ABOUT YOGA.... 

" Yoga is the golden key, which unlocks the door to peace, tranquility and joy " Yoga is both a systematized body of knowledge and a practice. There are many reasons why a person might choose to practice yoga; in broad terms, the purpose of yoga is to reduce disturbances and return an individual to his or her inherent peace and power. To be successful in this endeavor, yoga must be adopted and practiced according to the needs, capacity and aspiration of the individual. Yoga is not a standardized practice. Anyone who wants to practice an authentic yoga, Should see that it is uniquely suited to his or her needs and interests, and experience its many benefits. “Words cannot convey the value of Yoga, it has to be experienced” -B K S Iyengar. The famous teacher Sri Krishnamacharya claimed that anyone who can breathe and use his or her fingers can practice yoga.

Taking into account the health, age, and cultural background of each person, there is always an appropriate practice that can be developed so that real yoga can occur. Each person’s situation determines the practices that are offered in the context of a supportive teacher student friendship. This is the way a student should be led to an understanding of yoga that cannot be gotten directly from a teacher or a book. But instead discovered by the student as his or her own realization, we are creatures of the universe, and the nature of the universe can be discovered in our own being as our inherent condition. Feelings of gratitude and love may naturally develop as yoga realization progressing or suddenly unfolds. In yoga this is called “bhakti” or devotion, the natural feeling or gratitude to the teacher. The eight limbs or aspects of yoga are not attained in linear progression; rather, the eight limbs are met simultaneously. Yoga distinguishes “Sadhana” that which we can practice, and “siddhi” that which is given. There are aspects of yoga that we can intentionally practice and others that occur naturally as a result of doing this practice. The practices are physical and breathing exercises; all other aspects of yoga occur as a result of these practices. People who practice postures and breathing exercises report that the mind becomes clearer and less random in thought, and energy level increase. There is a corresponding feeling of continuity between sense of self, environment, and others that some describe as a feeling of oneness. By means of linking breath to the body in moving and stationary postures, the mind is connected with the body.