Have heard a lot,but what is yoga in reality?
Question by: Shreyansh Srivastava, pursuing MBA, Gurgaon
I know, the term is a real brain crusher, thanks to the variety of definitions it has received from a variety of interpreters. They too are right. But, the modern mind wants to know what it is exactly without beating about the bush.
Yoga is one of the traits Nature has given everybody—even fish, birds, monkeys and dogs! But, they are not aware of it and often use it for natural purposes—eating, mating and absorbing. A dog is hungry. His mind is full of one idea—food. He does yoga. He is one with his idea of food and eventually gets it somewhere. Birds fly about freely. A male bird’s idea is female bird and that of a female bird a male bird. They become one with their ideas and perform yoga. Eventually, they get each other and mate. Therefore, anything which makes you one with your idea is yoga. Yoga comes from a Sanskrit root yuj, that means to unite. Now the wise ones thought that if uniting with one’s idea is yoga then why not have the highest idea and unite with it. They found out that the highest idea is God, who is all powerful, all knowing, all present. They became one with the idea and eventually found God in oneness. That too is yoga. So restricting yoga only to God in a conservative sense is restricting God—because God is everything.
What are the ingredients of achieving this oneness? First, you need an idea. Second, you need a necessary way to become one with it. Only two steps. That is it. Now, how to choose an idea? You need discrimination—what is good for me and what is bad. Take up the good idea and choose the right action to achieve oneness with it. The latter part is a bit difficult if we look through the experience of the past achievers. Some used elaborate systems, some mental systems, some physical systems and so on and so forth. But, only those who followed their system diligently, systemically and carefully succeeded. Krishna defines it in chapter 2, shloka 50, beautifully. बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते। तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योग: कर्मसु कौशलम्।। This is the backbone definition of yoga. It says,” Through oneness with one’s intellect (with the idea), man crosses the barriers of restricting good and bad thoughts —-makes a fresh ground for adoption of new idea he wants to be one with. Therefore, begin this union with your intellect (idea).Because, achieving this oneness with your idea is efficiency itself—the shortest and surest way to success. It is as good as saying when you focus on your ideal, the other good and bad ideas are left way behind!
Therefore, yoga is the shortest and the surest way to achieving oneness. Take it as the basic definition. Some people call yoga asanas as yoga too? That is another way to achieving this oneness. This is through practising physical postures and discipline. What does yoga do? It kills all sorrows -- effect of separation . योगो भवति दु:खहा--yoga then becomes destroyer of all sorrows! Think!--VS
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