What is Yoga?
The term YOGA comes from the Sanskrit YUG meaning to bind or to yoke which is literally union. The French term Joug and the German Joch are also related to it. Yoga is a very ancient system that originated in India. It consists of physical and mental disciplines that make us healthy, alert and happy, transforming our perception of the world and the way we live in it.
Yoga is not a religion. It is an exact science like maths or physics. It is not Hindu just because the Hindus discovered it. Just as there are universal laws in science, so is Yoga universal. Classical literature on Yoga deals with the subject as a science of self realisation. It is based on an oriental system of education, which was related solely to the study of the self. Yoga is a scientific methodology of inner awakening – a process of inner transformation.
Stress and strain are a part of our live today and cannot be avoided. But in Yoga, what we can change is our reaction and our attitude towards stress, thereby diminishing the ravages caused by it. When we realise that most diseases are basically rooted in the mind, the contribution of Yoga to health on this level can be tremendous.
Medical science has made great progress in recent times. It has found the cause of diseases and prescribed remedies, but can this ensure health, happiness and mental equilibrium? This is where Yoga comes in.
Yoga bestows the inner strength, sharpens our intellect, teaches us to control our emotions and brings a rare concentration and efficiency into our actions and work making one do the right thing, in the right way at the right time and that is why Yoga is often described as “skill in action”.