What is YOGA?
• It is the science of right living – an essential tool to be incorporated into daily living. • The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’ which means ‘to join.’ It is the Sanskrit ancestor of the English word ‘yoke.’ It means the union of outer with inner being. So to start with we can assume it is the union of body and mind. • As we go deeper into yoga we will find that it is union of body, mind, emotions and intellect. Finally it is the joining of the individual being with the Supreme Consciousness, the Reality which underlies the apparent.
The Sanskrit term yoga has a wide range of different meanings. It is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, “to control”, “to yoke”, or “to unite”. Common meanings include “joining” or “uniting”, and related ideas such as “union” and “conjunction”. A system of exercises which help your control of the body and mind. It also improves your breathing and focuses the alignment of your body.
“Yoga” is a Sanskrit word meaning “union of Atman (individual Soul) with Brahman (Universal Soul).” “Atman” and “Brahman” are both Hindu theological terms. Interestingly, the Sanskrit root for “yoga” is “yuj;” i.e., “to yoke” [to the Spirit], and the Latin root for “religion” is “religio;” i.e., “to link-back” [to the Spirit]. Therefore it is a fallacy that “yoga” is not “religion” as the two words basically have the same meaning. With this basic understanding, it sounds almost as odd to say “I do yoga” as it does to say “I do religion.” Fine—but which one? Of course, it is in the Hindu religion that one finds all the many forms of Yoga. The Hindu religion (also known by the names “Sanatan Dharma,” “Vedic Dharma” and even “Yoga Dharma”) is the spiritual foundation from which arose the Buddhist, Jain and Sikh Dharmas or religions.
