Indian Philosophy - Yogic philosophy

Indian Philosophy - Yogic philosophy

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  Yoga Philosophy 5 tipsfor a simpler way to work
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  Yoga  The firstmention of the word “yoga” appears in Rig Veda, a collection of ancient texts. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” which means “union” or “to join.”  Yoga can be traced back to northern India over 5,000 years ago.  Indian monks spread their knowledge of yoga in the West during the late 1890s. Modern yoga teachings became widely popular in Western countries by the 1970s.
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  Yoga  Yoga isa mind and body practice. Various styles of yoga combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.  YogaTrusted Source is an ancient practice that may have originated in India.  It involves movement, meditation, and breathing techniques to promote mental and physical well-being.  There are several types of yoga and many disciplines within the practice.
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  Branches of Yoga Thereare six branches of yoga. Each branch represents a different focus and set of characteristics.  The six branches are:  Hatha yoga: This is the physical and mental branch that aims to prime the body and mind.  Raja yoga: This branch involves meditation and strict adherence to a series of disciplinary steps known as the eight limbs of yoga.  Karma yoga: This is a path of service that aims to create a future free from negativity and selfishness.  Bhakti yoga: This aims to establish the path of devotion, a positive way to channel emotions and cultivate acceptance and tolerance.  Jnana yoga: This branch of yoga is about wisdom, the path of the scholar, and developing the intellect through study.  Tantra yoga: This is the pathway of ritual, ceremony, or consummation of a relationship
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  Chakras  The word“chakra” means “spinning wheel.”  Yoga maintains that chakras are center points of energy, thoughts, feelings, and the physical body. According to yogic teachers, chakras determine how people experience reality through emotional reactions, desires or aversions, levels of confidence or fear, and even physical symptoms and effects.  When energy becomes blocked in a chakra, it triggers physical, mental, or emotional imbalances that manifest in symptoms such as anxiety, lethargy, or poor digestion.  Asanas are the many physical poses in Hatha yoga. People who practice yoga use asanas to free energy and stimulate an imbalanced chakra.
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  seven major chakras •Sahasrara:The crown chakra, which is at the crown of the head, symbolizes spiritual connection. •Ajna: Located between the eyebrows, the third eye chakra has to do with intuition. •Vishuddha: The throat chakra corresponds to immunity and verbal communication. •Anahata: The heart chakra, which is in the center of the chest, influences professional and personal relationships. Any imbalances in this chakra will affect oxygen, hormones, tissue, and organ control. •Manipura: The solar plexus chakra is in the stomach area. It corresponds to self-confidence, wisdom, and self- discipline. •Svadhishthana: The sacral chakra, which is beneath the belly button, connects pleasure, well-being, and vitality. •Muladhara: The root chakra, which is at the base of the spine, connects the mind and body to the earth to keep a person grounded. It controls the sciatic nerves and the parasympathetic nervous system.
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  The main philosophyof yoga  Mind, body, and spirit are all one and cannot be clearly separated.  There is a multitude of philosophical ideas that are helpful to explore the deeper dimensions of the body, mind, and spirit.  Studying and understanding these ideas are essential to shift our view as ourselves as separate, to realizing the unitive state.
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  The main philosophyof yoga  Yoga philosophy, similar to Buddhism, believes that spiritual ignorance creates suffering and binds us to the wheel of samsara (cycle of rebirth).  The removal of our ignorance can take many different paths and techniques in yoga.  Still, the central philosophical teachings of yoga revolve around the practice of mental discernment, detachment, spiritual knowledge, and self-awareness.
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  The main philosophyof yoga  The different paths of yoga utilize various aspects of Sankhya dualism and Upanishadic non-dualism.  Patanjali’s yoga sutras incorporate the concept of Ishvara—a personal god.  Thus, a yogi should understand both the relationships between atman and brahman, prakriti and purusha..  categories: a vast realm of objects collectively called prakriti, and a class of subjects called purushas (including you and me).
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  Tenents  The lawof karma is central to the philosophy of yoga.  Karma is the glue that attaches us to the wheel of samsara, which perpetuates our suffering and the delusion of maya.  Maya is the “illusion or ignorance”that creates the veil between our ego and our unitive experience of the universe
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  Contd.. Yoga philosophy alsoincorporates the concepts of the subtle body and the spiritual energies of prana and kundalini moving through the nadis and chakras. Hatha yoga is especially steeped in the concepts of this energy anatomy.
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  Contd..  The ultimategoal of Yoga is a sustained state of pure awareness called Moksha or Samadhi.  Yoga is the transcendence of the mind to realize the “true self” or “highest self.”  This experience of pure consciousness is our true nature. In this state of liberation, all mental and philosophical constructs fall away. In essence, yogic philosophy is a necessary means to deepen one’s yoga practice and to reach enlightenment
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  Consciousness Prakriti is anintermingling of three entities, or gunas, that are constantly shifting in relation and proportion to one another.  The concealing aspect of prakriti is the guna called tamas (pronounced as the first syllable in “tumble” coupled with the word “us”).  Its activity dulls awareness and ultimately leads to sleep or unconsciousness.  The revealing aspect of prakriti is called sattva (pronounced as the first syllable in “subtle” coupled with the first two letters in the word “wonder”). Sattva’s activity is pleasant and ultimately leads to seeing things as they are—without the distortions and biases of the mind. Sattva is manifested in qualities such as lightness, harmoniousness, selflessness, luminescence, and clarity.  A third guna, rajas (as in the first two letters of “run” coupled with the first three letters in “just”), acts as the force of change. It is characterized as activity itself. It is responsible for the constant shifting of relationships among the three gunas as well as for the experience of instability and impermanence (and the discomfort that accompanies them). Since change may lead to either greater obscurity or greater clarity, rajas is conceptualized as assisting the other two gunas in their work.
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  Mind – BodyInterplay The mind is the instrument through which purusha (consciousness) grasps the objective world. The mind is the instrument through which purusha (consciousness) grasps the objective world. It is the inner instrument, the antah karana, the means for uniting subject and object. This union takes place in two ways: First, the mind is uniquely capable of taking on a semblance of consciousness.  Though it is itself an evolute of prakriti and therefore not inherently conscious, it is subtle enough to acquire the property of awareness. And second, the inner proximity of pure awareness to the mind infuses it with a sense of self, the sense that experience is mine—and I am the subject experiencing it.  The mind also offers the means for interacting with the objective world. It acts as an instrument for gathering experience by employing the senses to perceive the world. It draws upon its storehouse of past experiences to give context to the present. And it directs activity outward through “active senses” such as the hands, the feet, and the organ of speech.  But the mind is itself subject to the inconstancy of the gunas. A drunken mind is a tamasic mind. So is one that is overwhelmed by lethargy, by the desire to hurt another being, or by vulgarity, arrogance, and deceit. A mind
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  Summary  Yoga isan ancient practice that has changed over time.  Modern yoga focuses on poses designed to stimulate inner peace and physical energy. Ancient yoga did not place as much emphasis on fitness. Instead, it revolved around cultivating mental focus and expanding spiritual energy.  There are many different types of yoga available. The style a person chooses will depend on their expectations and level of physical agility.  People with certain health conditions, such as sciatica, should approach yoga slowly and with caution.  Yoga can help support a balanced, active lifestyle.