Yoga and Meditation

Yoga is a complete knowledge of life that originated in India before thousands of years, even before the western world started any forms of physical and mental exercises. Yoga in Sanskrit means - the union which can be extended to imply union with God or Atma (Soul). Basically, it is the union between a person's own consciousness and the universal consciousness. Yoga is an art and science that encompasses the body, mind and spirit.

Meditation is synonymous with India and spirituality. Meditation is the foundation of Yoga, which involves exercises of the body and the mind in sync with each other. Meditation is designed to carry us beyond our illusions and help us see and experience things in its true and natural form.

Different forms of Yoga

The scriptures say that the goal envisaged by Yoga can be reached through four different ways - Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga. All the different forms have their own advantages and characteristics. Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion and prayers. Yogis who practice Bhakti Yoga see the Divine in everyone and everything they encounter. Raja Yoga is the path focusing on meditation and contemplation. It is based on the eight limbs of Yoga which was discussed in the Yoga Sutra. Jnana Yoga is the path dealing with wisdom and knowledge. It emphasizes on reaching the goal through spiritual knowledge. Karma Yoga believes that 'work is worship' and that past actions influence future course of action. Therefore, good deeds only can bestow happiness on human beings.

Popular forms of Yoga and Meditation

The aspect of Yoga that is most popular in present times and understood by the layman is "Hatha Yoga" or the Yoga of Postures. It is through Hatha Yoga that practitioners try to keep their mind and body fit, thus keeping all diseases at bay. And meditation forms an integral part of these practices. There are many different Yogic postures - some that can be easily done while some are difficult. All the Hatha yoga postures target different parts of the body. Hatha Yoga lays special emphasis on breathing techniques as breath is believed to maintain a good balance between mind and body. The breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body. Yoga students gently increase their breath control to improve the health and the function of both body and mind.

It is here that Meditation also needs mention. Meditation usually refers to a state of extreme relaxation and concentration, in which the body is generally at rest and the mind quieted of surface thoughts. Just as Hatha Yogas aim at physical health, meditation in common parlance aims at mental health. Meditation is said to help in concentration of the mind and channelizing the thought process towards positive things. Meditation also negates negative thoughts and bitter memories that gets accumulated in the sub conscious mind over the years due to past experiences. Continuous meditation takes the mind deeper into the self and helps in self realization. Conclusively, it can be said the ultimate aim of Yoga and meditation is realization of the atman or self realization.

Yoga Centers

There are a number of Yoga centers in India, which provide a holistic training experience. Based upon your requirement and need of Yoga, we will decide a plan and suggest centers where the training imparted for you would be the best. The location would also depend on the areas you would to visit in India.