International Yoga Day has been celebrated every year on June 21st (since its inception in 2015) – as a day officially marked by UN for spreading the benefits of yoga to the entire world.
International Yoga Day has been celebrated every year on June 21st (since its inception in 2015) – as a day officially marked by the UN for spreading the benefits of yoga to the entire world.
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| History of yoga |
The story of Ashwamedha Yoga
Let us first begin a story from our Hindu Mythology, When Yudhishthira ascended to his throne, as was the practice those days, he wanted to conquer the entire world and bring it under his kingdom. As was known during those days, the kings had to go through a process called ‘Ashwamedha Yoga’ (the process took about a year’s time or so). The process was as follows - the king allows the horse, which represents the kingdom. A few prominent people + small army also go along with the horse. Now wherever this horse goes, if no one objects to the passing through of the horse through their kingdom, then that region automatically comes under the king who has sent the horse.
After a period of one year, there is no war in-between then all that territory. At the end of the first year, when the yoga is done, the horse gives as a sacrifice.
Ashtanga Yoga
Typically, when the horse goes around, it goes in eight different directions or rather all the known directions, and at the end of which, if it is left unchallenged. And every day it’s supposed to rise and go back, rise, go back, rise, go back. Just like the 8 directions in which the King conquers are more choices (instead of being sequential) similarly the 8 steps of the Ashtanga Yoga are choices as well.
Once we are born as human beings - it is natural that we would like to lead a life of peace and Joy. We may only have just one choice or we may only have multiple choices.
These choices become goals for existence. If we are clear in these objectives, the role of the Ashtanga yoga or the principles which came together and put together by the great sage, Patanjali, helps us to conquer one after another.
Yoga As a way of Well–Begin Life To Be Happy, The sage Patanjali has beautifully taken us through various steps and processes, and based on the choice of the goal he has given us various tools and techniques to ensure that we become one or conquer, as the Chakravarthy (Emperor) would do, for that particular goal that we take up. There are 8 steps for the sake of understanding the terms of Yoga, They are - Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. Now let us delve into each one.
Yama
The primary purpose of Yoga is union. The union happens when we are separated from what we are Trying To do so, That is only the requirement need to be a union.
If you are already together, you don’t need a union. Anyone who is reading this article needs to resonate with what is being described here.
In Yama, Sage Patanjali shares 5 tenets that describe how we resonate with the world or how we live peacefully with the external world (also termed the social model of conduct). He propagates five points through which we can be in union with the world where people around us would be happy to move with us and be happy in our presence.
And when everyone participates in this concept of practicing Brahmacharya, he knows for sure that his spouse or his family members are safe in the hands of those whom he leaves behind.
In step one, having now bought peace with the world and peace resonating back to us that we are safe, they are safe, we can peacefully co-exist in this world. He now turns the attention towards the inside.
Niyama
He now says, “Having established resonance, peace with the external world, look at ‘Niyama’”, are nothing but five steps that he gives for a personal mode of conduct. How do you buy peace with yourself? You may now get peace with the external world, which is our behavior aspect.
“How do I buy peace with myself?” You need to build your attitude so that my attitude which is inside and the behavior which is outside are matching, and I don’t come through as a fake. I don’t act something and I don’t be something else, which means I ‘Walk the talk’.
He speaks about five points.
He speaks the first point, which is on cleanliness.
The second Point When people…it’s just not about physical cleanliness;
The third Point it’s also about mental, emotional, and spiritual cleanliness. He speaks about Santosha or being content with what we have. This resonates with non-coveting, which is outside. I don’t need to covet something if I am contented with what I have. If I am happy with the Rs. 100 I have, if I see a 1000 rupee note on the floor, I don’t need to covet. I will only find who had lost it, He slowly now turns the concept inside it.
The fourth point he talks on a study of the scriptures so that I am in alignment what my scriptures have told me to follow.
So our attitude is built across the scriptures, where the Vedic scholars or the elders have come together and propagated a set of values that I am supposed to follow. He speaks about Isvara Pranidhana or surrenders to God as the fifth step in ‘Niyama ’. Though he doesn’t spell out how to surrender here, he creates that awareness that, yes, by surrendering to a Higher Force, you start looking within and then what is within, if it is Godliness; what is outside of yourself, you start seeing Godliness also.
And then it’s easy for you to live in this world without having to fight for space or money or the Universe has everything for everyone. The challenge comes when we start taking more than what we need. After having crossed the two goals, Oneness with the world, Oneness with myself, he then moves on to the worldly existence of human beings.
Conclusion
Hence, just to summarize, Ashtanga yoga is a way of life, is simply put, the inputs that are available to us from the old Vedic time traditions, available here, and there is no need to import.
It allows you to live together as a peaceful family with the globe, the peaceful family inside the house, peaceful within myself; be able to get whatever I need, yet not get carried away, maintain my balance; maintain the balance with my body; maintain the balance with my breath; maintain the balance with my Creator, and hence, when I exit, facing the so-called ‘Death’ becomes easy.
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