Daniel Lacerda - 2,100 Asanas: The Complete Yoga Poses

You are advised to consult with your health care professional with regard to matters relating to your health, and in particular regarding matters that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Neither this exercise program nor any other exercise program should be followed without first consulting a health care professional. If you have any special conditions requiring attention, you should consult with your health care professional regularly regarding possible modification of the program contained in this book. Copyright 2015 Mr. Yoga, Inc. Yoga, Inc. Yoga, Inc.

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ISBN 978-0-316-27062-5 E3

The ultimate goal of yoga is self-realization. You do not need to go to the mountaintop to find it or pay a teacher to show you the way. There are currencies that we exchange with one another that are much more valuable than money: kindness, selflessness, being one part of the greater good. Nor do you need to look outside yourself. If you have an open mind, a sincere desire to learn and to apply that knowledge on a daily basis, and the commitment to follow through on what youve begun, you can achieve self-realization.

Self-realization is the knowledge that we sentient beings are interconnected and that what we think, say, and do affects those around us. Burdened by the pressures and demands that exist outside of ourselvesof our jobs, bills, desire for status and for material possessionswe forget this. Self-realization is the ability to achieve freedom from these demands and to know that true happiness comes from fulfilling our own potential and from lifting up those around us without the thought of self-gain. Dedicating yourself to the regular practice of yoga can help bring you back to this place. Yoga is, indeed, an excellent form of exercise that carries with it many immediate and long-term physical benefits from improved flexibility to stronger muscles and bones. However, yoga is not just about moving through the poses.

Mindfulness plays an essential part in any dedicated yoga practice. If performed properly, yoga quiets the mind of all distracting thoughts from the outside world (chittavritti, meaning mind chatter), bringing you to a place of peace within. In turn, being mindful of your thoughts will allow you to be mindful of, and truly connected with, your body, thus completing the cycle of mental and physical health that will allow you to enjoy all the wonderful things that life has to offer. For the past eleven years, I have dedicated my life to yoga, teaching an average of twenty-five classes seven days a week. I have done this to make a difference in the lives of my students. Namaste!

Most of us know yoga as a set of poses performed in a gym or yoga studio setting. Namaste!

Most of us know yoga as a set of poses performed in a gym or yoga studio setting.

The majority of yoga styles practiced today were invented in the last quarter of the 20th century and are either a far cry from yogas roots or have no authentic lineage. If we really want to examine the roots of yoga, we need to go back to the Harrapan culture, dating back 3,500 years, when yoga was a meditative practice. According to some, around 1500 BCE , Harrapan culture was diminished due to Aryan invasion. Barbarians from Normandy introduced the caste system and enforced a set of religious rituals that involved blood sacrifice practices. Along with these religious practices came sacred scriptures called the Vedas, a large body of spiritual texts originating in India. The word yoga was first mentioned in the oldest of the Vedas, Rig Veda.

It referred to the concept of discipline. Fast forward to 800 BCE . The Upanishads, a collection of texts that contain some of the earliest concepts of Hinduism, prescribed the method of achieving enlightenment by studying under a teacher and dedicating ones life to a yoga practice. The Upanishads outlined two paths to enlightenment: Karma Yoga (selfless dedication to the service of others) and Jnana Yoga (intense study of spiritual writings). Around the 3rd century BCE , the Maitrayaniya Upanishad prescribed a six-step process to enlightenment, which included mastering pranayama (breath control), pratyaharia (sense withdrawal), dhyana (meditation), dharana (one-pointed concentration), tarka (self-reflection), and samadhi (absolute absorption) in order to unite the Atman (individuals spirit) and Brahman (universal spirit or source of creation). The sacred syllable om appeared in this particular Upanishad as a symbol of union between mind and breath.