The word 'yoga' originally written 'joga' derives from the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit (the holy language of India), and its word 'yuj'.
Yuj, making a noun becomes Yujya and this means union.
A union of all beings, a union of all levels of our being. Our connection and interconnectedness with everything around us.
We know it's far beyond the Asana, and that they just make up one-eights of Pantanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga. However with the ever- growing popularity of Yoga on the mat, it's important to remind ourselves in today's digital drenched modern world of the true intention and meaning of ancient yoga.
Yoga enjoys great popularity in the current time, and that makes me more than happy. As our society (me included) has blurred with the digital sphere, yoga has been yet becoming an brilliant presentation to the eye on social media. With other words, in our society its often seen as a practice of physical exercise. But yoga or Yujya is much more than this. It's a philosophical path of the Indian culture, spiritually, yoga means the uniting of Paramātmā (the Universal supreme Spirit) of which Jīvātma (the human spirit) ist part of. Which then allows Morse (Liberation). Let me say it in a kinda more modern words, yoga means the to harmonize body, mind and soul.
One of the earliest written allusions to yoga can be found back to around 2700 BC and in the Vedas, the sacred texts from which Hinduism later rose. As time went by, the yogi tradition survived. Asanas like the Warriors or Sun Salutations are less than 100 years old, or some just have been created only 10 years ago, did you know ?! This really shows the ever-growing evolution and constant innovation that we see in the yoga world today. In the essence, yoga, is a path that allows us to fully be in the here and now.
The real essence can't be shown, felt or get across through a screen. It's the same thing like why do we close our Eyes, when we kiss, cry, meditate or breathing deep ? because the most important things in life can't be seen with the eyes they just can't felt by the heart.
But lets get back to the Asana practice, whenever you see someone doing a yoga pose no matter where , let it be the social media screen, on a street, at the beach or just besides you on the mat, admire this person for practicing the most valuable and ancient health method.
During a practice, each asana allows us to focus attention on ourselves. We are the totality in that very moment as we find space within us. Through this, yoga allows the union of the body with the mind and the spirit.
