Yoga here – yoga there. Hardly any other “sport” represents modern lifestyle and health more than yoga. In Berlin, studios are springing up all over the place, everyone knows at least one person in the area who has completed yoga teacher training or at least practices regularly. But WHAT is yoga actually? And WHO is yoga suitable for? And why is yoga so popular?
Where does yoga come from?
The term yoga and the associated philosophy of yoga come from India and have been passed on by teachers to their students for more than 4000 years. Originally reserved exclusively for men, yoga is now considered particularly popular among women. The first cliché should now be a thing of the past – yoga is suitable for everyone, regardless of gender. The word yoga, which comes from Sanskrit, means “union” in a figurative sense. What is meant is the unity of body, mind and soul. And that's exactly what makes it so timeless and more relevant than ever today.
The modern view of yoga
What presents itself as yoga on Instagram & Co., super flexible postures, slim and radiant young people or top acrobatic handstand performances, is only a minimal part of the entire yoga philosophy and thus shows a very distorted picture. This perception can quickly lead to the statement “I am not flexible enough to practice yoga” and prevents many people from taking a closer look at yoga. It's exactly the other way around, through yoga you can improve your flexibility, but this is only intended to be a preparation for the core exercise of yoga - meditation. According to yogic philosophy, you can best achieve the desired unity of body, mind and soul through meditation, focusing on the present moment and detaching yourself from the carousel of thoughts.
The Yoga Sutras and eight steps to unity
The pleasant thing about yoga philosophy is that although there are basic principles and ancient writings, the so-called yoga sutras, these can only be used as orientation and so every person can create their own, individual practice. In addition to the physical, so-called asana practice, there are seven other areas that contribute to the unity of body, mind and soul:
- Yama – self-control in the sense of consideration, attentiveness, truthfulness, appreciation of property (material and spiritual), wisdom
- Niyama – limitation, purity (physical and mental), modesty, endurance and discipline, (self-)reflection, trust
- Pranayama – bringing body and mind together through conscious breathing exercises
- Pratyahara – conscious perception through the senses of smell, taste, hearing, touch and the mind
- Dharana – Concentrating on an object, a mantra or breathing to focus the mind
- Dhyana – contemplation in meditation and thus detachment from the ego
- Samadhi - this is the state of consciousness that can be achieved when the person completely detaches themselves from thinking and body, mind and soul are in harmony. This state is described as something that goes beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep.
What's the best way to get started?
Depending on the school and teacher, these eight levels of yoga are practiced more or less strictly. It's not about right or wrong, but about the question "What's really good for me?" If you feel like consumption is overwhelming you, you might want to focus more on Yama and Niyama. If you want to do something good for your body and become more flexible, Asana is certainly something that can help you. And of course you can also approach other practices little by little. The most important thing is to listen to your own body and mind. You determine your pace and intensity. The philosophy of yoga is lifelong learning and recognizing every experience as a gift to learn something new about yourself. If you would like to read more about it or would like to exchange ideas about the topic of yoga in everyday life, there are a variety of offers both online and offline. Attending a yoga class in the studio and exchanging ideas with the yoga teachers is also a nice way to approach the topic of yoga in everyday life. If you want to delve deep into the philosophy of yoga right away, you can deal directly Patanjali Bhagavad Gita , one of the central works in yoga.
Have fun discovering your very personal path to yoga.
Text: Felix George
