The popularity of Yoga is rising both in east and west .As per Yoga alliance research, the annual Yoga market in America is about $16bn with most of it being spent on classes, clothing, accessories, equipment. The physical prowess of backbends, twists, headstands are eye catching and impressive and it's contributed to the growth of the Yoga industry in the west.
In India, apart from home remedies, the common advice for any physical ailment has always been 'Do some Yoga'. Yoga classes are often conducted for free at temples, yoga camps and various organizations. Yoga Guru Ramdev's free classes earned him such goodwill that it helped him launch an herbal products company that gives stiff competition to industry stalwarts such as Unilever and P&G.
With Yoga's popularity spreading many schools have mushroomed all over the world offering various styles and schools of Yoga have emerged to woo eager students.
Leaving the economics aside, those who do even the physical practice of Yoga for long enough,experience an overall sense of well-being including emotional, mental and even spiritual. Various studies have proven its benefits in both disease management and prevention.
Even as scientists and researchers are trying to understand Yoga's therapeutic benefits, its secret sauce is that it is based on deeper yogic philosophies discovered by ancient Indian sages. Most of the core principles of Yoga are inbuilt in the physical practice of the yogasanas and hence forms a stepping stone to its core philosophy.It is succinctly codified by Patanjali in his 'Yoga Sutras' that contain ethical principles along with physical and mental practices to truly master the inner self. This serves as an important reference text in understanding and applying yogic techniques even today.
As deep as the philosophy is, it is quite practical as well. There have been notable experiments by many Indians on a large scale, most famous being the Indian freedom struggle under the leadership of Gandhi that was won on the basis of Satya(truthfulness) and Ahimsa(non violence).
Social activist Anna Hazare attributes reading about the works of Swami Vivekananda that helped him find purpose and meaning to work for the good of his own village and later on fight corruption in the Indian political system.
Ancient Indian sages believed that to truly master yourself, you had to focus on the mind. And a healthy body is the first step in that direction. Hence the physical postures to strengthen the body.The asanas or physical postures are simply designed, often imitating nature or everyday culture but it draws on principles of mindfulness, breathing and alignment. When practiced without compromising on these aspects, it brings physical relaxation and calms the mind. That is why learning from a good teacher matters, as the clarity of instructions clearly affects the practice and the individual itself.
I find the instructions given in a typical Yoga class can often be taken off the mat into real world situations. For ex : the usual instructions in the asana practice such as observing the breath be a good strategy for anxiety and anger management. Staying in different asanas, and breathing normally without straining can eventually teach us to handle tough situations in real life without feeling overwhelmed.
After learning the basic yogic philosophy I have come to a conclusion that this expansive knowledge of the Yoga Sastras is indeed by itself so complete. The knowledge we gain from them can be applied in everything that we do. Be it, when we are attempting a head stand in the yoga studio, or even when do mundane(which I know is not the right word to say:)) household chores or when faced with challenges in our personal life. This is the kind of practice that the ancient sages must have intended to leave to the future generations.
At Yoga Bharati, there is an attempt to bring this kind of experience and awareness in making Yoga a 'way of life' rather than treat it as a mere exercise form.
At Yoga Bharati, there is an attempt to bring this kind of experience and awareness in making Yoga a 'way of life' rather than treat it as a mere exercise form.
-Vinitha Ramachandran
YIC/YTT 2017 Batch Of Yogabharati