YOGA
Yoga is a science which helps to co-ordinate body & mind more effectively. It promotes mental, physical,
social & spiritual health. It also helps in prevention & cure of various psychosomatic disorder, psychic &
physical disorder.
Yoga is an ancient science. It has been described in Vedas. It was propounded by Patanjali about 2500
years ago. Yoga is a science of living in tune with ‘Beahmand’- the univers. Yoga has its origins in the
Vedas. It was systemized by the great Indian Sage Patanjali in the ‘’Yoga Sutra’’ as a special ‘’darshana’’
(Shivananda, 1950). Although this work was followed bymany other important text on Yoga, the
Patanjali ‘’Yoga Sutra’’ cointains to be the most important, wherein no change is possible. It is the only
book which has touched almost all naspects of human life.
Many renounced Indian philosophers have tried to define Yoga in their own way. For example,
Swami Vivekananda define Yoga as ‘’a means of compressing one’s evolution in to a single life or a few
months or even a few hours of one’s bodily existence. According to Sri Aurovindo’Yoga’ is a
methodological effort towards self-perfection by the development of potentialities latent in the
individual. Maharshi Patanjali also called the ‘father of yoga’ compiled & refined various aspects of Yoga
systematically in his ‘’Yoga Sutra’’ (aphorisms). He advocated the eight fold path of Yoga, popularly
known as ‘’Ashtanga Yoga’’ for all round development of human personality. These are:-
1) Yama- restraint in every sphere of life. 2) Niyama- austerity in every sphere of life. 3) Asana-
maintaining physical posture. 4) Pranayama- breathing exercise. 5) Prathyahara- restraining of sense of
organ. 6) Dharana- contemplation. 7) Dhyana- meditation. 8) Samadhi.
These yogic division are soi perfectly designed that there is absolutely no scope for any addition or
alteration, scince these are formulated on the basis of multifarious psychological understanding of
human personality. There are several form of yoga practice, among which the best known as ‘’hatha
joga & rajya joga’’. Hatha joga is concerned exclusively with the physiology, performing, perfecting a
series of physical posture that concentrates one’s body ?& mind towards a single point ( ekagrata). This
concentration along with the correct breathing (pranayama) enable the purification of the internal
organ. Rajyo yoga is a series of practices for the control of mind & thought (Mrinal al 1995).
Modern modification of these principles has resulted in many subtype of meditation. Most
influencial of these have been- ‘’Transcendental Meditation’’ by Maharshi Mohes Yogi,
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‘’Primordial Sound Meditation’’ by Dr. Deepak Chopra. The ’Art of living’ & ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ by Swami
Ramdev. Though not considered indigenous forms of medicine, they are definitely ‘alternative
medicine’.
These yoga practices have potential for improvement of personal and social behaviour,
improvement of individual resistance & ability to endure stressful situation, improvement of physical
health, prevention & control of psychosomatic disorders by encouraging better circulation of
oxygenated blood in the body, restraining the sense & there by inducing tranquillity & serenity of mind
& body.
A number of postures are described in yogic work to improve health, to prevent disease & to cure
illness. These needed to be learnt under supervision and guidance. These needed to be chosen carefully
and practice for prevention of disease, promotion of health & for therapeutic purposes.
Yoga is becoming very popular these day for stress management. It is being considered to
introduce yoga in the schools in phased manner through the ministry of Human Resource Development
popularise it through electronic media, to established separate department of yoga in all major hospitals
in consultation with state govt./UTs. ,popularised short term course in yoga for stress management by
leading yoga institution, induce yoga in Govt offices factories of other place of work.
The institution runs clinic for treatmants of patients suffering from various chronic diseases, conduct
yoga classes, weakly talk, awareness workshops. It publishes monthly
