Cultivate a

Health Body
quite mind and vibrant
spirit
 What Is Yoga And Its Benefits

In its truest sense, the word Yoga means

union. The practice of yoga helps one attain
union of mind, body and soul. Excellent
physical health is a natural outcome of perfect
harmony between these three aspects of the
Self. At the highest and purest level of union or
yoga, the individual Self dissolves and
becomes One with Universal consciousness. In
such a state, all problems, disappointments,
grudges and diseases melt away, leaving
behind nothing but pure bliss. According to the
Yoga Sutras, the ancient text on yogic
instruction, written and compiled by Sage
Patanjali, physical health is a natural outcome
of mental, emotional and spiritual health.

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 Yoga and the ultimate Truth

In the Indian tradition, it is purported that the highest goal of ones life is to attain
freedom from the vicious cycle of birth and death becoming One with eternity and
eternal bliss. This goal can be achieved only by realizing the ultimate Truth and the Truth
can be realized only through yoga. According to Sage Patanjali, only the soul is the real
and eternal. The physical body is time bound and temporal. Due to ignorance or avidya,
individuals identify the Self as the physical body. This identification is the primary cause
of all problems and miseries because the physical body has limitations and it also goes
through the catabolic process of destruction. The ultimate Truth is the realization that
only the Soul is real and the individual Soul is a fragment of the Universal Soul. When the
individual soul merges into the Universal soul, all illusions of separation dissolve and the
realization that we are all One sets in.

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 The Four Paths of Yoga
Karma YogaThis is the path of selfless
service. Karma implies action and a karma
yogi performs all actions as an offering to God.
There is no desire to reap any benefits from the
action or any aspiration for personal reward.
The karma yogi believes that the Supreme Lord
is the doer and benefiter and that the individual
is only a medium for carrying on the will of the
Infinite. Through karma yoga, the ego is
annihilated and oneness with all of existence is
realized as the individual begins seeing his own
reflection in every creature. Karma yoga can be
performed anywhere and anytime. Whenever
any action is done without the desire to take
credit or to benefit in anyway, it is karma yoga.

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 Bhakti YogaThis is the path of devotion and
of pure love for the Divine. It is said that in the
current kali yuga or Dark Age, this is the
easiest form of yoga to practice. In this path,
emotions are used as a tool for attaining the
Divine. The Bhakti yogi does not suppress his
emotions, but instead, sublimates them into
pure devotion towards the Lord. Chanting,
prayer, japa (constant repetition of a mantra or
word), katha (listening to and telling stories of
God and of saints), puja (ritual worship) and
ceremonies are the various tools and techniques
of Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is a quick and sure
way of purifying the Self and of transcending
the ego.

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 Gnana YogaThis is the path of knowledge. In
gyana yoga, the yogi uses the intellect for right
inquiry or vichara Attainment of the Supreme
knowledge is pursued through constant self-
analysis while the mind and its nature are
observed and analyzed from a detached
perspective. This is certainly the most difficult
path. Not because it is superior to the other
paths but because the individual must be firmly
grounded in an egoless state and should have
the ability to not allow his thoughts to become
overwhelmed with emotions.

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 Raja YogaThis is a highly scientific step-by-
step approach to yoga. It empowers the
individual to master the mind and the body in a
systematic manner. This path is also known
asAshtanga yogabecause the word Ashtanga
means eight and the practice is divided into
eight limbs or steps.

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