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LIFESTYLE
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OGA SEEMS SUDDENLY COOL and every hot celebrity is expounding the virtues of this ancient practice. When my own interest began, back in the late 70s, there were considerably fewer resources to support the aspiring practitioner. However, there was something about this unfashionable practice back then which has managed to engage my interest, on and off for about twenty years.
But what is yoga? Despite the regrettable fact that many people think of yoga solely as a fitness system, it is actually a path of spiritual growth, the ultimate aim of which is the attainment of oneness with the Divine, whatever the practitioner perceives him, her or it to be. The Sanskrit translation of yoga is "union" and it is through the various practices of yoga that we seek to unite ourselves to the Divine seed within.
Yoga originated in ancient India. From its classical beginnings, there emerged five predominant paths: Jnana Yoga, the path of wisdom; Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion; Karma Yoga, the path of selfless action; Hatha Yoga, the physical path, concerned with the purification of the physical body; and Raja or Royal' Yoga.
Raja Yoga is the path which is followed by the average householder today. By definition, it incorporates
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Jain Spirit March May 2002
Jain Education International 2010_03
YOGA HEALS
Gillian Dunne encourages all to practise this ancient art which is a key to lasting fulfilment
elements of the other four but is broader in its application. Underpinning the art and science of Raja Yoga is its basic philosophy as defined by Patanjali, an Indian Sage, approximately 2500 years ago. In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes by way of a series of aphorisms the essence of yoga which, distilled into what we now call the Eight Limbs of Yoga, impart what is essentially a code of conduct. These are:
Eight Limbs of Yoga
1. Yamas (Disciplines)
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Brahmacharya (moderation) • Aparigraha (non-coveting)
2. Niyamas (Observances) Saucha (purity)
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Ahimsa (non-violence) Satya (honesty)
Asteya (non-stealing)
Santosha (contentment) Tapas (endurance, discipline) Svadhyaya (spiritual study) Ishvarapranidhana (surrender) 3. Asanas (Yoga Postures) 4. Pranayama (Breath Control) 5. Pratyahara (Sense Withdrawal) 6. Dharana (Concentration) 7. Dhyana (Meditation)
8. Samadhi (Communion with the Divine, or Oneness)
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The principle of ahimsa is central to the practice of yoga. Jains should
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delight in the knowledge that quite unknowingly many western yogi/nis have embraced the philosophy and habits of a Jain lifestyle through their commitment to the yogic way and while not necessarily Jain by name, they are certainly Jain by nature!
One of the great attractions of yoga for many is that it claims no affiliation to any organised religion. Whilst its roots are firmly grounded in Eastern spiritual thought, the yogic path remains as valid for Jains as it does for Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, followers of the Judeo-Christian traditions or, indeed, for none. The practice of yoga serves only to deepen our connection to whatever source or sense of the Divine we acknowledge.
However, the reverse is also true. Devotion to a religious path when carried out with honesty and integrity is itself yogic. Consequently, the practice of yoga if carried out regularly simply serves to reaffirm one's own faith or spiritual tradition. For those without any particular faith, the practice of yoga will create an environment in which the practitioner can develop an authentic, nonsectarian spiritual practice of their own. Kindness and compassion are acknowledged as universal spiritual truths and these values serve to highlight the inter-connectedness of all spiritual paths.
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