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– Kabindra Yogi:

If one wishes to ponder upon the history of Hatha Yoga, ignoring the history of yoga itself will be a distortion of information. The inception of Yoga begins with Shiva who is also known as the Adhi Yogi as well as the father of Yoga. He was the first yogi to teach and flourish the science of yoga.

Researchers and historians trace the development of yoga back to 5,000 years. Some sources even believed yoga to be originated around 10,000 years back. But the philosophies and practices of yoga were conveyed orally.

The history of yoga is segmented into four main eras. Vedic, Preclassical, Classical, Post Classical, or Modern. The Vedic era encompasses the Vedas and Upanishads where huge works of scripture were accomplished. Pre-Classical yoga is a time of Sage Patanjali who developed Ashtanga yoga or eight-limbed path. Classical era of yoga is the era when Tantra yoga was developed which signifies the purification of body and mind breaking the knots that binds us to our connected physical reality. Commencing through this conscious exploration that connects physical and spiritual reality is referred to Hatha Yoga.

Hatha can be broken down into two Sanskrit words: “Ha”- meaning sun and “tha”- meaning moon. This represents the practice in this method. Hatha Yoga is dated back to the 15^th century. There are three classic texts on Hatha yoga. One of which is the “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” is a classic text written by Svatmaram in the 15^th century. He clarified that in the text Hatha as a preparatory stage for physical purification before Raja Yoga.

Gheranda Samhita is another of three classic texts of Hatha yoga which was written by sage Gheranda in the 17^th century. This text is a dialogue between sage Gheranda and king Chandakapalika. Another text by an unknown writer is “Shiva Samhita”. It is dated back by some scholar to be a 17^th-century text, which was written in Varanasi.

The 84 asanas firstly mentioned in Shiva Samhita and Hatha Ratnavali. Hatha Ratnavali is a Hatha Yoga text written by Srinivasa in the 17^th century.

We know that Hatha yoga includes different techniques such as- Shat Karmas (Purification), Asana (Posture), Pranayama (Breath-control), Mudra (Gesture), Chakra (Energy center), Kundalini(Serpent power), Bandha (energy lock), Nadis (psychic channels), Pratyahara(Sensory withdrawal), Dharana(Concentration), Dhyana (Meditation) and Samadha (Meditative absorption).

In the modern era, Swami Vivekananda made a historic address to the world’s Parliament of Religion in Chicago, U.S.A in 1893. Many other charismatic and energetic personalities emerged in the last several decades and propagated different forms of yoga. In the 20^th century, the ancient word yoga had taken thousands of new associations. T. Krishnamacharya was a Sanskrit scholar and yoga teacher in the palace of the Maharaja of Mysore. He developed a unique approach to yoga asana, based on an ancient manuscript known as the “Yoga Korunta”. His very vigorous, athletic, acrobatic, approach to yoga asana was enticing, especially to westerners. The recent master of yoga (Hatha) has emphasized more on the practices of Asana and Pranayama. B.K.S Iyengar developed yoga based on props and equipment which is known as Iyengar yoga worldwide. Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga was developed by K.Pattabhi Jois which is Indian power yoga.

The entire concept of yoga has changed in modern times. Hatha yoga helps to focus on the present moment to become consciously aware and create a healthy mind-body. Even gentle yoga practice provides several health benefits including the cardiovascular benefits, increased oxygenated blood to the body cells, and many more. Yoga can aid weight control, reduce stress, increase strength, and improve flexibility or mobility. It teaches to focus on breathing patterns to improve lung functions, trigger the body’s relaxation response, achieve calmness, and reduce pain.

There are varieties of forms of yoga. You can either choose a physically demanding class or a meditative one. Hatha yoga has different styles in modern-day yoga practices. Some of the names are Sivananda yoga, Iyengar yoga, Kundalini yoga, Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Satyananda yoga, Bikram Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Prenatal yoga. Anusara Yoga, Jivamukti yoga, Viniyoga Yin yoga, and many more.

In ancient times Hatha yoga was practiced for many years as to awakening the higher states of consciousness. In today’s times, the actual motive of this great science remains intact as well and should not be forgotten. Hatha yoga was developed for the enfoldment of mankind to create an absolute balance of body, mind, and energy to generate impulses to awaken Sushumna Nadi.

Yoga is an ancient art, science, and philosophy gifted to humans for spiritual enlightenment. It’s an emotional matter practiced by Sadhak (Seeker/Practitioner) for self-realization. For this, yoga offers a three-dimensional benefit: physical, mental, and spiritual.

In today’s world, people across the globe take yoga as a mere exercise. It’s only become a source of physical fitness and if not, mental calmness or relaxation. However, in reality, yoga is more than just bending bones and flexing hips. It’s spiritual guidance!

Every Kriya (action) in yoga has spiritual values, but to learn it, one must have a guru by their side. Otherwise, your practice will only incorporate the physical and the mental side leaving the spiritual one totally unchecked.

The physical and mental side of the practice is more put into action by the people who want to perform the yoga asanas (postures). However, it’s not only about the poses, but it’s also about those breathing bits and pieces.

With the growing use of social media, copying has become a favorite hobby. People, not only copy the poses from socials such as YouTube and TVs, but also without an experienced yoga teacher.

Yoga asanas attract a lot of people because of their health benefits. But, in addition, it also has a plethora of issues. Even if you perform the postures, there can be some common mistakes while doing yoga – jerking body parts, irregularity of breath, overstretching, playing without knowing the intensity, strength, stamina, flexibility, and much more. This, in turn, inflicts harm to self. Unguided yoga practice might cause nerve compression, ligament tears, muscle tears, increased heartbeat, fatigue, tiredness, irritation, and such.

Therapeutic yoga can help people cure diseases, but some medical complications must be duly dealt with. The complications vary in accordance to the Sadhak’s body.

Let’s take Kapalbhati for an example. It’s a well-known breathing technique in the yoga world. TVs and other media platforms just show the How To’s for the exercise but fail to tell the contra-indications to the technique. For Kapalbhati, it’s not recommended for people with heart disease, hernia, high blood pressure, vertigo, epilepsy, stroke, or gastric ulcer. The media has failed to deliver this exact information to the public.

Quite risky for beginners, eh? Yoga practice from TVs or social media is unsafe and might harm some delicate nerves, organs, and tissues in the short run. Moreover, practitioners may also suffer from stroke, paralysis, body pain, body aches, and even mental disorders in the long term.

So, what did you get from all this? Well, though we’ve found ways to teach ourselves new skills and techniques, learning from a master is always of more value.

And, it’s also our parampara (tradition) to learn from masters!

The same applies to yoga, where the energy of a guru helps motivate and inspire and if not, protect the practitioners.

The mentor helps light the path of any spiritual practice of what is called yoga!

https://dietkhabar.com/1097 April 08, 2020

कोरोनाको विश्वव्यापी महामारी मुलुकभित्र नफैलियोस भनेर गत १६ दिनदेखि सरकारले लक डाउन घोषणा गरेको छ । लामो समय घर मै बसिरहनु पर्दा शारीरिक रुपमा कम सक्रिय भई नसर्ने रोगको जोखिम बढ्ने तथा भय, त्रासका कारण मानसिक असरहरु पर्ने तर्फ सचेत हुन विज्ञहरुले सुझाईरहेका छन् । कोरोना महामारी रोक्न तत्कालका लागि लक डाउन गरि सामाजिक दुरी कम गर्ने विकल्प नभए पनि घर मै बसेर जीवनशैलीलाई स्वस्थ बनाउने उपायहरु भने पक्कै छन् । घर मै बसेर विभिन्न योग, ध्यानमार्फत बन्दाबन्दीमा हुन सक्ने शारीरिक तथा मानसिक असर कसरी कम गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने बारेमा योगमान्डु योगा प्रा.लि.का संस्थापक तथा योग प्रशिक्षक अर्जुन रखालसँग गरिएको कुराकानीः

• लक डाउनका बेला घर मै बसेर कस्ता योगा वा शारीरिक कसरतहरु गर्न सकिन्छ ?

लक डाउनमा सबैलाई घरमा दिन काट्न गार्हो पक्कै हुन्छ । त्यसैले यस वेलामा आफुलाई तन्दुरुस्त राख्न खानपानमा ध्यान दिदै योग अभ्यास र साधना गर्नु नै उत्तम उपाय हो । योगले शरीरिक, मानसिक र आध्यामिक रुपमा हामीलाई स्वस्थ रहन मद्धत गर्दछ। यो समयमा कम्तिमा २० मिनेट देखी डेढ घण्टा सम्म आफ्नो मन, मस्तिस्क र शरीरको लागि प्रणायम, बन्द, आसन र ध्यान गर्नसकिन्छ। बिशेष गरी आफ्नो शरीरको रोग प्रतिरोधात्मक क्षमता बढाउन श्वास प्रश्वास प्रनाली मजबुत गर्न कपालभाती, नाडिशोधन (अनुलोम बिलोम), भस्त्रिका, सुर्य बेदन प्रणायमहरु गर्न सकिन्छ। चार ओटै बन्दहरु जलान्धर बन्द, उद्दियन बन्द, मुल बन्द र माहा बन्द गरेमा शरीरमा भएको प्राण शक्ति केन्द्रित गर्न सकिन्छ। शरीरिक रुपमा तन्दरुस्त रहन श्वास प्रश्वास सहितको अङ्ग ब्यायाम, सुर्य नमस्कार ८ राउन्ड भन्दा धेरै, त्रिकोन आसन, बृक्ष आसन, उट्कट आसन, पर्वत आसन, अश्वसन्चालन आसन, सन्तोलन आसन, बिरभद्र आसन १,२ र ३, सेतुबन्द आसन, सर्वङ आसन, हलासन, नाउकासन, सलब आसन, भुजङ आसन, धनुर आसन जस्ता योगासनहरु गर्न सकिन्छ । दैनिक कम्तिमा १५ मिनेट योग निन्द्रा वा ध्यान गर्दा मानसिक रुपमा समेत फ्रेस भईन्छ।

• घर मै योग गर्दा के कस्ता कुराहरुमा विचार पु¥याउनु पर्दछ ?

योग घर मै बसेर गर्न सकिने अभ्यास हो । यसलाई नियमित जीवनशैलीमा ढाल्न सके नित्य कर्म कै एक रुप बन्दछ । यसका लागि विभिन्न माध्यमहरुबाट टिप्सहरु लिन सकिन्छ । योग गुरु र चेला पद्धती भएको हुनाले यदि तपाईं र्भखर योग सुरु गर्दै हुनु हुन्छ भने प्रशिक्षित र अनुभवी योग गुरु या योग प्रशिक्षकमार्फत सल्लाह लिदा राम्रो हुन्छ । त्यसका लागि विभिन्न भिडियोहरु हेर्ने, सामाजिक सञ्जाल वा भिडियो कन्फरेन्स मार्फत सिधै योग प्रतिक्षकलाई सम्पर्क पनि गर्न सक्नु हुन्छ। थोरैमा ३ घण्टासम्म पेट खाली भैसके पछी मात्र योग गर्नु स्वास्थ्यको रुपमा राम्रो हुन्छ। कुनै शरीरिक रुपमा अस्वस्थता छ भने योग प्रशिक्षक वा चिकित्सकको सल्लाह पछी मात्र गर्नु होला। जथाभावि योगासन गर्दा कहिलेकाही नकारात्मक असर पनि पर्न सक्छ ।

• सबै उमेर र वर्गले उस्तै योग गर्ने हो वा फरक हुन्छ ?

हरेक मानिसको शरीरिक बनावट एक अर्कामा फरक हुन्छ । त्यसैले बच्चाहरु, बयस्क, दीर्घ रोग भएका र जेष्ठ नागिरिकहरुले आफ्नो क्षमता अनुसार योग आसन गर्नु पर्छ। बच्चाहरुको शरीरिक लचकता धेरै हुने भएकोले कुनै पनि योग आसन गर्न सक्छन, वयस्कहरुमा शक्ती धेरै हुनाले तुलनात्मक रुपमा धेरै समयसम्म एउटै आसन गर्न सक्छन भने जेष्ठ ब्यक्तिहरुले सन्तुलित र रोग प्रतिरोधात्मक आसनहरु गर्न सक्छन्। प्रणायम, बन्द र ध्यान सबै उमेरकाहरुले गर्न सक्नु हुन्छ। दीर्घ रोग भएका वा अन्य स्वास्थ्य समस्या भएकाहरुका लागि अवस्थाअनुसार योगासन फरक पर्न सक्दछ ।

• रोग प्रतिरोधी क्षमता मजबुद बनाउन कस्तो योग गर्ने ?

बिज्ञानले हाम्रो शरीर कोष, तन्तु, अङ्ग र प्राणालीहरु मिलेर बनेको भन्छ भने योगले हाम्रो शरीर अन्नमय, प्राणमय, मनोमय, ज्ञानमय, बिज्ञानमय र आनन्दमय कोषहरु मिलेर बनेको भन्छ । त्यसैले यी प्रणाली वा कोषहरुलाई सन्तुलनमा राख्न सके हामीले रोग रहित

गुणस्तरिय जीवन जिउन सकिन्छ। धेरै अनुसन्धानहरुले अस्टाङ योग सुत्रको यम, नियमदेखि ध्यानसम्म दैनिक अभ्यास र साधना गरेमा शरीरको रोग प्रतिरोधात्मक क्षमताको बिकास भएको दाबि गरेका छन साथै यस्तो साधानाले समाधी प्राप्त गर्न सकिन्छ भनेर ग्रन्थहरुमा समेत उल्लेख छ । यसका साथै श्वास प्रश्वास सहितको अङ्ग ब्यायाम, सुर्य नमस्कार ८ राउन्ड भन्दा धेरै, त्रिकोन आसन, बृक्ष आसन, उट्कट आसन, पर्वत आसन, अश्वसन्चालन आसन, सन्तोलन आसन, बिरभद्र आसन १,२ र ३, सेतुबन्द आसन, सर्वङ आसन, हलासन, नाउकासन, सलब आसन, भुजङ आसन, धनुर आसन जस्ता योगासनहरु पनि शरीरको रोग प्रतिरोधी क्षमता बढाउन उपयोगी मानिन्छ । रोग प्रतिरोधी क्षमता बढाउन योगका साथै नियमित खानपान र जीवनशैली पनि उत्तिकै महत्वपुर्ण हुन्छ ।

• लकडाउनको अवस्थामा घर मै बसेर योग सिक्न चाहनेका लागि योगमान्डुले कसरी सहयोग गरिरहेको छ ?

हामीले अहिले हाम्रा नियमित ग्राहकहरुका लागि अनलाइनमार्फत नै भिडियो कन्फरेन्स गरि योग सिकाइरहेका छन । नँया योग गर्न चाहनेका लागि पनि हाम्रो अनुभवी प्रशिक्षकहरुले घर मै बसेर गर्न सकिने योगासन र ध्यानको बारेमा प्रत्यक्ष सल्लाह दिइरहनु भएको छ । हामीले अनलाइनबाटै प्राइभेट तथा ग्रुप योग कक्षा र प्रशिक्षण दिइरहेका छौ। योग गर्न चाहनेले हामीलाई सम्पर्क गरि यस्ता कक्षाहरुमा अनलाइनबाटै जोडिन सक्नुहुन्छ । यो संकटको समयमा हामी सबैलाई स्वस्थ रहन सकेको सहयोग गर्नेछौ ।