Yoga & Meditation

Yoga is a unique ancient healing art originating from India more than six thousand years ago. Term yoga is a system of exercises for attaining bodily, mental control and well-being. Yoga means union. Union between one's individual consciousness and the Universal consciousness. Therefore, yoga refers to a certain state of consciousness as well as to methods that help one reach that goal or state of union with the divine. Many people confuse yoga with physical contortion, or think it is a religion. Yoga is none of these things. Yoga is basically a way of life which enables one to conserve energy and coordinate the power of body, mind, consciousness, which keeps the body healthy and the mind relaxed. Yoga is one of the world's oldest branches of spiritual inquiry, and one of the longest standing, most intense experiments of the human spirit, .This ancient art of movement is a low intensity non-competitive form of exercise that can be safely practiced by children at any level of physical fitness. Yoga is derived from Sanskrit, one of the world's most ancient languages. In its simplest form, yoga means 'a bringing together of the parts in order to create a union or balance of a person’s body, mind and spirit'. All forms of yoga originated in India. People who follow this school, and practice any form of yoga are called yogis, or yogins. Students study under prolonged and careful guidance of the teacher, known as the guru. Hinduism believes that yoga has many different paths to enlightenment. Jnanic, Bhaktic, Karma, and Raja yoga's are the different paths. They are different paths, but the Hindus believes that they all lead to the same destination, which is spiritual freedom. Yoga not only unites our body with our mind but with our true self or spirit. Yoga's goal is to extinguish the fire of emotions within us. I believe that just by being human, we are enslaved by our emotions, which in turn chains us to the material world. By being attached to the material world, we are cut off from our true self and, therefore, are not spiritually free. The only exemption to worldly emotions is love. The only way to spiritual liberation is by learning to master all of our own emotions. Yoga is basically a way of life which enables one to conserve energy and coordinate the power of body, mind, consciousness, which keeps the body healthy and the mind relaxed. Yoga is one of the world's oldest branches of spiritual inquiry, and one of the longest standing, most intense experiments of the human spirit, . Yoga teaches guidelines and values to follow, and practices for purification for the body, mind and spirit. It is the exercise of discipline and the practice of purification. The spiritual tradition of yoga training has been passed down from generation to generation. The mind and body are so completely connected that physical activities such as yoga and dance have healthful effects not only on the body but also on mental ailments such as depression and anxiety. Conversely, mental approaches such as hypnosis and imagery benefit physical problems such as hypertension and immune deficiency.