YOGA
The greatest miracle on earth is man. His body consisting of bones, flesh and blood hides secrets he has been seeking for thousands of years to unravel. Many have tried to solve this mystery of man. Only the very rarest of seekers who delved deeper and deeper, untiringly, into their OWN SELF, finally succeeded in comprehending the greatest secret there is: themselves!
In India, people have been studying the secrets of the human soul from time immemorial, and many have devoted their whole lives to this goal in order to discover: what is man? - and what is his destiny here on earth? They withdrew from the commotion of the world and concentrated all their thoughts and desires on the one question: who am I? - Their indefatigable striving, their iron endurance and the yearning with which they pursued their search for truth - all bore fruit, and lo! - their spirit was enlightened, and spread out before them lay the whole secret of BEING. They understood LIFE. They were able to see the deepest, hiddenmost causes. And open before them, they saw the path which leads out of suffering, upwards to freedom, happiness, enternal bliss. ... They knew that this state of being is attainable for every human being, and those who had been thus enlightened took pity on the suffering mankind and began to teach people the way to redemption and liberation. These teachings became known as YOGA.
In the words of BKS Iyengar, "Yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy. It touches the life of man at every level, physical, mental and spiritual. It is a practical method for making one's life purposeful, useful and noble. As honey is sweet from any part of the honeycomb, so is yoga. It enables every part of the human system to become attuned to its essence, the conscious seer within. Yoga alone enables the practitioner to perceive and experience the world within and around himself, to touch the divine joy of all creation , and then to share that nectar of divine wealth and happiness with his fellow beings."
Yoga is for everyone. “By constant practice anyone can obtain perfection in Yoga. The young, the old, the extremely aged, even the sick and the infirm. Success will follow him who practices, not him who practices not.” (Hatha Yoga Pradipika)
Asanas are not just physical exercises, they have biochemical, psycho-physiological and psycho-spiritual effects. The cells of the body have their own intelligence and memory. Through practice of different asanas blood circulation is improved, the hormone system is balanced, the nervous system is stimulated, and toxins eliminated, so that the cells, sinews and nerves are kept at their peak level. Physical, mental and spiritual health and harmony are attained. - Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The body is full of inertia (tamasic), the mind vibrant (rajastic) and the Self serene and luminous (sattvic). By perfection in asanas, the lazy body is transformed to the level of the vibrant mind and they together are cultured to reach the level of the serenity of the Self. - Sri Brahmananda
