More often than not we are posed with a question “What is Yoga”

Yoga is the science of right living, which must be incorporated in daily life.

Physical Aspect

The science of yoga begins to work on the outermost aspect of the person’s character through Hatha Yoga – physical asanas & breath control – the so called physical body, which for most people can be a practical and familiar starting point.

Let’s get deeper in our understanding as explained by Sage Patanjali, Swami Svatmarama’s Hatha Yoga Pradapika.

When there is an imbalance in this physical body – the organs, muscles and nervous system do not work in harmony with each other. They rather decide to act in opposition to each other.

Yoga aims at bringing the different bodily functions into perfect co-ordination to benefit the whole body.

Mental & Emotional Aspect

Then comes a time, when from the physical body, Yoga moves on to the mental and emotional levels. The four types of Yoga: Jñāna (Gyan) Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga & Raja Yoga (Refer to the image)

Honestly, Yoga cannot provide a cure for life, but it lays down a proven method for coping with it.

Physical & mental cleaning and also strengthening is one of the most important yoga achievements. What makes it more powerful and effective is that it works on the wholistic principles of harmony and unification.

In an increasingly stressful situations and hard times, Yoga is simply treated as a means of maintaining health and well-being. Asanas do remove the physical discomfort accumulated during the day.

At a time when world seems to be at a loss, rejecting past values without being able to establish new ones, Yoga provides a means for people to find their own way of connecting to their inner-self. Through this connection with inner voice, it is easier for people to manifest harmony in their lives and compassion for self and others thereafter.

Yoga is far from simply being physical exercises. It can be used as an aid to establishing a new perspective of what is real, what is necessary and how to become established in a way of life which embraces both inner and outer realities.

If one adopts this way of life it is an experience, nothing of which can be understood intellectually and will only become a living knowledge through practice and experience. 

Haṭha Yoga essentially is a kind of Yoga through control over the Prana i.e. breath.

Ha stands for ‘Sun‘, heating principle or right nostril | Tha stands for ‘Moon‘, cooling principle or left nostril

Haṭha Yoga believes: that Breathing has a direct relationship with the functioning of the mind.

What is more interesting is, that there is a relationship between life span and total number of breaths. Every person has a definite number of breathing as his/her life span and not number of years.