New Delhi: Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev has taken yoga to the country as well as the world, while he has also promoted Ayurveda through his indigenous products prepared from herbs. The history of yoga in India is very ancient. The use of the word yoga is found in Vedas, Upanishads, Gita and mythological texts since ancient times. It is not limited to doing yogasanas to stay physically healthy, but yoga has a deep connection with every aspect of our life from devotion to self-realization and staying healthy from body to mind.
Yoga is a gift of our own country, but with time people have forgotten the importance of it. At present, health problems have increased so much in modern lifestyle that we should again make yoga a part of our daily routine so that we can stay healthy. Patanjali founder, Ramdev’s book, ‘Yoga, Its Philosophy and Practice’ explains the importance of yoga is in our life and provided a detailed description of the various forms of yoga too.
About Patanjali
The brand Patanjali is named after Maharishi Patanjali. He was a scholar of yoga and defined it as ‘Chittavritti Nirodha’ (the act of calming or controlling the mind’s tendencies i.e. thoughts and emotions). If yoga is practiced with complete dedication and devotion, it will help a person eliminate all negative thoughts from his mind. Although yoga is very mysterious, but in simple words, our mental health gets better with its daily practise. We feel a change in yourself while passing each stage of yoga.
‘Yog: its philosophy and practise’ by Ramdev
The book ‘Yog its philosophy & practice’ written by Patanjali founder, contains four types of yoga that have been described in ‘Dattatreya Yogasutra’ and ‘Yograj Upanishad’. They are as follows:
Mantra yoga
Mantra Yoga helps to establish a connection with spirituality. It involves chanting systematically for 12 years. This process provides ‘Anima Sukshmata’ (the power to make one’s body as subtle as an atom). Yogis acquire this power through mantras, i.e. they reach a state where they identify themselves with even the smallest part of the universe. This is the process through which spiritual powers are acquired.
Laya Yoga
It involves remembering God while performing our daily chores. It is considered as a tantric yoga, a process of calming the mind and body and getting absorbed in Brahma i.e. the supreme God. Activities such as controlled breathing, meditation, etc. are performed. The core purpose is to balance mental, physical as well as spiritual health.
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga is one of the most ancient form of yoga that involves physical yoga postures, along with breathing techniques and meditation. It involves various asanas, mudras, pranayama and kriyas are practiced for the purification of the body as well as concentration of the mind. The literal meaning of “Hatha yoga” is to unite or join with hard effort. The physical postures makes the body flexible and strong.
Raj Yoga
It is said to purify the intellect of an individual. It includes following Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (scriptural prescriptions) etc. which helps in purifying the mind, intellect. The word “Raja Yoga” means to enlighten. Maharishi Patanjali, in whose honor Baba Ramdev has named his brand, has described the essence of Ashtanga Yoga in Yoga Sutra.
According to the details provided in the book, Dhyan Yoga, Sankhya Yoga and Karmayoga, in the fifth chapter of the Gita, Karmayoga is considered to be superior to Sankhya Yoga. The essence of Karmayoga is given in the classical texts. Yoga is not just a physical activity, it is a method adopted to achieve spirituality and devotion can also be seen as yoga.
