The Yoga Philosophy in Practice

In an earlier post, I mentioned some of the intricacies of the Hindu yoga philosophy in relation to the Yamas. What I didn't mention, however, is that I am currently taking yoga and that is how I got the idea to write about the philosophy behind it. Being that I have already discussed meditation in practice recently, I thought I should discuss yoga in practice too.

My interest in yoga was at first, purely out of vanity. I thought it would be a great way to get healthier and look better. My reasons were simple, and had hardly anything to do with the mental benefits, just the physical. I was unsure of what I could expect from yoga: whether I would be insecure, if it would make me feel uncomfortable, or if I would feel really awkward and out of place once there. For every yoga class, my instructor turns off the lights, leaving the only light in the room to be a dimly lit lamp in the corner. This makes you feel less insecure automatically. At first, you can't see much and you can just barely see your mat in front of you, but then your eyes adjust naturally, and you can see everything as clearly as you need to.

Mental clarity somehow follows. "Yoga is one of the six classic systems of Hindu philosophy that practices certain disciplines to achieve [freedom from the limitations of the flesh and lead to the fulfillment of knowledge]. The goal of Yoga is not to achieve peace within, channeling, or the working of miracles, but the acquirement of knowledge." (ThinkQuest) Also, as put by The Free Dictionary, yoga can be accurately defined as:

yo·ga n.

1. A Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility.

2. A system of exercises practiced as part of this discipline to promote control of the body and mind.

Yoga has a strong history in Hinduism - to say the least, and some say that yoga pre-dates Hinduism. "It was the fruit of the highest intellectual and spiritual development...Yoga is to transform the [whole] man, to discipline his body, to purify his mind, to [touch the very foundations of his being]." (Hindu-Wisdom)

Although I have only been in yoga for a handful of months, I feel that the gist of taking yoga is a combination of deep breathing, concentration and altering one's mental focus, creating some tension in the body, and then releasing that tension. Beyond that, I feel that it has helped me concentrate significantly better in my studies, and given me a much-needed stress release. I feel, alike many other people, that a physical release along with an emotional one can help a person further live up to their intellectual capacity and potential. While I certainly do not think that taking yoga would ever have the ability to transcend a person beyond regular schooling or make anyone an automatic genius, based on my own experiences with it and my personal observations: the consequent absence of intense stressors, the lightheartedness that accompanies it, and the immediate staunchly altered focus, effects one's mental performance afterword.

According to Science Daily, a study conducted in the April 2012 edition of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics concluded that "Yoga classes have positive psychological effects for high-school students." and, "Teens taking yoga classes had better scores on several of the psychological tests." Within that study:

Students completed a battery of psychosocial tests before and after the ten-week yoga program. In addition to tests of mood and tension/anxiety, both groups completed tests assessing the development of self-regulatory skills -- such as resilience, control of anger expression, and mindfulness -- thought to protect against the development of mental health problems.

They suggest that yoga's way of combining "..strength and flexibility exercise with relaxation and meditation/mindfulness techniques.." provide us with a promising approach to better suppressing mental health issues, and increasing the positive beneficial mental effects. From my own point of view, if I was practicing yoga when I was a teenager, I would have definitely been more relaxed. Now, when I walk into yoga I am eager to get going and to feel more relaxed, strong, and competent. The instructor tells us to let go of all comparisons, and I do. When I leave the dark room after doing yoga, I feel an air of ease to everything that I try to accomplish after that: my mind feels stronger, and my personality more relaxed. I feel more able to do the things that I thought were hard before, this allows me to feel better about my work, my life, and myself.

Sarah

Works Cited

Ashley, Sarah. "The Yamas of Hinduism and Yoga." Fog and Confusion. Blogger, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Hinduism: Yoga." ThinkQuest. Think Quest Education Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Yoga and Hindu Philosophy." Hindu Wisdom. N.p., 28 Oct. 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Yoga: Definition of Yoga by the Free Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Encyclopedia." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, Inc., 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Yoga Shows Psychological Benefits for High-School Students." Science Daily. Science Daily LLC, 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.