Advait - Easy Yoga: Your Ultimate Beginners Guide to Understanding Yoga and Leading a Disease-Free Life through Routine Yoga Practice

Easy Yoga

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Copyright 2015, Advait. All rights reserved.

Hi, I am Advait,

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Advait

There is a common and popular belief that Yoga is an Indian ritual which is all about performing difficult physical exercises for maintaining health and curing diseases.

This is a MYTH!!

Actually, Sound Health is a side-effect of Yoga.

Surprising!!! But true.

The word Yoga literally means to unite ourselves with our higher self - an entirely meta-physical objective which can be achieved through a Discipline of Physical exercises (Asanas) coupled with Meditation exercises ( Dhyana ) and Breathing exercises (Pranayam). When we perform those exercises we get in shape and achieve good health.

Yoga is not something to be performed or practiced, it is to be achieved.

Yoga is the destination and the path to it is through a disciplined practice of physical exercises, meditation and breathing exercises.

Maharshi Patanjali , in his revolutionary work Paatanjal YogaSutra prescribes an eight-fold path to achieve Yoga, known as Ashtang Yoga.

[Paatanjal YogaSutra is considered to be the most comprehensive book on Yoga and it forms the basis and reference of all the Yoga methodologies practiced throughout the world today.]

The Ashtang Yoga [eight-fold path to yoga], given by Maharshi Patanjali is as follows:

Yama

The moral virtues that one should possess as they are considered to be essential for ones initiation on the path to yoga.

Niyama

It involves being knowledgeable and aware about your surroundings and then studying your-self to form an essential discipline which you would adhere to.

Asana

Understanding and Performing the required physical exercises, this is the core of your yoga practice.

Pranayam

It is all about breath control, which enhances the life energy which governs the existence of a being and balances the mental energy.

Pratyahar

Sensory inhibitions which internalize the consciousness and prepare your mind to take action.

Dharana

It involves inculcating an extended mental focus to concentrate on only those things that are essential.

Dhyana

It involves meditation, paying attention to your breathing and thus focusing only on yourself.

Samadhi

Becoming one with the object of your contemplation and experiencing spiritual liberation.

Yama and Niyama are essential for inculcating the needed discipline and establish a strict routine.

Asana is the crucial physical part, which subjects your body to essential physical movements through different exercises.

Pranayam and Pratyahar are needed to guide us through the various breathing exercises and for making us aware of the internal spiritual changes as we ascend along the path to Yoga.

Dharana and Dhyana stages prepare us mentally and spiritually to concentrate inwards by using various meditation exercises.

Samadhi is the culmination stage where one achieves Yoga.

Before going any further lets look back at where it all began.

To tell you the truth. No one knows!!

The foundation of Yoga as a science is attributed to Maharshi Patanjali who lived in India in 3 rd Century B.C.

But, archeological excavations in the Indus Valley civilization sites have unearthed sculptures and idols depicting various Asanas (physical exercise positions) suggested in Yoga and these idols date back to around 3000 years B.C.

Also, information about various aspects of Yoga can be found in Vedic texts like; Shwetashwatrupanishad,

Chaandogyopanishad,

Kaushitki Upanishad,

Maitri Upanishad etc.

This information was scattered all over and Maharshi Patanjali, compiled these nuggets into a streamlined and strict science of Yoga or should I say he compiled this scattered information into a way of life called Yoga through his work Paatanjal YogaSutra

After Maharshi Patanjali,

Maharshi Swatwaram wrote Hatapradipika (meaning - One Which Illuminates the Path of Hatha Yoga , i.e. the physical aspect of Yoga) in the 13 th Century A.D.

And, Maharshi Gherand wrote Gherandsanhita around the same time.

Almost all the Yoga methodologies practiced world-over today regard Maharshi Patanjalis work as their reference.

I like to keep all my books absolutely fluff free and concise. I promise you, this book will be no different.

I will not waste 10 pages in convincing you about how amazing Yoga is and how you can benefit from practicing it. But, I will tell you this

If you want to live at least a 100 years of disease-free life and want the same for your loved ones, the only thing that can guarantee it is a Yoga Routine.

Many western scholars claim that Ancient Indian Seers (Maharshis) had a life span of well over a century and they attribute this longevity to a regular practice of Yoga by these Maharshis.

For e.g.: Maharshi Vyaas, is attributed to compiling and categorizing the scattered Vedic Knowledge and Wisdom into the four Vedas (thats the reason why is also called as Maharshi Ved Vyaas), he is also attributed for writing Mahabharata (mind you, the Bhagavad Gita is but a small part of Mahabharata) and numerous other works, and many scholars and historians have concluded that it is not possible to do all this in an average life span of 60-70 years, so he had to have lived well over a century.

Such similar comparisons can also be drawn true to numerous other Philosophers, Thinkers and Acharyas of Vedic India.

The bottom-line is, a well established, sincere and disciplined Yoga Routine is the best medical insurance you can have for yourself and your family.

It is impossible to make a general classification of Yoga Asanas (exercises), as each Asana can be classified into multiple sub-categories, for e.g.;

A. Asanas can be classified depending upon whether you hold your breath in while performing the exercise, you exhale and perform the exercise or you maintain your normal rate of breathing.

B. Asanas can be classified depending upon whether you perform it standing, sitting or lying down on the mat.

C. Asanas can also be classified depending upon the parts of the body being extended and stretched.

For our ease and understanding, in this book and in the subsequent Yoga Routine series, we broadly classify Asanas into Three (3) categories:

I. Dhyanasanas:

Asanas which dont involve much physical movement, but focus more on mental focus and concentration, with a hint of meditation, viz. Swastikasan.