YOGA at last is taking roots in the Western world. Earlier dismissed as a bizarre cult attractive only to eccentrics, it is today recognized as a fundamental art and skill.

The ancient saints who formulated the science of Yoga were far ahead of us in understanding our modern world of stress and hurry than ourselves. The practical method evolved by them is at once as ancient as India herself and as modern as the space age!

The law of Yoga is the law of Life. Yoga embodies and combines profound age-old truths for a stress free way of life sorely required by the modern mind. Evolved from the Vedas, Indian sages taught that the Universe is one and that all religions are paths ascending the same mountain towards Eternal Truth. The great saint, Sri Ramakrishna, is often quoted as saying, As many faiths, so many paths.'

But note that Yoga is neither a religion nor a mystic cult. It is a system of philosophic meditation and asceticism designed to effect the reunion of the soul with God. It is a philosophy which integrates the individual life and the world surrounding us to achieve a basic harmony and equilibrium in the body and mind of man.

How is physical health a part of so spiritual a philosophy as Yoga?

It's simply that the trichotomy of our lives, divided into body, soul and spirit, is echoed in the complete Yogic philosophy whose three approaches- asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), and meditation-are unified as one approach to self discovery.

Its wise to remember here that we are yet to meet anyone who can successfully employ the techniques of mind control while plagued with indigestion, asthma, a thumping headache or any other of the ills and stress symptoms which plague modern man!

So first things first. Physical ills drag one downwards and the disciplinary science of Yoga was evolved that the body would be freed from pain and disease.

The fundamental doctrine of Yoga is that God is within each one of us but he reveals Himself only in conditions of purity, both spiritually and physically. To function on a higher level, either mentally or physically, the first step must always be to rid the body of the impurities that cause disease and which impede spiritual development.

This basic principle of purification underlines all Yogic practice and at the same time it aims at establishing a balance in the body so that it functions, as it were, like a perfect machine. When this state of physical balance is achieved the mind can then be controlled and can realize the ultimate in pure thought and reason.

Yoga awaits your interest, your inspection, your first hesitant experiments. It is here, it has always been here, it is yours for the taking. Those who have delved into its profound philosophy and studied for years with patience and devotion to learn more and more have found something unique, priceless, and indestructible.

The inner power of Yoga becomes apparent when one realizes that it has something to offer every thinking person, here and now, yet it is an ancient Hindu philosophy, its beginnings shrouded in the mists of time.

The idea of Yoga may sound fanciful but the proof is manifold.

Learn more about this author, S. Kumar.
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