Yoga is in its purest form, is a religious philosophy that originated in India many thousands of years ago and of course continues to be practiced today...yoga advocates the use of various physical and psycho-spiritual techniques to lead a person to higher consciousness...so therefore it can be said that the purpose of yoga is spiritual development practices that are used to train the body and the mind to learn to self observe and become aware of their own nature…. yoga is designed to cultivate discernment, awareness, self-regulation and a higher consciousness within the individual...in India and other places, it is taken quite seriously...on that level, it’s a bit different than those going to a yoga class, stretching, and then stopping at Panera for soup and a sandwich afterwards...although, I’m sure there are those who do pursue a higher goal...there are many different forms of yoga that are practiced...most of these, at least in the western world in the heart of suburbia, often promote relaxation, stress reduction, and even is sometimes promoted as providing medical benefits as well...and pass on religious philosophies and historical data...although many benefit from the exercises, some injuries do occur and some people would be advised to skip trying to do yoga...yoga sitting down in a chair...well, most will say that really isn’t yoga, but at least it is something...those who seek more than a good stretch see yoga as a meditative means of discovering incorrect perception...it also is seen as a release from suffering and promoting inner peace...it can raise the expansion of the consciousness and helping promote cohesiveness with everything and everybody...it can one contemplate the impermanent as well as the permanent...as well as a host of other high-minded quests...yoga can be a pathway to self-enlightenment...just don’t be one of those guys that practices yoga all day and smokes too much marijuana as someone once said...by the way, June 21st has been designated as the ‘International Day of Yoga’.
