The
yoga postures or asanas exercise every part of body they work
not only on the body frame but also on the internal organs, glands and
nerves as well, keeping all system in radiant health. Concentration is
the major goal in yoga the mind is constantly undergoing modification.
It seldom rests or fixed on a single subject or object. Concentration
is defined as "the hindering of the modifications
of the thinking principle" The
aim of yoga is to control the mind so as to keep it fixed in accordance
with our will.
The above may sound very simple but in fact it is the result of thousands
of years of research work done by our forefathers. They were great thinkers,
and spent lot of time in thinking and meditating in the mountains and
forests in the quest for the theories of the up-liftment of mankind and
they invented many astonishing theories for the same so that we could
live in a harmony with nature. Yoga was one of them. The asanas (exercise)
of yoga may look very simple and natural but a lot is happening on the
inside. Many of the yogasanas are named after and reflect the movements
of animals. Through observation our forefathers understood how animals
live in harmony with their particular postures and how the hormonal secretions
could be stimulated and controlled by it. For example, by imitating the
rabbit or hare position in shashank asana they could influence the flow
of adrenaline responsible for the "fight
or flight" mechanism through imitating animal postures,
they found that they could maintain health and meet the challenges of
nature for themselves.
Physical and mental therapy is one of the most important achievements
of yoga what makes it so powerful and effective is the fact that it works
on the holistic principal of harmony and information. According to medical
science yoga therapy is successful because of the balance created in the
nervous and endocrine system which directly influence all the other systems
and organ of the body.
In recent years medical research has begun to pay attention to the effect
of yoga. Studies have shown for instance that relaxation in corps pose
effectively relieves high blood pressure .The regular practice of asana
and prayanama can help such diverse ailments as arthritis chronic fatigue,
and heart conditions. It works on all aspects of the person the physical
vital, mental emotional, psyche and spiritual on a more practical level.
Yoga is a means of balancing and harmonizing
the body, mind and emotions. This is done through the practice of asana
(the physical exercise),pranayama (the breathing technique) mudra (position
of gesture)which represents the psychic bandha(locks for channeling energy).All
these things purify the body ,mind and energy system to prepare the ground
for higher practice of meditation and for the ultimate experience of cosmic
consciousness.
The word yoga means "unity"
or "oneness" derives from
the Sanskrit word "yog"
which means to join. This unity or joining is described in spiritual term
as the union of the shakti (energy) with his consort shiva (the supreme
consciousness) and this is the central theme of yoga the unification of
shakti with shiva. The shakti which sits in the mooladhar chakra with
three and a half snake like coil. It is also known as the kundalini shakti
which represents the feminine energy and always tries to unite with her
consort Shiva in sahashara chakra situated in the brain. The shakti lives
in every human being in the dormant form in the mooladhara chakra and
when it is awaken through the yogic practice it reaches to the sahashrara
chakra passing all the other charkas. The charkas have different qualities
and when the shakti passes to a specific charka it carries the qualities
and characteristics of that chakra which reflects in the human being.