by Pilar Salazar
~ Part I
The practice of Yoga has become quite popular worldwide. There are several types, some more traditional than others. The reason for its popularity is most likely due to its capacity to make us feel more relaxed and at peace. But there is a whole philosophical background that can turn this practice from a simple way of stretching and working out into a transformative experience.
To comprehend the difference between these two ways of looking at yoga, it is important to know the roots of the practice, which date back to around 5000 years ago. In the next articles, I would like to explore certain subjects related to the history and yogic philosophy.
Yoga was born in India, from ancient texts such the Sutras, Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gitta. In all these scriptures, the physical postures as we know them today are barely mentioned. The concept in its most basic form was this: the aim of the yoga-practice was to reestablish the union between the mind and soul.
In these documents we also learn about the concepts of Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja as paths to liberation.
In general terms, Karma-yoga is the yoga of service, to find life’s meaning by serving others — a great example of this method would be Mother Teresa. Bhakti-yoga is the yoga of devotion, of genuine love; it seeks to teach us to truly love each other. Jnana-yoga is the path to find meaning by acquiring knowledge. And finally, the Raja yoga focuses on meditation.
With that said, within the yogic philosophy, our bodies are conceived as tools for our spiritual work. Through strengthening and purifying our bodies, we can find enough peace and lightness to practice the other types of yoga the rest of the time: serving others, treating each other with a genuine kind of love, focusing on learning each day, and dedicating time and space in our lives for meditation and contemplation.
