SO, WHAT IS YOGA?

SO, WHAT IS YOGA?

One of the many names of Shivji , is Yogeshwar.
And Yoga has become increasingly popular the world Over, crossing boundaries of Geography, and indeed, happily of Religion.Yoga is a way of life, anyone has the right to be, and can be a yogi. Moving on from Sage Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, or the Gorakh Nath traditions difficult Hatha yoga, Every now and then, one reads about newer and more innovative 'forms' of Yoga.There is Power Yoga, vinyasa, jivanmukti, Bikram yoga, kriya yoga,white lotus, kali ray triyoga, and so much more. So, the spread, is on!
You can just Google it these days!


But what is Yoga? is it about a series of difficult postures called Asanas??
Lord Shiva is the Primal abhyasi (practitioner), The yogi par excellence. After having experimented on the Self innumerable times, after dexterously recording His findings in His own mind,He carefully guided his snake Karakota in all the 8 limbs of the yoga he had himself developed. The snake became the great Rishi Patanjali in his next birth. Remembering sincerely what his Lord Had taught him Patanjali laid down Shiva's teachings as the Yog sutras for seekers to practise. It is also known as Ashtanga yoga, or that which has Eight steps.
Traditional Ashtanga Yoga begins with Yama ( moral restraints or "do not dos" ) Niyama (moral observances or the" Dos" ) and the third limb is Asana. These are the various poses we learn in Hatha Yoga. Asana is a gateway , and can be understood as 'seats' for this great flight to the Divine Self. We get to the subtle heights by more subtle steps, pranayama-the training of the prana or breath, prathyahara-the cessation of outward distraction by isolating our mind, then dharana, focusing it on a single stream of thought on an object that is Divine, like God or Guru. Shiva teaches that we must reach the highest realms of yoga, the 7th and 8th realms called Dhyana and Samadhi. Like the great Swami, Vivekananda summed it up in a different context, but which holds good here also
" Realisation is real religion, the rest is preparation"

May Shiva bless all the Yogis and Yoginis. Aum Namah Shivaya!!