Yoga Philosophy
The Roots of Yoga
The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" meaning
to yoke, join or unite. This implies joining or integrating all
aspects of the individual - body with mind and mind with soul -
to achieve a happy, balanced and useful life, and spiritually, uniting
the individual with the supreme.
In India, Yoga is considered one of the six branches of classical
philosophy and is referred to throughout the Vedas - ancient Indian
scriptures and amongst the oldest texts in existence.The Upanishads
are also broadly philosophical treatises which postdate the Vedas
and deal with the nature of the "soul" and universe.
However, the origins of yoga are believed to be much older than
that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where knowledge
of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher) to Sisya (spiritual
student) all the way back to the originators of Yoga, "the
Rishis," who first began investigation into the nature of reality
and man's inner world.
Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga was first passed by Lord Shiva
to his wife Parvati and from there into the lives of men.
The Aim of Yoga
According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ultimate aim of
Yoga is to reach "Kaivalya" (emancipation or ultimate
freedom). This is the experience of one's innermost being or "soul"
(the Purusa). Then one becomes free of chains of cause and effect
(Karma) which tie us to continual reincarnation. In Kaivalya one
is said to exist in peace and tranquillity, having attained absolute
knowledge of the difference between the spiritual which is timeless,
unchanging and free of sorrows, and the material which is not.
This is considered desirable as life is analysed as ultimately
full of sorrows and pain- even pleasure and joy leave pain and loss
when they have gone as nothing in the material world is permanent.
Yoga is therefore a spiritual quest. However, along the path of
yoga, the aspirant also gains health, happiness, tranquillity and
knowledge which are indicators of progress and an encouragement
to continue their practice. Buddhism and other Eastern spiritual
traditions use many techniques derived from Yoga.
The Paths of Yoga
There are said to be 4 main paths (Margas), according to the Bhagavad
Gita, by which to reach the ultimate goal of Yoga - "Kaivalya."
There is the path of Knowledge (Jnana Marga) in which one learns
to discriminate between what is real and what is illusory, the path
of selfless work (Karma marga), the path of devotion (Bhakti Marga)
and the path of control of the mind (Yoga Marga) where all the activities
of the mind and consciousness are studied and brought under control.
From these have come the various paths of yoga which can be followed.
- Raja yoga involves mastery of the mind and senses in Samadhi;
essentially the advanced aspects of Patanjali's astanga yoga.
- Hatha yoga is the yoga of the will which involves cultivating
ones energy to arouse Kundalini primarily by means of asana and
pranayama.
- Mantra yoga involves reciting sacred syllables to reach perfection.
- Laya yoga involves absorption in god to experience ultimate
bliss.
- Bhakti yoga requires absolute devotion to god to achieve the
ultimate goal.
- Karma yoga achieves this through selfless work without thought
of personal reward
- Jnana yoga is the yoga of knowledge cultivating the discrimination
between spiritual reality and the illusion of the material world.
- It must be realised that there are no clear cut boundaries between
these various paths and all draw on the practices and philosophy
of the others; effectively all paths have the same goal and "tread
the same terrain." They are different views of the same topic.
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200hrs YTTC
