Yoga: The Art of Breathing, The Art of Living

Namaste.

I still remember the first time I entered The Mind and Body Studio, everything so calm and peaceful, even the mat seemed friendlier. I had been peeking this studio for quite some time but my Body Pump experience warned me to be very careful with these classes. I remember that I joined Dynamic Flow class simply because my ownership of the name. I am dynamic and flow with the go (or go with the flow?) person.

Next thing I knew, I am queueing every Tuesday afternoon, in front of The Mind and Body Studio to have Gentle Flow Class.

I am not here to talk about Yoga in Abrahamic believe perspective nor about in Hinduism perspective. Despite of the fact that Abrahamic followers view this as a lethal New Age Movement (and I am one of their devoted follower), I will just let the religion side aside, agree? I can see some of you nodding and others frowning, so it’s really best to leave the religion side here. What I am going to tell you is just some summary of Yoga definitions that I found during my small research just incase I bumped with some anti-yoga person. I share this to you so you all can know and learn to not to take everything for granted and embrace the positive things of EVERYthing 🙂

Yoga (Sanskrit, Pāli: योग yóga) according to wikipedia, refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines that originated in India. Yes, the word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. However, the Sanskrit word yoga has many meanings, and is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” meaning “to control,” “to yoke” or “to unite.” Translations include “joining,” “uniting,” “union,” “conjunction,” and “means.” It is also possible that the word yoga derives from “yujir samadhau,” which means “contemplation” or “absorption.” This translation fits better with the dualist Raja Yoga because it is through contemplation that discrimination between prakrti (nature) and purusha (pure consciousness) occurs.

Ancient Yogis (someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy to a high level of attainment) had a belief that in order for man to be in harmony with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and intelligence must be in balance. Breathing techniques were developed based on the concept that breath is the source of life. In Yoga, students gain breathing control as they slowly increase their breathing. By focusing on their breathing, they prepare their minds for the next step – Meditation.

There is a general misconception that in Meditation, your mind has to go blank. It doesn’t have to be so. In Meditation, students bring the activities of the mind into focus resulting in a ‘quiet’ mind. By designing physical poses and Breathing Techniques that develop awareness of our body, Yoga helps us focus and relieves us from our everyday stress (read more). So, basically the idea of leaving your mind blank so that some spirit may posses you is definitely NOT Yoga.

Why am I spending some time to read and write about Yoga is simply because I really do find it beneficial. I am dummy on this but I always want to try. The more I try does not necessarily mean that the more my poses become perfect, no, not at all. But, the more I try, the more I experience the benefit of Yoga. Put them in short, first, I can walk with a more straight pose. I become aware of my body. I always remember to open my shoulder and chess and straighten my back, just like when I am making mountain pose. Second, I am learning balance. We all know that most of the time, we use our two feet to hold our weight, right? Through Yoga practices, I am learning to let the burden of from my feet for awhile by moving the center of our weight to hands or back or stomach. Really, It is not an easy task especially if you have a very big body mass like me. However, again, I try, and the more I try the more I know that despite of many rumors, Yoga has its own benefits that you should not miss.

Namaste.