Despite being around for millennia, the practice of yoga acquired fame when it arrived to Hollywood as a “rejuvenating exercise”. Although its popularity came from the practice of asana (yoga postures), there is more to yoga. It is formed of eight petals: Yama (ethical disciplines), niyama (ethical observances), asana (poses), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sensory control and withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), samadhi (blissful absorption). The petals are described as a lotus flower that forms the integration of the self as a whole. Yoga starts with the endurance and control of the body, our most embodied level of existence, From there, the other aspects can evolve into a deeply gratifying sense of being (samadhi). The relation and depth of these aspects may be discovered as you step into yoga. Although I have lived it, my attempt at explaining would surely be lackluster, running the risk of spoiling and degrading the experience. The true experience is something to be lived in your skin. The manner in which you do one thing may be the way you do every single thing in life. For example, if you always walk in a hurry, chances are, you do everything in a hurry. When you control the body through constant effort, you gradually attain control of your life as a whole instead of being driven as if on autopilot. When you control your body’s balance through regular yoga practice, the hope is that you attain control and balance of what you say, think, and feel.
Yoga
