Yoga and Spirituality - Chairman's Message
Yoga Bharati is helping many yoga enthusiasts to improve their lifestyle through yoga classes, therapy classes for various ailments, teachers training programs, satsangs and other periodical activities. Through the newsletter, Yoga Bharati will be able to a reach wider audience.
Yoga is a conscious process of going back to one’s nature. Hence the Sanskrit term for health is “swastha” – being myself – and the term aswastha – not being myself – is used to define lack of health. To be healthy and happy is our very nature. Due to different reasons, we have gone away from our health. Our lack of being conscious of it results in this drift. Yoga is a wonderful answer to come back to our nature since yoga builds that awareness and consciousness towards health and happiness.
As per the definition given in Kathopanishad – tam yogamiti manyante sthiram indriyadharanam – yoga is calming down the mind (senses). As Patanjali puts it – Chitta vritti nirodha – yoga is removing the modifications of the mind. Sage Vashistha says – Mana Prashamana upayah – yoga is a way to calm down the mind. All these great ancient authors conclude that yoga is a conscious process of bringing harmony to the mind through various means and at various levels of our personality. An integrated approach to yoga addresses health at the physical level through asanas, bandhas, kriyas, mudras; at prana level through pranayama; and at the emotional, intellectual, or spiritual levels through meditation and other techniques.
Yoga is a conscious process of going back to one’s nature.
This concept of total personality nurturing and making life a celebration is the goal of yoga. The realization that we are not the body but the consciousness within, results in a clear discrimination and freedom to choose the right things in life for self and others. This way, yoga helps the individual move towards better harmony within and outside.
Of the several words of wisdom of sages that have inspired people, Yoga Bharati adapted the idea “SAHANAU BHUNAKTU..” may we nurture together which is taken from the famous mantra “Sahana vavatu”. Yoga Bharati brings courses such as Yoga Foundation and Yoga Teacher’s training from Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation (VYASA) is one of the premier Yoga Universities and yoga research institutes in India with its rich background in research on yoga and its healing effects for various ailments.
Modern society has a subtle misunderstanding that yoga is associated with a religion, a geographic area, or a particular ethnic society. Hence there is an attempt to divorce yoga from its philosophy such as that given in the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Vasistha, Upanishads, etc. However, they belong to each other and yoga is essentially derived from its philosophy. At our satsangs, workshops, and Yoga Foundation/Teaching courses, we particularly emphasize this aspect.
Once again, congratulations to all Yoga Bharati volunteers for spreading the message of yoga through the Newsletter.
Shri N.V. Raghuram is the Spiritual Founder of Yoga Bharati.
