The myth goes that Yoga is a religion. It is not exactly a religion, but it is a practice, which is practiced by the people, following a religion. The aim of this practice is to unite. Yoga is a Sanskrit term whose meaning itself is to unite. Who will unite and with whom to unite is the biggest question that is often asked. You might be thinking that the question is mostly asked by the western people, for whom yoga is a new evolving concept, but the fact shows that it is a question mostly asked by the people of India, where the origin of Yoga exists. So, it is pretty clear that although yoga is gaining popularity, yet people have little knowledge about the particular thing. This is why some of the unusual Myths of yoga surrounds on, around the society.
Yoga Myths
There are some of the popular myths related to Yoga. A list of them are as follows:
- It is said that your body must be flexible to practice Yoga
- According to Myths of yoga, men do not follow yoga
- It is supposed that Yoga is too expensive
- Yoga is considered to be a religion
- Yoga is not exactly a workout
Among the top five Myths of yoga, it is time to find out the truth in them. To find, the truth, the first thing that you will have to know is what exactly Yoga is. Unless, you have that knowledge, you will start to believe all the myths and will keep your mind away from the real truth.
Yoga in reality
Yoga, as discussed earlier is the practice to unite. It is a part of Hinduism, although its influence in Hinduism is quite prominent. According to Hinduism, the universe is the expression of the infinite Soul, and that infinite soul is embodied into everything and every creature. Human is also a manifestation of that soul, like all other creatures. Yoga is the process to be followed so that the embodied soul can reach the Soul, or it can identify itself as the Soul. This has got four major parts.
- Gyan Yoga- The first of them is the Gyan Yoga, where the essential truth knowledge is shared. Hinduism believes that without cause no effect is felt. To proceed with yoga, this cause and effect relations is to be learned first.
- Karma Yoga- The next segment of Yoga is Karma Yoga. This is the yoga practice that is simply to tame the mind according to the lessons learned from Gyan Yoga. Here the objective of the study is to practice continuous works, leaving all the attachments towards the results of those works. Hinduism believes that joy or sorrow are simply the two emotions of the human mind that are generated from attachment towards the work results. When this attachment can be cut short, the mind remains undisturbed and hence, the nature of Soul expresses through it, just like the floor of a lake can be seen, when there is no tidal wave on the lake.
- Bhakti Yoga- The third segment is termed as Bhakti Yoga. After learning Gyan yoga and knowing the truth or consciousness and after practicing Karma Yoga and the heart is set free from all attachments, it is needed to find another power, where the attachment must be diverted. Hinduism and Yoga direct that to the Gods and Goddesses, who are just the representation of the different phases of Soul.
- Raja Yoga- The fourth part is the Raja Yoga. It is the yogic practice, where different body postures and breathing styles are practiced, to concentrate on the soul. When all the other yogic practices result in this Yoga, it is called Raja Yoga, but when this is practiced without any other yogic practices, it is termed as Hatha Yoga, or which you term as Yoga.
Correction of the Myths
Now, you know what exactly is Yoga. So you can easily check and correct the myths. Here is the clarification of the five myths. You can understand them easily now with the complete knowledge about Yoga.
- The first myth is the flexibility in the body that is needed in Yoga. You can understand now that, for yoga, there is definitely need for flexibility, but that flexibility must be in your mind. If your mind is flexible, your body will naturally be flexible.
- The ancient rishis were men only, and they are the inventors of Yoga. So, whether yoga is practiced by men or not, is clear to you.
- Yoga is something which you can practice on your own. So, there is no need to feel that it is very much expensive.
- Yoga is not a religion by itself, but is the integrated part of the ancient most religion of the world, and
- The last myth is accurate. Yoga is not exactly a work out. In fact, the workout is just 10 percent of the entire yogic practice, which is often left out by most of the Top yogis of the world.
Learn the benefits of Yoga
Now you know clearly what Yoga is. You are left out with the Yoga Benefits only. Here is the list of the benefits.
Physical Benefits of Yoga –
Here are some of the Yoga Benefits for your body:
- Your body flexibility will be increased
- Metabolism in your body will be better, and your immune capacity will increase.
- Your respirational functions will improve drastically. It will increase your resistance power too.
- You will find your weight to be reduced to a great level
- Your heart and blood circulation will be regularized accurately
- You will also remain safe from injuries
Spiritual Benefit –
The top Spiritual Yoga Benefits are as follows:
- Yoga, when practiced at the best level of it, can lead you to the top level of spirituality.
- Yoga essentially will make your mind silent and peace loving
- Your intellect will find high speed, and that will be coordinated with your mind and heart, in a way, which you have never experienced.
So, start your yogic journey today. It is a long path, filled with many thrilling experiences. Just go ahead and find what is there before you. You are going to enter a completely new world with Yoga, and that is the Cosmic World.
