The philosophy of yoga is extremely popular today. For many, it has become a real discovery in life. Yoga saves tortured people from daily stress and helps them see the most important, discarding the secondary. However, it does not come down to a banal complex of physical exercises. Yoga as an ancient tradition and religion, yoga as a philosophy and medicine - that will be discussed in this article.
The reasons for the popularity of yoga in the modern world
As already noted, yoga is extremely popular today. You could even say that she is fashionable in modern society. What are the reasons for this popularity?
To do this, answer one question. What is a modern person like? Exhausted, depressed and oppressed. A man of the 21st century, as a rule, spends his life in pursuit of dubious goods. Yoga helps not only to cope with daily stresses, but also teaches you to focus your attention (and strength) on the most important, truly important things.
The philosophy of yoga opens a person the only true way to the realization of their essence, helps to fully reveal their inner potential.
It is curious that the practical methods of yoga work in any case. Even if a person does not really believe in them or does not have the slightest idea about the essence and foundations of this philosophy. This is another unique feature of yoga.
The philosophy of yoga (briefly)
What is yoga? Is it fair to call it philosophy, science or religion?
The word itself in translation from Sanskrit means "unity". In a narrow sense, we are talking here primarily about the harmony and fusion of the human body and soul. In a broader sense, this is the unity of man with God.
Yoga is an Indian philosophy, very ancient. Its main postulates were identified in the second century BC by the famous guru Patanjali. However, it is wrong to say that the philosophy of yoga was founded by him. After all, it is believed that the Creator himself gave humanity yoga (through the avatar of Krishna).
The fundamentals of this teaching are not systematized. Their individual aspects can be found in various ancient Indian sources, starting with the Vedas. That is why historians cannot determine the clear chronological framework of this trend.
The philosophy of yoga is extremely multifaceted. The main goal of the teaching is the achievement of nirvana. This term refers to a complete reunion with the Creator.
To date, researchers distinguish several forms of yoga. It:
- karma yoga;
- bhakti yoga;
- jnana yoga;
- mantra yoga;
- hatha yoga and others.
Each of these areas is just one of the steps towards the unified goal of yoga philosophy - unity with the Supreme. In our article we will dwell in more detail on the last of these forms.
Parable of the hidden divinity
The philosophy of yoga for beginners is best illustrated by one of the ancient Indian parables. It will help to better understand the essence of this teaching for those who are just starting to get acquainted with it.
So, the parable of the hidden divinity ...
According to legend, before all people on Earth were gods. Thus, Brahma created them. However, soon the lord of all the gods saw that they did not use their power completely righteously, and therefore decided to take away divine power from them. At the same time, he had a question: where to hide divinity from people so that they could not find it?
To solve this dilemma, Brahma summoned counselors. Those began to bombard him with various options: some suggested burying divinity in the earth, others - throwing it at the bottom of the ocean ... However, Brahma did not like any proposal. “Sooner or later, people will reach the bottom of the oceans,” he answered thoughtfully.
Suddenly, the lord of the gods himself guessed what to do. He decided to hide the divinity inside the man himself. And I was not mistaken. A man conquered the heavens and the depths of the sea, drilled kilometer tunnels underground, but he never really looked inside himself.
Yoga History: Ancient Findings
It is difficult to determine how deep into history the roots of yoga stretch. So, in the valley of the Indus River, archaeologists have found ancient seals dating from the second millennium BC. They depict people, as well as deities in unusual poses (in total, researchers counted 16 different positions). This finding led historians to the idea that one of the forms of yoga was already familiar to the inhabitants of the Harappan civilization.
If we talk about written evidence, then the concept of "yoga" first appears in the Rig Veda - one of the most ancient monuments of Indian literature.
Patanjali and his Yoga Sutras
This doctrine belongs to the list consisting of six orthodox schools of Hinduism. The philosophy of yoga is very closely related to the direction of Sankhya. However, compared to her, yoga is more theistic.
At the time, Heinrich Zimmer spoke about the kinship of these two schools. At the same time, he argued that Sankhya gives a general explanation of the nature of man, while yoga reveals practical methods and ways to its complete liberation (the state of moksha).
Like any other school of Indian philosophy, yoga has its own sacred texts. These are the so-called "yoga sutras" set forth by the sage Patanjali. In one of them, by the way, the teacher reveals the very essence of the concept under consideration. According to the text of the second sutra, yoga is "a process of curbing the unrest inherent in the mind."
Swami Vivekananda: the life of a philosopher
One of the brightest representatives of this school is the Indian sage and public figure Swami Vivekananda. The philosophy of yoga in his works has acquired a new meaning. He was able to explain its key points from the point of view of the Western worldview.
Swami Vivekananda lived and worked in the second half of the 19th century. He was born in 1863 in a very religious family. He studied at Scottish Church College, where he showed a special interest in philosophy. At the same time, Vivekananda sets out to find a person who met with God himself. And soon he finds him. It was a certain Ramakrishna. Soon Vivekananda becomes his student.
In 1888, he, along with other students of Ramakrishna, begins to travel through the territory of India. Then it is sent to other countries (USA, France, Japan, England and others). The sage died in 1902. Swami's body, like his spiritual mentor, was cremated on the banks of the Ganges River.
During his life, Vivekananda wrote a number of works. The most important among them are the following:
- Karma Yoga (1896).
- "Raja Yoga" (1896).
- Vedanta Philosophy: Lectures on Jnana Yoga (1902).
Swami Vivekananda: philosophical views
Vivekananda belongs to a very famous saying: "There is only one God, only his names differ." Some call him Jesus, others call Allah, still others call Buddha and so on.
Swami Vivekananda was distinguished by the originality of his thought. His main merit as a philosopher is that he was able to prove that the key ideas of the Vedanta can be applied for purely practical purposes in public life.
“Each person is divine in itself” - this saying of Ramakrishna became a red thread in the life of the philosopher. He was sure that no one would gain freedom until all the other people became free. Vivekananda argued that a truly enlightened person must tirelessly work to save other people. The philosopher extolled selflessness and agitated everyone not to lose faith in themselves.
Swami Vivekananda's public views were based on the idea that the state and the church should be separated. Religion, in his opinion, in no case should interfere in matters of marriage, hereditary relations and the like. He also believed that society should ideally be a uniform mixture of all four castes. Moreover, he was sure that religion should not interfere in the process of building an ideal society.
Yoga Hatha: School Philosophy
The name of this direction of yoga is translated from Sanskrit as "enhanced fusion." For the first time, the postulates of this school were systematized by Swami Swatmaram. He believed that hatha yoga is the process of preparing the human body for complex meditations.
The word "hatha", as the researchers suggest, consists of two components: "ha" - the mind and "tha" - the life force.
Hatha yoga is a comprehensive teaching on how to achieve bodily harmony through physical and mental influences on the body (these are asanas, pranayama, mudras and bandhas). Each of them affects a specific part of the human body. In hatha yoga, complexes of certain exercises are specially selected with the help of which you can strengthen your health and fight serious diseases.
Breathing is the basis of life
The main emphasis in hatha yoga is on breathing. Adherents of this school are sure that the effect of breathing on the body is so strong that pranayama (breathing exercises) alone can significantly improve one's condition. And their skillful combination with asanas is the guarantee of a healthy and strong body.
Hatha Yoga, as a medical philosophy, sets as its primary task the complete purification of the human respiratory system. In addition, it is a real art of relaxing the body and all its muscles. Indeed, real clarity of mind comes only to a relaxed body.
The state of the body, well-being, as well as the mental processes of a person are closely related to his breathing. It seems that everyone will agree with this. That is why in hatha yoga so much attention is paid to the art and techniques of proper breathing. Moreover, she teaches people to breathe correctly, not only during special classes, but also in everyday life. A wise and careful attitude to your health is what hatha yoga teaches people. Philosophy and practice are organically intertwined in this teaching.
Common goals and objectives of yoga
One who has decided to seriously engage in yoga can pursue various goals. This may be a simple desire to improve your health or recover from a chronic disease. And for some, yoga is the key to achieving moksha ("union with Brahman").
By the way, it is moksha - as a process and the fact of liberation from samsara - that is the ultimate goal in many schools of ancient Indian philosophy. But in Vaishnavism, the main goal of yoga is to strive for God, the Creator. According to the teachings of this school, a Vaisnava then enters a blissful spiritual world in which he can enjoy the devotional service of Vishnu.
Yoga development in Russia
Some residents of Russia showed interest in yoga in pre-revolutionary times. In the era of the Soviet Union, this school was under ideological prohibition, which, however, did not prevent individual enthusiasts from studying semi-legally.
In Russia at different times, many famous personalities acted as active promoters of yoga. Among them are the doctor B. L. Smirnov, professor V. V. Brodov, writer V. I. Voronin, engineer Y. I. Koltunov and many others. At the end of the 80s, a higher educational institution, the so-called Yoga Academy, began to work in Moscow. Its founder was Gennady Statsenko. At the same time, a laboratory appears in the capital of the USSR to study non-traditional methods of treatment and rehabilitation. Of course, the teachings of Ancient India - yoga - were also in the sphere of interests of this laboratory.
Yoga for Beginners: Some Good Tips
Today, yoga courses are taught in almost every fitness club. However, knowledgeable people still recommend attending classes at a specialized school.
Finally, a few useful tips for those who plan to start doing yoga:
- clothing for classes should be comfortable and made of natural fabric;
- you need to start learning yoga with little, gradually penetrating into the "depths" of this teaching;
- skipping classes is undesirable, because each new session is a logical continuation of the previous one;
- yoga should be approached very consciously and thoroughly.
And, of course, do not forget that yoga is not only a healthy, fit body, but also the opportunity to feel the harmony of body and soul.
Finally...
Yoga is the philosophy of Ancient India, which is very popular in the modern world. However, this is not quite a philosophy, or rather, not only it. It is also a science, religion, centuries-old tradition and practice. Why is yoga philosophy so attractive to a modern person?
Briefly answer this question can be two main points. First: yoga helps a person cope with the tremendous pressure of brutal reality. Second: it is capable of each of us open the way to knowing ourselves, our inner essence.