Yoga is much more than just stretching and moving the body from one pose to the next.
The art, philosophy, and science of yoga go back thousands of years.
Before people started doing what we call yoga today, their main purpose was to relax their mind through meditation.
This pre-yoga, meditation period occurred some 3,000 years before Christ.
These ancient but wise people, understood that the mind could "run wild" and cause all kinds of problems by thinking of the past and the future.
To alleviate the problem of the so called "wild mind" yogis would sit in a lotus position with their legs crossed, back straight, eyes half-closed, gazing downward into nothingness.
The object of meditation was to be an observer of the thoughts.
They didn't try to stop thoughts, but rather, be the witness of the thinking mind - to think nothing of their thoughts.
They would literally sit for hours letting thoughts come and go at will.
They knew not to take their thoughts seriously.
This pre-yoga period, which took place in Northern India, is commonly referred to as the Vedic Times.
During this period survival was difficult and the mere act of staying alive had much to do with faith in a higher power.
The art and practice of the meditation they did was added to spiritual rituals, singing, and poetry.
These practices were written down over the ages and handed down from one generation to the next for thousands of years.
Today these writings are known as the Vedas which are the world's oldest known texts.
The Vedic texts were guidelines for reaching the ultimate state of consciousness.
As these practitioners of meditation got older they discovered their bodies getting stiffer and noticed that it got more difficult to sit in the lotus position.
This is when stretching and the moving began.
They would move their bodies into different poses before and after meditating in order to stay limber.
These body movements were the beginning of yoga poses while the Vedic texts were guidelines for reaching the ultimate state of consciousness - pure awareness.
The Sanskrit word for pose is "asana," and yogis began giving each asana a name.
The person who came up with a new asana got to name the pose.
If the pose reminded the namer of a mountain, for example, he would call it the "mountain pose.
" The naming became a game of sorts, with thousands of asanas being developed.
Each name had a prefix, describing the asana and a suffix which was always the word "asana.
" For example, the mountain pose is "Tadasana;" Tada (mountain) and asana (pose).
As time went on, they learned to link one asana with another asana so that the transition from one to the next was a smooth flowing motion.
Several asanas would be linked together to make a continuous flow of graceful asanas.
This flowing, dance like motion became known as vinyasa.
The vinyasa was a revelation, so to speak, in meditation because, what these yogis discovered, was that the flow of the asanas brought the practitioner closer to the meditative state.
They also discovered that breathing was an integral part of the flowing motion.
In fact, the importance of breathing correctly while moving was considered so important, the Masters of the time called the breath "prana" (the life force).
As time went on, many more things were learned about the human body and the human mind.
For instance, these ancient masters of yoga began to see a strong connection between vinyasa and the cultivation of a calm mind.
They also saw how these vinyasa movements, combined with meditation, could enhance their consciousness and bring about a stronger union with a higher power.
The realization that samadhi or a higher consciousness was possible ushered in a new era in yoga and a new text, The Yoga Sutras.
The Yoga Sutras became the bible for doing yoga for many years to follow.
From about 2,000 years ago to the present time, the Sutras have been the hallmark for doing yoga.
This text organizes yoga into eight distinct paths, or limbs, for obtaining samadhi (enlightenment, pure awareness, nirvana).
Basically these eight limbs encourage the serious student of yoga to: (1) be non-violent and truthful, (2) be pure of mind and body, (3) practice asanas, (4) practice pranayama (energy flow with breathing), (5) withdraw of the senses in order to still the mind, (6) practice concentration, (7) practice meditation, and (8) obtain unity with all things - the state of samadhi.
Samadhi is the ultimate goal of The Yoga Sutras.
Samadhi is total oneness without form, complete absorption into everything and attainment of the utmost purity with full wisdom and insight.
The Sutras teach that samadhi is pure awareness - spiritual absorption, merging subject with object.
The word yoga literally means "union" - union of the body with the breath, the mind and spirit as well as with all beings.
Through the practice and discipline of yoga, the yogi will begin to see these benefits slowly emerge as genuine elements of their True Self.
The Sutras have not been replaced nor improved upon since their inception over 2,000 years ago.
It should be pointed out that in order to do yoga the way The Yoga Sutras teach, asanas are but only a small part of the practice.
With the introduction of yoga into the Western world, however, the practice of yoga has dramatically changed.
It has gone from being a way of reaching ultimate awareness to a practice of poses with maybe a little bit of meditation thrown in for good measure.
Sadly, most of the limbs of The Yoga Sutras are ignored today.
The original yogis would not recognize today's yoga as that which was practiced in their time.
To bring the original style of yoga to the Western world would require a transformation that many people are not willing to make.
But not all is lost because for those who are interested in exploring the early yoga can expand awareness beyond the scope of asanas.
First, you can begin by harboring no animosity toward anyone or anything.
This is what the first limb of the Sutras taught - non-violence, love, and compassion..
Say silently to yourself, "I am one with everything, I love everyone, I love everything.
" Repeated several times, this simple chant will begin the process of stilling the mind while, at the same time, generating love and compassion throughout your body.
Please don't give up your asana practice, but instead, include in your practice a conscious and deliberate effort of focusing on your breathing.
Imagine that your breath is moving energy through your body, from one end to the other.
Imagination is a very powerful tool when used in a positive way.
When moving through your asanas, and even while sitting or being still, imagine that your breath is pulling energy from one part of your body to another part.
Let's say, for example, you are doing the downdog pose.
You take a breath in, and as you do, you imagine energy being pulled from the earth into your feet, up your legs, and to your hips.
As you breathe out, the energy moves toward your head and shoulders, down your arms, and out your hands back to earth.
In this case, the flow of energy is following your breathing and passing through your body in an arc.
You can channel energy through your body in any direction you choose and in any pose.
This is pranayama, the fourth limb of The Yoga Sutras.
With practice, pranayama will occur naturally and with little effort.
To move into the last four limbs of the Sutras requires the guidance of a master, a guru or an experienced teacher - or you can read literature designed specifically for teaching the art and science of concentration, meditation and pure awareness.
Become a real yogi and do yoga as the original masters did.
It will not only keep you limber and strong but it will also open your mind and heart.