Yoga?
Yoga is a combination of mental meditation, physical exercises, and breathing techniques that helps us to strengthen our muscles and relieve stress.
While physical and mental health is the natural consequences of yoga, the goal of yoga is more far-reaching. "Yoga is a way through which we can harmonize ourselves with the universe. This technology is useful for aligning individual geometry with the cosmic, to achieve the highest level of perception and harmony.”
Evolution of Yoga
The birth of Yoga took place thousands of years ago, even long before the first religions or belief systems were born. It is believed that the practice of Yoga started with the very dawn of civilization. In the yogic lore, Shiva is seen as the first yogi or Adiyogi, and the first Guru or Adi Guru.
Yoga was originated in India by Agastya, the Saptarishi. He traveled across the Indian subcontinent, crafted this culture around a core Yogic way of life.
The main sources, from which we get the information about Yoga practices and the related literature are in Vedas (4), Upanishads(108), Smritis, teachings of Buddhism, Jainism, Panini, Epics (2), Puranas (18), etc.
Pranayama
Pranayama consists of developing awareness of one’s breathing followed by willful regulation of respiration as the functional or vital basis of one’s existence. To develop an awareness of one’s mind and establish control over the mind it is very useful. In the initial stages, this is done by developing awareness of the ‘flow of in-breath and out-breath’ (svasa-prasvasa) through nostrils, mouth, and other body openings, its inner and external pathways and destinations. Later, this phenomenon is modified, through regulated, controlled, and monitored inhalation (svasa) leading to the awareness of the body space/s getting filled (puraka), space/s remaining in a filled state (kumbhaka) and it’s getting emptied (rechaka) during regulated, controlled and monitored exhalation (prasvasa).
