January 11th, 2010 by Admin
The benefit of yoga is twofold - increased health and unification of the spirit with the body. It is accomplished through the use of many different aspects, but mainly through the combination of Asanas, or postures, and breathing/meditation practices.
This raises many question in the Christian community. In my research for this article, I was very surprised at the viewpoint of the Christian apologists, and their take on yoga and its practice. I have hesitated on writing this article because of that viewpoint. However, I feel that this question and the stance of the Christian community warrants reflection on the subject.
Yoga has a history dating back over five thousand years, to the beginning of the civilization of man. Little is really known about Yoga. it is believed to have originated in Mehrgarh, a neolithic settlement in what is now Afghanistan. Scholars believe it has grown out of Stone Age Shamanism. In this early period of civilization’s beginnings, Yoga was a community resource, because of its attempts to determine cosmic order through inner vision, and apply it to daily living. In later years, yoga evolved into an inner dialogue through which the Yogis sought to develop their own salvation and enlightenment.
Archaeological evidence of the existence of Yoga first appeared in stone seals excavated from the Indus valley. It depicted figures in many Yogic Asanas, or postures, and officially put Yoga in the time period of approximately 3000 B.C. Of greater import, it also linked yoga to the great Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, a period in time that was considered modern and efficient.
From the Indus-Sarasvati civilization came the ancient texts known as the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the world. The Vedas are a collection of hymns that praise a higher power and contains the oldest recorded history of Yoga teachings. The Vedas required the practitioner to transcend human limitations, and reach a higher spiritual plane. In later years, texts known as the Brahmanas were written to explain the rituals and the hymns of the Vedas. Following this came the Aranyakas texts, which outlined the practice of Yogis living in the seclusion of the forest. This led to the beginning of India’s medical tradition, known as Ayurveda. All in all, Yoga transformed into a practice of health, harmony of the spirit, and a way of life.
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