What is Yoga?

From Julia Roberts to a college student it seems like everyone is doing Yoga! Some practice Yoga to help them deal with the day to day stress of a hectic life while for others it's a means of physical wellbeing. The health benefits of Yoga are numerous, helping some people lose weight and others breathe properly to improve their attention. Yoga has become the tool to help your mind and body stay healthy. But Yoga's higher purpose is to attain a state of perfect spiritual insight; its true purpose is to
assist a Yogi, a practitioner of Yoga, connect to the Divine within! Yoga stems from the Sanskrit word Yuj, meaning to "join" or "get united." The ultimate goal of Yoga is to unite one's soul with the Brahman, the Absolute Reality.

The word, "Yoga" first appears in the Hindu scripture, Katha Upanishad, in Chapter 3 verse 11. The verse tells us the meaning and purpose of the Yoga, it says,

"(10) When the five senses are stilled, when the mind
Is stilled, when the intellect is stilled,
That is called the highest state by the wise.
(11)They say YOGA is this complete stillness
In which one enters the unitive state,
Never to become separate again.
If one is not established in this state,
The sense of unity will come and go."

Yoga philosophy recognizes that as there are many different types of individuals so there are many different paths to the Brahman, an individual may follow a path based on their temperament. All these paths are categorized in four practices, Gyan Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga.

Here is how, Swami Vivekanada described each Yoga.

Gyan Yoga (aka Jnana Yoga): First: hearing the truth — that the Atman is the only reality and that everything else is Mâyâ (relativity). Second: reasoning upon this philosophy from all points of view. Third: giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth. This realization comes from (1) being certain that Brahman is real and everything else is unreal; (2) giving up all desire for enjoyment; (3) controlling the senses and the mind; (4) intense desire to be free. Meditating on this reality always and reminding the soul of its real nature are the only ways in this Yoga.

Karma Yoga: Karma-Yoga is purifying the mind by means of work. The watchword of the Karma-Yogi is "not I, but Thou", and no amount of self-sacrifice is too much for him. But he does this without any desire to go to heaven, or gain name or fame or any other benefit in this world.

Bhakti Yoga: Bhakti or worship or love in some form or other is the easiest, most pleasant and most natural way of man. The natural state of this universe is attraction; and that is surely followed by an ultimate disunion. Even so, love is the natural impetus of union in the human heart; and though itself a great cause of misery, properly directed towards the proper object, it brings deliverance. The object of Bhakti is God. Love cannot be without a subject and an object. The object of love again must be at first a being who can reciprocate our love. Therefore the God of love must be in some sense a human God. He must be a God of love. Aside from the question whether such a God exists or not, it is a fact that to those who have love in their heart this Absolute appears as a God of love, as personal.

Raja Yoga: As each science has its particular method of investigation, so is this Raja-Yoga the method of religion. This science also is variously applied according to various constitutions. The chief parts are the Prânâyâma, concentration, and meditation. For those who believe in God, a symbolical name, such as Aum or other sacred words received from a Guru, will be very helpful. Aum is the greatest, meaning the Absolute. Meditating on the meaning of these holy names while repeating them is the chief practice of Raja Yoga.

This video is part of HSA's Animation Project. The Animation Project is an ongoing effort to restore the original meaning behind Hindu concepts. Make sure to check out the other videos below for more!

[lellison]

best day of my life. I was the 100, 000 viewer of this.

[bhuvaneswari]

It was a very good presentation. A complicated explanation simplified so that even a person who does not know what Yoga stands for can understand. Kudos to your team.

[Hindustudents]

@cheerchica1112 Thank you for commenting! We are creating three more animation video this year. Our next video will be on Yajna, Dharma, and Moksha!

[alexandermagalong]

I want to practice all about hinduism, im catholic converting to hinduism. Can anyone help me please...

[ExTheremintal]

Thank you for this. I'm keeping this bookmarked for when I tell people that I practice yoga and they start asking me about postures and I try to explain that's not what I meant, heh.

[durgawisdom]

great work, keep posting such videos, its simple and meaningfull, there are required for your new generation, i watched this video for 10 times, i got a solution for my un answered questions about karma yoga, and i feel so enchanting to view more.

[asrundae]

may i say that this is such an amazing video!!! here's hoping you continue with them!!

[TheMuseCorps]

Great intro for the beginner, really appreciate the effort that went into getting it out there for us.

[snowboarder]

You can see it as a religion if you wish. Really religion means a way of life and in this way Yoga is definitely a religion. Yoga means union, the point of yoga is to unite the individual self with The Self (the infinite consciousness of The Universe).

Personally I do not view it as a religions but a means to a higher goal. Yoga is the path to any goal that we set for ourselves. With yoga we learn to calm our mind and fix it on a higher attainment.

[carrenebatac]

This can be useful for my project in MAPEH YAY!!!

[killer]

yoga has always been part of hinduism that the western countries has taken it. the word yoga is not even an english word its originally a sanscrit word. even the word karma is not english its sanscrit.

[Exceltrainingvideos]

Interesting and informative. Thank you!

[kumble]

amazing video. I read your article on Take back yoga. Keep up the awesome work.

[snowboarder]

I see no real harm in it. Sure, "Western Yoga" pretty much only focuses on Hatha Yoga, but the spread of Yoga philosophy into the west will flow through this viaduct. The "West" is very different from the "East" and it's people will learn of Yoga according to their own Karma.

[HinduReddy]

LOL...Yoga & Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism ) are inseperable.Stop thinking like ppl who tried to destroy hinduism!

[ramaraksha]

Karma & Rebirth means We are ACCOUNTABLE for our actions. We take Responsibility.
Karma & Rebirth means that we enjoy the Gift of Life, over & over again!
Karma & Rebirth means there is no place for a Hell, no sadistic God running a torture chamber
Karma & Rebirth means that We EARN everything. A Hindu must never beg nor take anything that is unearned
Karma & Rebirth means we Hindus earn Praise FROM God! Anyone fool can praise God, but Blessed are the Hindus that aim to earn Praise FROM God!

[sudhumravarna]

Do you atleast know what is Wikipedia ?