Let’s jump into a little yogic philosophy. Don’t run away! Follow me here!
If someone was to ask you, “what is yoga?” how would you likely respond?
Is it: exercize? stretching? chanting? slow motion karate?
Long long ago, in a land far far away was this guy, Patanjali. Patanjali studied yoga wisdom and read lots of books. He listened to lots of teachers. Then he compiled all the most important information in a condensed book called the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This is the text that all yoga teachers learn from during their teacher trainings.
You know what Patanjali says yoga is?????
Yoga Sutra 1.2: Yogash citta vrtti nirodha
Yeah, that’s the sanskrit version…let me get you the english translation…
Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
Let’s take another look at that one.
Yoga is stopping the chaos of the MIND!!! THE MIND!!!!
Patanjali doesn’t say anything about the body or physical activity in this statement. In fact, in the whole book he only briefly mentions a couple of seated postures.
Why is yoga a great skill for managing our mental health? Because it was designed to calm the mind! Check out the video below for more information.