Philosophy of Yoga for Beginners

The philosophy of yoga is extremely popular today. For many, it has become a real discovery in life. Yoga saves tortured people from daily stresses and helps them to see the most important, throwing away the secondary. However, it does not reduce to a banal complex of physical exercises. Yoga as an ancient tradition and religion, yoga as a philosophy and medicine - this is what will be discussed in this article.

The reasons for the popularity of yoga in the modern world

As already noted, yoga today is extremely popular. You can even say that it is fashionable in modern society. What are the reasons for this popularity?

For this you need to answer one question. The modern personality - what is it? Exhausted, depressed and oppressed. A man of the XXI century, as a rule, spends his life in pursuit of dubious goods. Yoga also helps not only cope with daily stresses, but also teaches us to concentrate our attention (and strengths) on the most important, truly important things.

The philosophy of yoga reveals to man the only true way to realizing one's essence, helps to fully reveal your inner potential.

It is curious that the practical methods of yoga are effective in any case. Even if a person does not really believe in them or has not the faintest idea about the essence and principles of this philosophy. This is another unique feature of yoga.

The philosophy of yoga (briefly)

What is yoga? Is it fair to call it philosophy, science or religion?

The very word in translation from Sanskrit means "unity". In the narrow sense, it is primarily concerned with the harmony and fusion of the body and soul of man. In a more global sense, this is the union of man with God.

Yoga is an Indian philosophy, very ancient. Its main postulates were singled out in the second century BC by the famous Guru of Patanjali. However, to assert that the philosophy of yoga was founded by him, is wrong. After all, it is believed that the Creator himself gave yoga to mankind (through the avatar of Krishna).

The foundations of this teaching are not systematized. Their separate aspects can be found in various ancient Indian sources, beginning with the Vedas. That is why historians can not determine the precise chronological scope of this direction.

The philosophy of yoga is extremely multifaceted. The main goal of the teaching is the attainment of nirvana. This term means a complete reunion with the Creator.

To date, researchers have identified several forms of yoga. It:

• Karma yoga;
• Bhakti-yoga;
• Jnana-yoga;
• Mantra yoga;
• Hatha yoga and others.

Each of these directions is only one of the steps on the way to the single goal of the philosophy of yoga - unity with the Supreme. In this article, we will dwell in more detail on the last of these forms.

The Parable of the Hidden Divinity

The philosophy of yoga for beginners is perfectly illustrated by one of the Old Indian parables. It will help to better understand the essence of this teaching to those who are just starting to get acquainted with it.

So, the parable of the hidden divinity ...

According to legend, earlier all people on Earth were gods. Brahma created them. However, soon the ruler of all the gods saw that they were using their power not quite righteously, and therefore decided to take away their divine power from them. At the same time he had a question: where to hide the divinity from people, so that they could not find it?

To solve this dilemma, Brahma summoned counselors. Those began to fall asleep with various options: some offered to bury the divinity in the ground, others - to throw it at the bottom of the ocean ... However, no proposal liked Brahma. "Sooner or later people will get to the bottom of the oceans," he replied thoughtfully.

When suddenly the lord of the gods himself guessed what to do. He decided to hide the divinity within man himself. And I was not mistaken. The man conquered the heavens and the depths of the sea, drilled kilometer tunnels under the ground, but never really looked inside himself.

History of yoga: ancient finds

It is difficult to determine how deeply the roots of yoga drag on. Thus, in the valley of the Indus River, archaeologists have found ancient seals dated to the second millennium BC. They depict people, as well as deities in unusual poses (all researchers counted 16 different positions). This find led historians to think that one of the forms of yoga was already familiar to the inhabitants of the Harappan civilization.

If we talk about written testimonies, then the concept of "yoga" is first encountered in the Rig Veda, one of the most ancient monuments of Indian literature.

Patanjali and his "yoga sutras"

This teaching is attributed to the list, consisting of six orthodox schools of Hinduism. The philosophy of yoga is very closely connected with the direction of the sankhya. However, in comparison with her, yoga is more theistic.

On the relationship of these two schools spoke in due time and Henry Zimmer. At the same time, he argued that the sankhya gives a general explanation of the nature of man, while yoga reveals practical methods and ways to its complete liberation (the state of moksha).

Like any other school of Indian philosophy, yoga has its own sacred texts. These are the so-called "yoga sutras", outlined by the sage Patanjali. In one of them, by the way, the teacher reveals the very essence of the concept we are considering. According to the text of the second sutra, yoga is "the process of curbing the disturbances inherent in reason."

Swami Vivekananda: the life path of a philosopher

One of the brightest representatives of this school is the Indian sage and public figure Swami Vivekananda. The philosophy of yoga in his writings has acquired a new meaning. He was able to explain its key positions from the perspective of the Western worldview.

Swami Vivekananda lived and worked in the second half of the XIX century. He was born in 1863 in a very religious family. He studied at the Scottish Church College, where he showed a special interest in philosophy. At the same time, Vivekananda sets out to find the person who met with God himself. And soon he finds it. It was a kind of Ramakrishna. Soon Vivekananda becomes his disciple.

In 1888 he, along with other disciples of Ramakrishna, began to travel through the territory of India. Then he goes to other countries (USA, France, Japan, England and others). The sage died in 1902. Swami's body, like his spiritual mentor, was cremated on the banks of the Ganges River.

During his life Vivekananda wrote a number of works. The most important among them are the following:

• "Karma Yoga" (1896).
• "Raja Yoga" (1896).
• "Philosophy of Vedanta: lectures on jnana yoga" (1902).

Swami Vivekananda: Philosophical Views

Vivekananda belongs to a very famous saying: "God is one, only his names differ." Some call him Jesus, others - Allah, others - Buddha and so on.

Swami Vivekananda differed in the originality of his thought. His main merit as a philosopher is that he managed to prove that the key ideas of Vedanta can be applied for purely practical purposes, in public life.

"Each person is divine in itself" - this saying of Ramakrishna became a red thread in the life of the philosopher. He was sure that no one would gain freedom until all other people became free. Vivekananda claimed that a truly enlightened person must work tirelessly to save other people. The philosopher extolled unselfishness and agitated everyone not to lose faith in themselves.

The public views of Swami Vivekananda were based on the fact that the state and the church should be divided. Religion, in his opinion, should in no case interfere in matters of marriages, hereditary relations, and the like. He also believed that society should ideally be a uniform mixture of all four castes. And he was sure that religion should not interfere in the process of building an ideal society.

Yoga Hatha: The Philosophy of the School

The name of this yoga direction is translated from Sanskrit as an "intensified merger". For the first time the postulates of this school were systematized by Swami Swatmarama. He believed that Hatha Yoga is the process of preparing the human body for complex meditations.

The word "hatha", as the researchers suggest, consists of two components: "ha" - the mind and "tha" - the life force.

Hatha Yoga is a complex teaching on how to achieve physical harmony by physical and mental influences on the body (these are asanas, pranayama, mudras and bandhas). Each of them affects a specific part of the human body. In hatha yoga, specially selected complexes of certain exercises with which you can strengthen your health and fight serious diseases.

Breathing is the basis of life

The main emphasis in hatha yoga is on breathing. Adherents of this school are sure that the influence of breathing on the body is so strong that only pranayama (breathing exercises) can significantly improve one's state. A skillful combination of them with asanas - this is a pledge of a healthy and strong body.

Hatha Yoga as a medical philosophy puts its primary task to complete purification of the human respiratory system. In addition, it is a real art of relaxing the body and all its muscles. After all, the real clarity of mind comes only to a relaxed organism.

The state of the body, well-being, as well as the mental processes of a person are closely related to his breathing. It seems that everyone will agree with this. That is why in Hatha Yoga such attention is given to the art and techniques of proper breathing. In doing so, it teaches people to breathe properly, not only during special activities, but also in everyday life. A wise and careful attitude towards one's health is what teaches the people of Hatha Yoga. Philosophy and practice are organically intertwined in this doctrine.

General goals and objectives of yoga

Anyone who has decided to seriously engage in yoga can pursue different goals. This may be a simple desire to strengthen one's health or to cure a chronic disease. And for someone, yoga is the key to achieving moksha ("union with Brahman").

By the way, it is moksha - as a process and the fact of liberation from samsara - that is the ultimate goal in many schools of ancient Indian philosophy. But in Vaishnavism, the main goal of yoga is the desire for God, the Creator. According to the teachings of this school, a Vaisnava then enters a spiritual, blissful world in which he can enjoy the devotional service of Vishnu.

The development of yoga in Russia

Individual residents of Russia showed an interest in yoga in pre-revolutionary times. In the era of the Soviet Union, this school was under an ideological ban, which, incidentally, did not prevent a certain enthusiast from practicing semilegally.

In Russia at different times many famous personalities were active propagandists of yoga. Among them - the doctor BL Smirnov, Professor VV Brodov, writer VI Voronin, engineer Ya. I. Koltunov and many others. At the end of the 80s, a higher educational institution, the so-called Academy of Yoga, began to work in Moscow. Her founder was Gennady Statsenko. At the same time, a laboratory appeared in the capital of the USSR, which was engaged in studying non-traditional methods of treatment and rehabilitation. Of course, the sphere of interest of this laboratory included the teaching of Ancient India - yoga.

Yoga for Beginners: Some Useful Tips

Today yoga courses are taught in almost every fitness club. However, knowledgeable people still recommend to attend classes in a specialized school.

Finally, a few useful tips for those who are planning to start doing yoga:

• Clothes for training should be comfortable and made of natural fabric;
• To start the mastering of yoga it is necessary from a small point of view, gradually penetrating into the "depths" of this teaching;
• Miss classes is not desirable, because every new session is a logical continuation of the previous one;
• To yoga it is necessary to approach very consciously and thoroughly.

And, of course, do not forget that yoga is not only a healthy, tightened body, but also an opportunity to feel the harmony of body and soul.

Finally...

Yoga is the philosophy of Ancient India, which is very popular in the modern world. However, this is not entirely philosophy, or rather, not only it. It is also science, religion, centuries-old tradition and practice. What is the philosophy of yoga so attractive to modern man?

A short answer to this question can be two main theses. First: yoga helps a person cope with the enormous pressure of cruel reality. The second: it is capable of each of us to open the way to the knowledge of oneself, of our inner essence.