You have heard of Yoga. A lot lately.
What is so special about it?
As you start searching to learn more, you are baffled by looking at pictures of perfect bodies striking astounding postures.
‘I could never reach there! How is that even possible!’
Either that or the mysterious energy talk. So, you would rather stick to your gym and Pilates routine because Yoga seems complicated. And you are not sure where to start.
A good place will be to understand ‘What is Yoga.’ Sounds fair?
With a sound understanding of any discipline, you can decide whether or not to make it a part of your life.
So here is Yoga made easy for you – FAQs and Myths.
10 Frequently asked questions on what is Yoga
1. What does Yoga mean
Out of the several definitions of Yoga, my favorite one comes from the Gita – ‘Samatvam Yoga Uchyate’, meaning ‘Equanimity is Yoga’.
To maintain equanimity of mind, whatever may be the situation in life, is Yoga.
You must have seen Kung Fu heroes fighting with a peaceful face even while doing crazy movements. Yeah, something like that.
2. What is the goal of Yoga
To understand a discipline, you should have a basic understanding of its goal. The goal of Yoga simply put, is to ‘know yourself’.
For example, Yoga Asanas are done slowly with awareness of the breath, and in the process, you start knowing and listening to your body like you never have before.
Similarly, as a practitioner keeps evolving towards higher practices in Yoga, the experiences and the understanding of your ‘self’, grows to higher, more subtle levels.
Ultimately you come to a place where you ‘experience’ yourself to be one with the creation as well as the creator (if there is any). To reach that state is Yoga.
3. What is Yoga good for
Since Yoga is a discipline of knowing yourself, it encompasses your body, mind, soul, and beyond. Therefore, it can be easily derived that this is the most holistic wellness approach you can ever take.
Because you have to sequentially connect with the whole of yourself – it takes care of all aspects of your life.
It keeps you physically healthy, mentally sharp, emotionally agile and doesn’t just stop there. Yoga has the potential to transform your life inside out.
4. What are the different types of Yoga
Yoga comes from India and therefore we shall only talk about the real and original types of Yoga mentioned in the traditional texts. Everything else you see out there is just a derivative of these.
Yoga of Action – Karma Yoga
Yoga of Knowledge – Gyana Yoga
Yoga of Devotion – Bhakti Yoga
Yoga of Conquering the Mind – Raja Yoga
5. What is Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is an 8-limbed system of Yoga designed to reach Raj Yoga. Because Raj Yoga as it is too refined to practice directly. Asanas are a part of Hatha Yoga.
In Hatha Yoga, we work with balancing the opposing energies of the Universe present in our bodies. We commonly know these energies as Shiva Shakti, Yin Yang, etc.
It is also called ‘Ashtanga’ as ‘Asht’ is Sanskrit for 8. Do not confuse it with the Ashtanga style of Mysore which is a derivative of it.
6. How to start Yoga
The first step? Love and accept who you are.
Second step – Commit yourself to a daily practice – be it for 15 minutes or 1 hour. One place, one time, and complete focus. Swami Krishnananda said ‘In Yoga, quality matters not quantity’.
If it is hard for you to imagine being in one place for an hour, start with 15 minutes – Asanas or breath awareness.
7. Can Yoga treat diseases
Yoga says that most of our physical diseases are caused by the mind only.
As you work with all the aspects of your being in Yoga, many physical ailments that don’t even have a cure in modern medicine, disappear. This is not theory, but personal experience.
Patanjali clearly says in the Yoga Sutras:
‘Heyam Dukham Anagatam’, meaning ‘Future pain is avoidable’.
Surely, a dedicated Yoga practice can be your best immunity booster too.
8. How often should you do Yoga
The simple answer would be once a day in accordance with the time at your disposal, as explained in point number 6.
As you advance, you can highly tailor your practice within that one time to make it most effective. Depending on your –
– Ayurvedic Prakriti. Take this quiz to know yours.
– Any physical or mental challenges
– Short-term goals within your practice and whatever other factors there are to be considered.
9. Is it safe to do Yoga at home
Most of us start Yoga with the practice of Asanas. If you are a beginner, learning from a teacher is the best because it involves a lot of technicality.
Online tutorials can only be a last resort option, as the teacher cannot teach you as per your body or correct you, especially for beginners.
As you become ready to advance in Yoga, it becomes all the more important that you receive guidance from a teacher. The more advanced the techniques, the more esoteric they are, and should never be applied just by reading books.
A ‘Guru’ is the only way to go, although exceptions prove the rule.
10. Why choose Yoga over any other form of exercise
Simply and briefly put – Yoga is much more about the mind than the body.
In Yoga, we approach the mind through the body and use it as a vehicle to go beyond both. Since we work on the ‘whole’, the ‘whole’ benefits.
So, it completely depends on what your goal is. Want to get slim, go to the gym. Want to have everlasting peace, come to Yoga 😊
10 Myths about What is Yoga
The physical practice of Asanas is Yoga.
Asanas as mentioned above are a part of Hatha Yoga and are only one of the 8 limbs of it.
All the 8 limbs are
a. Yama – Discipline of self towards society
b. Niyama – Discipline of self towards self
c. Asana – Discipline of Body
d. Pranayam – Discipline of Breath
e. Pratyahara – Discipline of Senses
f. Dharana – Discipline of One-Pointed Focus
g. Dhyana – Meditation (this is a passive act, you cannot do meditation, it can only happen to you)
h. Samadhi – Achieving the ultimate Goal of Yoga – Knowing yourself.
2. Yoga is Religious
Yoga is a systematic way of knowing the ultimate reality. It doesn’t ask you to believe in any particular God, it is pure self-inquiry.
Krishna says in Gita – ‘Yoga is the of the self, through the self, to the self.’ Gita is a Hindu text, Hindu which isn’t a religion but a way of living – A yogic way of living.
In fact, the word “Hindu” is not a religious term, but originates from the Sanskrit word for river, sindhu. The Persians designated the land around the Indus River as Hindu, a mispronunciation of the Sanskrit Sindhu.
The Mantras chanted are complex sounds to awaken different aspects of our consciousness. They can include chanting the names of Hindu Deities but to that extent only. You can believe in any deity you want; practice a faith of your liking and you can be a non-believer too.
3. Yoga is only for the flexible
As must be clear to you by now, Yoga is much more beyond body. It is about YOU.
So, any body type, age, or inclination can practice Yoga. In fact, the better you accept your body the better it opens up and faster.
One of the most famous Yoga Teachers of the modern-day Max Strom used to be the stiffest student in his class. But the acceptance of himself is what set him apart and made him what he is today.
4. Only Vegetarians can do Yoga
Food and water make us what we are – body and mind.
Since Yoga is a practice of subtlety, from body to mind and beyond, it needs a certain kind of clarity at all levels. An uninterrupted flow of conscious awareness. And vegetarian food is the most suitable for that.
Yoga doesn’t force but gradually transforms the body and mind to be their best. So, you don’t have to worry about being a vegetarian in the beginning. Just go with the flow.
Most importantly, Yoga is a conscious practice; ultimately you choose for yourself.
5. Yoga is not as effective as modern exercise for the body
It doesn’t make sense to compare Yoga and Modern Exercise since the aim of both is completely different.
But, if we were to just look at the physical aspect of Asanas, they work with the intrinsic group of muscles. The muscles that are responsible for the balance of the spine and hence our body’s balance and posture.
Unlike Yoga, gymming, bodybuilding, and most other physical cultures work with superficial muscle groups.
Also, Asanas are practiced with a focus on deep breathing that multiplies the effects of the physical act several times for the organs involved.
As you go into the higher practices of Yoga, you start working with energy and the practice goes to another level altogether.
6. Yoga can only be satisfactory for long-term goals
It did give me the waking of my life within 10 days in Sivananda Ashram, so I would say no.
Not ONLY for long-term goals, you can set and achieve short-term goals in Yoga too. Consciously on the body level and as a natural process on the mental level.
From building strong shoulders with Dolphins to achieving the head-stand fast to achieving better digestion just by learning how to breathe deeply – the key lies in identifying your goals.
Once your identification is clear, Yoga awards a dedicated soul with fast and clear results.
7. Perfect pose, Perfect practitioner
My teacher says if you want to progress in Yoga, run away from anything that feeds your Ego.
A true Yoga practitioner then, would rather run away from showing off than indulge in it.
As Max Strom rightly said – ‘If practicing postures until we are super strong and flexible were enough to make us masters of life, then people would be flocking to the athletes in Cirque du Soleil to seek spiritual advice.’
8. Yoga is for women and young people only
As long as you have a body mind and soul, whatever age gender, or condition you are, you have the same potential in Yoga. Yoga practices can always be consciously chosen as per feasibility.
The pace of growth totally depends on your dedication and how much awareness you maintain in your practice.
9. The more difficult the pose, the better
Do you know which is the most difficult Yoga posture? The Corpse. Yes, Shavasana.
The biggest challenge people face in Yoga is to be still. The real challenge is to be in one posture for a few breaths, make conscious movements, and relax. If you can do THAT, you can be sure, you are one of the better ones.
We can all strive to satisfy our egos by achieving complicated postures. But sitting still, in silence, and practicing asanas with a spiritual focus – that is where real Yoga is.
10. Yoga is Boring!
To be honest, Yoga makes you the coolest dude around.
Not because you can strike cool poses again 😊 but because you learn not to judge.
Yoga is all about self-acceptance – you learn to accept yourself and others as they are while working on it. And as you do that, you let go of a lot of tension arising from a whole lot of expectations.
For yourself and for others. And it pervades all areas of your life.
You can use soothing music for your Asana or meditation practice if you are a beginner. As you move further, it is not recommended.
To Conclude:
I have tried to cover all the doubts and myths that stop people from coming to a Yoga class or trying it out themselves.
In case you have any questions or doubts, feel free to leave comments below and I will be happy to answer.
Keeping in consideration all the information given above, decide for yourself if Yoga is something you would like to get into. And if you decide for it, you my friend, are blessed!