Yoga - Yoga literally means " union", " connections", or "oneness".
Religion is realization; not talk, nor doctrine, nor theories however beautiful
they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing, or
acknowledging, it is the whole soul becoming
what it believes. That is religion." ~ Swami Vivekananda
Yoga is not a religion...in fact you might say that it is an 'umbrella'. Under it and in it and all around it contains all the worlds' religions, belief systems and philosophies. Yoga is not a religion...it is a universal concept that brings things scattered together. That may be people, ideas or simply the exercises that helps one to bring him / herself together.
An ideal religion should be able to satisfy all types of minds, and all types of questions. Singing, weeping and preaching of love is not all. Modern man wants something stronger than that. He wants a little more reason and wants to understand things step by step and more rationally. Hinduism strives to be such a religion - "a religion that will be equally acceptable to all minds, equally philosophic, equally emotional, equally mystic and equally conducive to action".
Like people of most other religions, Hindus have associated the ideas of holiness, purity, truth, omnipresence, and such other ideals with various icons and forms. But the fundamental difference is that for Hindus, religion does not mean an intellectual ascent to certain doctrines. It is centrally focused on realization. As said Vivekananda, "Man is to become divine by realizing the divine."
Swami Vivekananda has succinctly explained this as follows: "To the worker, it is union between men and the whole of humanity; to the mystic, between his lower and Higher Self; to the lover, union between himself and the God of love; and to the philosopher, it is union of all existence.
This is what is meant by Yoga."
Theologically speaking, there are four divisions of Yoga. In Sanskrit, they are called Raja-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga and Jnana Yoga. And the person who seeks this kind of a union is called a Yogi. The worker is called the Karma-Yogi. One who seeks this union through
mysticism is called a Raja-Yogi. One who searches this union in love is a Bhakti-Yogi. And one who seeks this Yoga through philosophy is called the Jnana-Yogi.
Yoga and Meditation go hand in hand and Pranayama is an integral part of both. The Asanas' we practice (postures) stimulate nerve energy. Of course we all know that nerve energy passes along the spine and sends impulses to our brain and through-out the body. Stimulating and increasing nerve energy through-out the body gives us more energy, clarity and awareness (hightened consciousness).
Pranayama is working with or using breathing techniques to integrate movement with breath. Prana means 'life force'. By practicing various Pranayama we then stimulate our energy centers (chakras) and open up latent mysteries, powers, energies that may be asleep in many of us. This awakening in combination with inner reflection through meditation is the beginning of the awakening of the potential of human beings...
Yoga originates from the East. The earliest writings about Yoga appear in the Bhagavad- Gita about 10,000 years ago. From India the Yogic techniques were taught to the monks in the Himalayas and they in turn (with some changes) taught it to the villagers who needed to learn how to protect themselves.....these teachings evolved and became what we know today as Martial Arts.
Yoga literally means " union", " connections", or "oneness". Today, we typically understand "yoga" to mean a series of gentle stretching exercises; but in fact, it can refer to any of a number of physical and mental disciplines, all of which are designed to reunite us with our sacred energy source: the divine.
In the second century C.E., the Indian yogi Patanjali - who is sometimes referred to as the Father of Yoga - codified the millennia-old yoga tradition in his Yoga Sutra. Patanjali outlined eight specific principles, each of which is an entire practice path intended to reunite the seeker with the divine.
* Yamas - Ethical behavior, truth, non-violence, non-stealing, non-covetness
* Niyamas - Self discipline, purity, surrender of ego
* Asanas - Bodily Postures
* Pranayama - Breathing and control of the vital breath force
* Pratahahara - Turning inward, releasing the Ego & senses
* Dhyrana - Concentration of the mind
* Dyana - Meditation
* Samadi - Transcendence
The process of linking oneself with the Supreme is called yoga, which may be compared to a ladder for attaining the topmost realization. This ladder begins from the lowest material condition of the living entity and rises up to perfect self-realization in pure spiritual life. According to various elevations, different parts of the ladder are known by different names.
The aspirant should assume his meditative posture, close his eyes gently, and allow the breath to flow smoothly and easily. One next draws upon his imagination to create an attractive image that symbolizes his highest spiritual ideal or concept. He places this image in his heart, where he surrounds the image with an ocean of light, and holds it there, mentally visualizing it. Any beautiful image may be visualized according to the imaginative capacity of the practitioner.
Rejuvenate yourself, the most effective way, just as our saints and Sadhus have been doing for centuries. India Nepal is known as the country where Yoga and Meditation are a way of life. India, though taking impressive strides towards urbanization and industrialization, still has locales where the concepts of Yoga and Meditation are an integral part of human life. We will take you to the vicinity of Himalaya, where luxury is blended with natural beauty and everything is in tune with nature.
our Yoga and Meditation travel holidays give you an unmatched opportunity to explore your latent spirituality. We offer you the chance of actually being instructed in Yoga techniques and Meditation practices by some of India’s, Nepal's best-known Yoga Masters. Not only that, you will also be living in some of the most beautiful ashrams and health spas in India for the entire duration of the Meditation and Yoga session.
Some of the exclusive Yoga and Meditation Tours of India that are offered by us are:
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