Yoga

Yoga refers to traditional physical, mental and spiritual disciplines originating in ancient India as understood by a modern perspective. Yoga Darsana (a particular way of viewing, the root word drsh in Sanskrit means “to see”) is one of the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy. The word Yoga in Sanskrit language means “to unite” or “to bring” together. A classic Indian definition would be “to be one with the Almighty”. The goal of Yoga is ultimately liberation, which can also be understood as a state of perfect spiritual insight and concentration (Samadhi) or mindfulness.

One of the earliest treatises on Yoga is the Yoga Sutra of Sage Patanjali and he is said to have formalized this knowledge stream. His sutras (aphorisms) deal with the mind and its activities, and also show the way to understand and master the mind, leading to attainment of peace and salvation. Indian classical works on Yoga, particularly Patanjali‟s Yoga sutra, and their respective commentaries form the base of Indian Psychology.

Yoga includes among other elements, asanas (postures) and pranayama (working with, and control of breath), as ways to work with one’s self in order to walk on this spiritual path leading to Samadhi (perfect concentration). Sage Patanjali describes other qualities and conditions that an aspirant or yoga practitioner must try and cultivate constantly, besides regular practice of asana and pranayama. There are eight such limbs or stages on the path to Samadhi, called the Ashtanga (eight limbs) yoga.

Because of the vast and deep nature of this philosophical thought and practice, and its subject matter being the self (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and state of bliss), it lends itself as a framework of understanding and action for an extended range of human endeavor. In a modern world, this may include a gamut of activities like stress management, physical fitness, improving mental concentration, building stamina for sports or performing arts, parenting and so on. A significant domain in the present times where Yoga is almost a non-negotiable component is healing and therapy, and, for almost all kinds of mental and physical conditions except for acute and critical situations, in order to restore health and balance.

Methodology:

The 45-minutes yoga practice session with the therapist is scheduled once a week; a worksheet with the asana programme is given at the end of this session. On all other days, the students are guided by the in-house teachers during their practice of the asana programme on the given worksheet.

All the students practice the same asana programme, with some minor individual changes to suit their physical capacity and needs. This is taken care of through individual attention during the practice session with the therapist. Group work ensures a real life atmosphere, wherein they have to adjust and work with others and learn from them as well.