The Path of Yoga
Discover the ancient science of well-being, originating from Adiyogi (Shiva), designed to harmonize the body, mind, and spirit.
Core Yoga Components
Yoga, derived from the Sanskrit root "Yuj" meaning 'to unite' or 'to yoke', is a vast collection of spiritual, physical, and mental practices originating in ancient India. Its goal is to unite the individual consciousness (Jivatma) with the universal consciousness (Paramatma). Lord Shiva, revered as Adiyogi (the first Yogi), is considered the ultimate source of Yoga, who transmitted this profound knowledge to humanity for liberation and self-realization.
While often known in the West primarily for its physical postures (Asanas), Yoga encompasses a much broader spectrum, including ethical disciplines (Yamas and Niyamas), breath control (Pranayama), sense withdrawal (Pratyahara), concentration (Dharana), meditation (Dhyana), and absorption into the divine (Samadhi).
Maitrayaniya Upanishad (c. 4th century BCE)
"The oneness of breath, mind, and senses, and the surrender of all conceptions."
Katha Upanishad (last centuries BCE)
"Firm restraint of the senses, leading to an undistracted state, considered the highest state."
Bhagavad Gita (c. 2nd century BCE)
"Equanimity in success and failure (2.48); Skill in action (2.50); Separation from contact with suffering (6.23)."
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (c. first centuries CE)
"The calming down of the fluctuations/patterns of the mind (1.2)."
Yogabhasya (same as Yoga Sutras)
"Yoga is Samadhi (concentration/absorption)."
Linga Purana (7th–10th century CE)
"By the word 'yoga' is meant nirvana, the condition of Shiva."
Adi Shankara (Brahmasutra-bhasya) (c. 8th century CE)
"Yoga is the means of perceiving reality."
Mālinīvijayottara Tantra (Kashmir Shaivism) (6th–10th century CE)
"Yoga is said to be the oneness of one entity with another."
Yogabija (Hatha Yoga) (14th century CE)
"The union of apana and prana, sun and moon, individual Self and supreme Self, and all dualities."
Benefits of Yoga Practice
Improves flexibility, strength, balance, and circulation. Reduces pain and tension.
Reduces mental chatter, enhances concentration and memory.
Calms the nervous system, lowers cortisol, promotes relaxation.
Increases self-awareness, reduces anxiety and depression, fosters resilience.
Facilitates self-discovery, deepens connection to inner self and consciousness.
Balances Prana (life force), leading to greater vitality.
Lord Shiva, as Adiyogi, embodies the ultimate potential of Yoga. His depiction as the Mahayogi, eternally absorbed in meditation on Mount Kailash, serves as the prime inspiration for practitioners. The practices of Yoga are considered a path to realize the Shiva tattva (Shiva principle) – the pure consciousness that resides within all beings. Through dedicated practice of Asana, Pranayama, and Dhyana, one purifies the body and mind, transcends limitations, and moves towards the state of union and liberation that Shiva represents.
"Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the Self. - The Bhagavad Gita"
Yoga, in its essence, is a holistic path gifted by Adiyogi Shiva for harmonizing all aspects of our being. Through dedicated practice, it leads from the physical to the subtle, culminating in the ultimate union and realization of the divine consciousness within.
- Chitta: The mind-stuff, including intellect (Buddhi), ego (Ahamkara), and lower mind (Manas).
- Vrittis: Thought-waves or modifications of the mind (e.g., right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep, memory).
- Kleshas: Afflictions or causes of suffering (ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, fear of death) that arise from Vrittis.
- Abhyasa & Vairagya: Consistent practice (Abhyasa) and detachment (Vairagya) are the keys to controlling Vrittis.
The goal of Yoga, as defined by Patanjali, is 'Chitta Vritti Nirodhah' - the cessation of the modifications of the mind-stuff, allowing the seer to rest in their true nature.