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Ahimsa, or non-violence, is one of the highest tenets of yoga philosophy. For the yogi all life is sacred. Every creature is a living, breathing entity with thoughts and feelings.
TRUE YOGA DOES NOT PERMIT EATING MEAT.YOGA TEACHERS AND YOGA STUDENTS HAVE TO BE PURE VEGETARIANS
Modern yoga schools and Guru’s are inventing new yoga styles everyday which is filled with acrobatic stunts and aerial postures with every yoga teacher and yoga school competing with each other with newer poses and newer invention of yoga as if they are some part of a new Yoga Olympic culture.True Yoga does not support meat eating habits nor hyper sexual activities nor greed of the world.Modern yoga is misinterpreted solely as body enhancement exercise.But the fact is remains that True yoga is spiritual and not merely a body enhancement exercise.
True Yoga is one of the spiritual path to attain enlightenment through union – merger of the mind with the soul and realize the supreme self using the body as the vehicle – tool.This is the absolute truth. Few greedy and ignorant western and Indian teachers have misinterpreted yoga and spread misconception of yoga into a body enhancement exercise to suit their own needs.If one needs to know the truth you need to know the fundamental truth and teachings of yoga from the original teaching of Patanjai’s Yoga sutra written in 400 AD.
The true purpose of traditional and original yoga philosophy focuses on achieving self-realization. Self-realization can be described as the state in which you are free from the illusions of the material world, thereby understanding the true core of your existence (the true Self).
To fulfill this ultimate goal, the ancient vedic scriptures offer four yogic paths which are suitable for humans having various personalities, merits,lifestyles and capacities.The four patha are 1) Karma Yoga, 2) Bhakti Yoga, 3) Rāja Yoga and 4) Jnana Yoga You may follow one or several of these paths to reach the goal of Self-realization.
Yoga evolved in many ways during the past hundreds of years.Yoga has changed a lot since its conception and inception.At present there are many Yoga styles and schools where were adopted by various teachers.Modern day yoga is taught in many different ways. There are about a hundred new different schools, styles and techniques. The most common among them are Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga,Iyengar yoga,Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga , Vinyasa yoga, Kundalini yoga,Tantra Yoga, Power yoga, Sivananda yoga, Yin yoga, viniyoga, Restorative yoga, Hot yoga, Vipassana etc,etc,etc .Among them Hatha is the most common yoga techniques but however every yoga needs to follow the principles of Patanjali’s yoga sutras. Other you cannot call it Yoga.
With the introduction and emergence of yoga into the west ( America & Europe ) lead to many changes and corruption of the original yoga systems. Sadly,today people in the west think “Yoga,” is a acrobatic and aerial stunts for body enhancements.People falsely think you must twist yourself like rubber bands or stand on your head or perform aerial stunts like acrobats.Sorry my dear ignorant friends, Yoga is not an exercise form nor a stunt.
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Many so called teachers founded their own comedy yoga paths which were never derived from the original yoga teachings but were which were newly invented and diverted to suit their own needs.The ignorant’s followed like a flock of sheeps and today we see a comedy of acrobatic poses and aerial stunts being performed in the name of yoga.
The original purpose of Yoga was to lose your mind which is the root cause for all sufferings.But when you are performing these yoga stunts of today’s generation ,the mind works more to balance your acrobatic poses rather than withdrawing your mind to your heart which is the sole purpose of the original yoga.
So for all the ignorant and arrogant people who are either willfully or unknowingly corrupting yoga,let me feed you the fundamental principle and purity of original and authentic Yoga.
YOGA FACTS
Most of the original yoga writings were from Patanjali’s yoga sutras, 196 sutras (aphorisms) written in Sanskrit in around 400 AD. In his work, Patanjali describes about hatha yoga which consisting of eight limbs or disciplines, and referred to it as the eightfold path.There were many other texts on hatha yoga but Patanjali’s yoga sutra is the most widely recognized and recommended for hatha yoga.
What are the four types of origianal and authentic Yoga
Originally Yoga manifests itself as four major paths, namely Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. These four paths are like the branches of a tree or tributaries of a river. They all have the same source and resting place.
Raja Yoga: The path of control. In this practice, you bring body, mind, and breath under control to let go of ego and realize the Self. Hatha Yoga, including the practice of asanas, is a part of Raja Yoga.
Jnana Yoga: The path of knowledge through self enquiry – who am i ?. In this practice, you surrender your ego by merging your mind with the hrudayam ( right heart), which removes ignorance and illusion and leads to understanding the reality of the Self.
Bhakti Yoga: The path of devotion to the Divine and purity. This is the path of surrendering your ego to whatever is your perception of Divinity and completely sattvic (pure). In this way, you start to realize the reality of the Self.
Karma Yoga: The path of selfless duty. When you follow this path, you do your duty to the best of your abilities, without attachment to results or rewards. This helps you let go of your ego and leads to Self-realization.
So originally Yoga was all about attaining spirituality and being enlightened by union of the mind and the heart.Oneness of the absolute self.When Yoga was created, it was a total philosophy that incorporated how we relate to our world, to ourselves and how we can attain inner peace and enlighten our self by realizing the true self through the Asanas of Yoga
Most yoga students are unaware of Patanjali’s sutras and guided by greed and ignorance modern day yoga has adapted to commercial demand with studios catering to peoples busy schedules by offering so called yoga classes on a drop in basis and wasting time on physical exercise and less on the other aspects like pranayamas which lead to withdrawal of the mind to the heart.
But for those who are serious about making yoga a part of their lives,they must follow the eight limb or disciplines of yoga as described by Patanjali yoga sutra.The eight limbs of Yoga as prescribed as compulsory to follow the path of yoga
One of the chapters describes the eight-limbs path of yoga to control body, mind, senses, habits, and desires to attain “kaivalya”, ultimate awareness or ultimate liberation.
THE EIGHT LIMBS – DISCIPLINES OF YOGA
The eight limbs of yoga form a moral or ethical code to help us live happier, more meaningful lives. They are yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.
Here is how they are defined:
Yamas : This is the first limb of this path and consists of moral and ethical guidelines, the Yamas. The Yamas describe principles such as non-violence, truthfulness, and control over impulses. Yamas focus on how we relate to others. They are expressed as five moral constraints:
Ahimsa (Non-Violence,Non- Injury – Non – Harming)
Satya (Truthfulness)
Asteya (Non-stealing)
Bramacharya (Celibacy)
Aparigraha (Generosity)
2) Nimayas : The second element, the Niyamas, focus on developing positive disciplines in order to progress on the yogic path. These positive disciplines include purification of both body and mind, contentment with the things you have, self-discipline, self-study, and devotion to the practice. Niyamas are how we relate to ourselves. They are expressed as five observances:
Sauca (purity)
Santosa (contentment)
Tapas (self discipline)
Svadhyaya (self study)
Isvara Pranidhana (surrender to the divine)
Building upon the first two limbs – disciplines, the practice continues with six limbs:
3) Asanas are the postures practiced in yoga.Asanas or physical exercises to purify the physical body.These yoga postures help us to develop discipline and concentration and are meant to help us master the body in order to sit still for long periods of time in meditation.
4) Pranayama are breathing techniques that are designed to control the prana or vital force, helping us feel alert, self-aware and calm.Pranayama helps to purify the energy in the body.
5) Pratyahara is withdrawal of the senses, a conscious effort to draw awareness away from the external world, away from distractions.Pratyahara is sensory withdrawal to calm down the senses.This internal focus allows us to see our internal processes, such as cravings, emotions and resistance.
6) Dharana is concentration.Dharana is to bring the control to the mind.
After removing ourselves from outside distractions, the mind can be focused on a point, idea or object.
7) Dhyana is uninterrupted awareness.Dhyana or meditation is to observe the self.
Whereas dharana is one-pointed attention, dhyana is being fully aware or mindful without focus. The experience is one of wide-open consciousness, effortless and calm.
8) Samadhi is a deep connection with the self to become free from illusion.
Samadhi is a profound interconnectedness with all living things. It is also referred to as enlightenment.
It is through the constant practice of the eight limbs of hatha yoga that one may realize our true existence, samadhi, the realization that we are not separate from our surroundings, or that we are all connected by a universal consciousness. For most students, the most challenging aspect to fully realize is that samadhi does not ultimately arise through hard work. Samadhi arises from a clear understanding of what it means to commit yourself to an experience that is completely the opposite – surrender. Hard work is required to initially be on the path, but it is through letting go that we realize our true nature.
It’s also important to note that with the exception of the last three, the eight limbs of yoga do not need to be practiced in any particular order. They are also all interconnected, non-exclusive and each helps cultivate the development of the others.
The first two steps of the eight limbs – disciplines 1) Yamas & 2) Niyamas are focused on the cleansing of your character.According to the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, only when one’s nature is purified,you could start with practicing yoga asanas.Hene it is clear that yoga is a spiritual path rather than a physicla exercise.The purification of the body and mind are essential to be healthy.Staying healthy is a central goal in yoga because only then will you possess the best vehicle for your further spiritual development.But for that real yoga teachers and yoga students need to follow the 8 limbs or disciplines of which ahimsa ( non violence) are compulsory.
Ahimsa, or non-violence, is one of the highest tenets of yoga philosophy. For the yogi all life is sacred. Every creature is a living, breathing entity with thoughts and feelings.
Despite what was is mentioned in the sacred scriptures or in Patanjali’s yoga sutra’s, is it still possible to be yoga teacher or student while eating meat? I don’t care if i will receive a lot of backlash for this, but the truthful answer is definitely a “NO”. You cannot break the principle rules of yoga and still call it YOGA.
TRUE YOGA DOES NOT PERMIT EATING MEAT.YOGA TEACHERS AND YOGA STUDENTS HAVE TO BE PURE VEGETARIANS
Hatha Yoga, must therefore focus primarily on the purification of the body as a path that leads to purification of the mind. Hatha literally means ‘forceful’ or ‘stubborn’ referring to the early Indians who believed that its practice was challenging and by forcing it, spiritual liberation was achieved.Hatha Yoga is a preparatory process of Yoga. The word “ha” means sun, “ta” means moon. “Hatha” means the Yoga to bring balance between the sun and the moon in you, or the Pingala and Ida in you.This balance will help you to realize the true self and help you to be enlightened in life.
So Hatha yoga, which was once considered to be the mother of all other styles, is now seen in the west as their sibling. Today Yoga is become a big business and it is now filled with many new variation of yoga styles that are practiced. But whatever the yoga variation or yoga school or yoga styles that are being taught at present must follow the moral code of the eight limbs- disciplines as prescribed by Patanjali’s yoga sutra and other scriptures.Otherwise they cannot be called Yoga.
For many practitioners, the discipline of yoga centers only on Hatha, or physical asana postures. The practice is all about with comforting and controlling the body. When done regularly, the physical practice of yoga can help reduce stress and boost concentration, overall health and a sense of well-being. Although balanced health and well-being are an important step towards enlightenment, it is important not to confuse this with the ultimate purpose of yoga: preparing the body for meditation. Once the restlessness of the body has been calmed through an asana practice, the consciousness can now be directed inward to the soul, which lies beyond the senses and material awareness.
I know many will try to misinterpret the true rules of yoga and try to justify meat eating and all the other impurities to hide their efficiencies and to make a earning out of yoga.But nothing can take away the truth of the eight limbs of Patanjali’s yoga sutra.How much ever one tries to corrupt the system of yoga by moving away from the fundamental principle of true yoga,the truth that yoga is a spiritual practice rather than a mere body enhancement tool cannot be killed by these ignorant and tiny minds.
So it is important that we bring back authentic Yoga as it was. If it is taught in a original way with inclusiveness of the whole process of achieving oneness and union of the mind,body ad the soul, Yoga is really a awesome process of shaping your life into a awesome and fruitful journey to understand the true purpose of life.Only then the body becomes a vehicle to reach the divine.By this way, certainly there is a way to be enlightened in this life.
If you do not have the courage to face truth and follow the true fundamental principles of yoga then you have no right to use the name Yoga.It is many years since Yoga has entered America, Europe, Australia, Canada etc and have become popular despite yoga being taught in different way.The health and spiritual benefits of Yoga are undeniable if you follow the moral code of yoga. But if improper and distorted types of yoga spreads then there will be no benefits of true yoga to those who follow the wrong path.
For those who wish to learn true,traditional and authentic yoga from anyone,first inquire if your yoga teacher or is a a vegetarian and practices Ahimsa ( non violence ) and not involved in any sort of debauchery. Don’t be sold for a Aerial acrobatic stunt or a conman’s false yoga explanation about newly invented modern yoga.Find out how your yoga school can help you unite your mind and heart using your body as the vehicle.