PREFACE
The whole world is talking about Yoga. It is considered to be some mystical, Divine Indian concept that gives instant Peace. People say it is the Union of body, mind, and Soul. But is this what Yoga truly is?
Yoga today is primarily taught as a set of body postures or asanas. Some take it a step further and include breathing exercises referred to as pranayama. But this is not true Yoga! This may be good for our physical well-being and excellent as breathing exercises, but true Yoga is something completely different.
Foreigners flock to the Yoga capital of the world – Rishikesh on the foothills of the Himalayas in India to learn Yoga. There are hundreds of Yoga institutes and thousands of Yoga teachers, each teaching Yoga in their own unique way, based on certain ancient principles, but not many know what the true meaning of Yoga is.
Yoga is so popular that it has spread its influence globally. There are many Yoga journals, Yoga institutes and several million Americans, Europeans and others around the world who practice Yoga on a regular basis and the numbers are growing. Unfortunately, while they enjoy a good workout of body and mind, they have not discovered the Divine truth about Yoga.
Most people think of Yoga to be a magical exercise that promises good health and well-being through proper control of the body and breath. In reality, Yoga has very little to do with physical and breathing exercises. In fact, Yoga is all about transcending the body and mind. Unfortunately, we think of Yoga as a Yogic activity that circles around the body and we have become prisoners of the myth called Yoga.
Those who think that Yoga is just about stretching the body will be in for a big surprise when they read this book. It will trigger their mind and help them overcome the misconceptions about Yoga.
Yoga has become a global fashion with manufacturers producing special clothing, unique mats, and yogic music to facilitate the practice of Yoga. The commercialization of Yoga has reached its peak with special Yogic teas and decoctions. The creativity in Yoga merchandise is truly amazing!
All this is perfectly ok and there is certainly no harm in following and practising these body postures. In fact, it is good to perform these physical exercises and breathing practices for our general health and wellbeing as they help strengthen our physical and mental state. However, these twin practices that have become a global fad, in no way represent what Yoga truly is.
Yoga, in reality, is a Union with the Divine. There is no doubt that as part of the entire Yogic experience, some saints advocated certain body postures and breathing exercises to be a part of the overall Yoga practice, but most definitely, these by themselves are not Yoga.
True Yoga is a Soulful and Divine Experience and doesn’t necessarily need one to do Asanas and Pranayama. These physical and breathing exercises are not mandatory to experience the benefits of Yoga.
Unfortunately, now that Yoga has become a fashion, people are blind to its true meaning. It has become so commercial that many hotels in India advertise Yoga sessions to lure foreign tourists to stay in their hotels. In fact, there are thousands of Yoga retreat centres that have mushroomed all over India and many parts of the world that boast of teaching Yoga and assure guests of a Yogic transformation after their Yoga retreat.
It is not only foreigners who have been carried away by a wrong understanding of Yoga. Most Indians too say that they are doing Yoga when they stretch their body a bit and when they perform asanas or pranayama. This breath control along with physical exercises, without the other aspects of Yoga, are ineffective in achieving the true objective of Yoga. It is only the tip of the iceberg.
Those who think Yoga is just asanas and pranayama do not realize that an essential and a large part of Yoga is missing and this results in ignorance - the true meaning of Yoga remains elusive as it continues to remain unknown to the world. In reality, the true meaning of Yoga is no secret, but because of the mass commercialization of the myth that is called Yoga, the truth about Yoga has lost its importance and significance.
Yoga is the key to unlock the ultimate goal of life - “Liberation”, but to do so, we must understand the true meaning of Yoga. We must bust the myth about Yoga that is circulating all around the world and discover the true meaning of Yoga.
This book attempts to explain everything about Yoga, its actual meaning and significance, how it must be practised and how through Yoga, one can be liberated and experience ultimate Divine Peace and Bliss. Come let us discover the truth about Yoga.
Yoga is not just moving your hands and legs,
Yoga has a different Goal.
Yoga is realizing we are not body and mind,
Yoga discovers we are the Soul.