oneself. The core of Yoga’s philosophy is that everything is supplied from within the individual. Thus, there is no dependence on an external figure, either in the sense of a person or god figure, or a religious organization.
The common belief that Yoga derives from Hinduism is a misconception. Yoga actually predates Hinduism by many centuries. Ancient seals unearthed in the Indus Valley provide clear evidence of widespread Yoga practice earlier than 3,000 B.C. The techniques of Yoga have been adopted by Hinduism as well as by other world religions.
Yoga is a system of techniques that can be used for a number of goals, from simply managing stress better, learning to relax, and increasing limberness all the way to becoming more self-aware and acquiring the deepest knowledge of one’s own self.
The practice of Yoga will not interfere with any religion. Many American Yoga Association students who have practiced Yoga intensively for many years continue to follow the religious traditions they have grown up in or adopted without conflict.
There are over a hundred different schools of Yoga. Some of the most well known are described below:
Hatha Yoga: The physical movements and postures, plus breathing techniques. This is what most people associate with Yoga practice.
Raja Yoga: Called the “royal road”, because it incorporates exercise and breathing practice with meditation and study, producing a well-rounded individual.
Jnana Yoga: The path of wisdom; considered the most difficult path.
Bhakti Yoga: The practice of extreme devotion in one-pointed concentration upon one’s concept of God.
Karma Yoga: All movement, all work of any kind is done with the mind centered on a personal concept of God.
Tantra Yoga: A way of showing the unseen consciousness in form through specific words, diagrams, and movements. One of the diagrams that is used to show the joining of the physical and spiritual bodies is two triangles superimposed upon one another. The downward-pointing triangle represents the physical body, or the female aspect having to do with work, action, and movement; the upward-pointing triangle represents the spiritual body of support, energy, and vastness.
Kashmir Shaivism: This Yoga system states that everything in the universe has both male and female qualities. In Kashmir Shaivism, these male and female principles form an equal partnership, so interdependent that they cannot be separated. The attraction between them produces the ultimate union of opposites, creating the immense complexity of the universe that we enjoy and celebrate. Unlike other philosophies, Kashmir Shaivism is based in emotion rather than intellect. In fact, Shaivism says that intellectual understanding by itself will never lead us to the realization of the summit of Yoga. The system's great exponents teach that the egotistical intellect blocks our ability to fully experience our individual power.
A Brief History of Meditation
It is believed that meditation and its benefits have been practiced since well before written history, using basic meditation techniques such as stargazing or staring into a fire.
The first written record of an actual meditation technique was from 5000 years ago in Hindu scriptures. Building on this, Gotama Buddha (563 BCE to 483 BCE) was responsible for spreading meditation across the Asian continent during and after his life. However, the benefits of meditation did not remain limited to only Buddhists and Hindus.
Cultures across Asia adapted meditation methods to go along with their own religious beliefs and spiritual practices, resulting in a broad range of meditation traditions and styles. For example, the Sufi branch of Islam uses meditation practices, believing that the prophet Mohammed himself had encouraged it.
Western styles of meditation, including contemplation and prayer, began in ancient times as part of Greek and Egyptian mystery religions, Judaism, early Christianity, and Islam and extend into the practices of today. In these religious traditions, Western style meditation plays a key role for many religious followers, especially monks and other contemplatives. Pagan and indigenous religions also often include meditation training, mostly of the Western visualization or contemplation type.
In some form or another, meditation appears in just about every one of the world's religions, including Judaism, Christianity, aboriginal religions, Native American traditions, and of course, Dharmic religion.
The popularity of meditation rose in North America during the 1960's and 1970's, fed by the attention it had received from pop icons such as the Beatles.
In conjunction with this popularity - primarily among the North American youth - scientists began to explore the potential medical benefits that meditation has to offer. It was soon accepted as a practical holistic approach to healing, and is now regularly practiced for the promotion of healing and the control of stress.
When most people think about meditation as a whole, it is the eastern version that comes to mind. This is likely because the root of one of the primary categories of meditation is of the Asian Dharmic religions, especially Buddhism and Hinduism. In addition, modern media usually portrays meditation in an eastern context.
Meditation in Asia is also a part of activities that have no base in religion, such as several forms of martial arts. Yoga is an increasingly popular form of meditation, which incorporates certain physical poses in order to assist in centering the mind.
The majority of eastern meditation styles are called "japa" meditations, which means that a mantra, word, or even sound is repeated in order to achieve the right focus. Yet other eastern styles employ focus on an object, concentration on breathing, or involve chakra meditation. Several kinds of eastern meditation are widely accepted as having health advantages on a physical and mental level.
On the other hand, western style meditation is also beneficial to help people to reach a happier and more positive perspective when managing their daily lives. Many practitioners feel as though their minds are much clearer in times when difficult decisions - at work and in their personal life - must be made. Furthermore, life is often perceived as much fuller when meditation is regularly practiced, as it allows for a much truer level of self-awareness.
Western style meditation is comparable to eastern meditation, but many people raised in contemporary western society find it to be more practical and suited to their uses. However, the goal remains the same - inner awareness and self-improvement - its techniques include those that help the practitioner find guidance and understanding in order to reach a specific goal.
When practiced daily, decisions are made with more clarity, and crises are managed quickly, effectively, and with a minimum amount of upset. However, as much as self-reliance is encouraged, meditation will also deepen one's connection with others.
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