Yoga is an ancient and sacred practice which helps us find union and balance between the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of our being.
Asanas, or poses, keep the body flexible and strong. They also teach us to focus and concentrate. When we can still and control the body, it helps us to still and control the mind. Therefore, asanas are a great tool for us Westerners, since we tend to have such busy and restless minds. Yet asanas are a teeny tiny part of what yoga really is- yoga has many other and more important aspects that extend beyond the physical. These include learning to focus and fully concentrate, direct energy, control the breath and meditate.
Practiced properly and regularly, yoga teaches us to gain perspective and expand our consciousness. It also helps us align back to our natural state of calmness, peace and bliss.
Yoga helps us fully realize and experience that true happiness comes from within, and not from outside things.
Inspirational Yogis
“The real You is the prolific Source of all power…infinite in its potentiality.”
- Paramahansa Yogananda
I discovered yoga and my beloved Guru, Paramahansa Yogananda, in the Himalayan Mountains of India, where I traveled for three months during my around the world journey. I feel very blessed to have discovered yoga in its birthplace, and learn the basis of its ancient traditions, which focus on philosophy, pranayama and meditation.
Paramanhansa Yogananda is widely credited with bringing yoga to the West in the 1920’s. His Lessons disseminate the ancient teachings of Kriya yoga, which is the only kind of yoga specifically mentioned in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which date back from 200 BC. He initiated Mahatma Gandhi into Kriya yoga, as well as thousands of others.
An inspirational yogi is one that has mastered the deeper aspects of yoga and has reached a very high state of consciousness, peace and understanding. Some inspirational yogis that have had a major impact on my life are Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Sri Yukteswar and Amma, widely known as the “Hugging Saint.”
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