Singleton, Mark (2010). Yoga Body: the origins of modern posture practice. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-539534-1. The Cerebro-Spinal System consists of all that part of the Nervous System contained within the cranial cavity and the spinal canal, the brain, the spinal chord, together with the nerves which branch off from the same. This system presides over the functions of animal life known as volition, sensation. Yoga is divided into several branches, ranging from that which teaches the control of the body, to that which teaches the attainment of the highest spiritual development. In the work we will not go into the higher phases of the subject, except when the “Science of Breath” touches upon the same. The “Science of Breath” touches Yoga at many points, and although chiefly concerned with the development and control of the physical, has also its psychic side, and even enters the field of spiritual development. Yoga involves both isotonic activity, the shortening of muscles under load, and (unlike many forms of exercise) also a substantial amount of isometric activity, holding still under load, as in any asana which is held for a period. Isometric exercise builds muscle strength. [26] At some point on the yogic journey, one comes to the realization that behind all that we can see, hear, touch, taste, and know, there is something larger at work. A divine source, a supreme consciousness. It is to this that the yogi offers their practice and their progress.

The date of 21 June was chosen because it is the summer solstice (the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere) and has special significance in the Yogic system. Why was the International Day of Yoga created? If your goal is to become a Yoga teacher, five-and-a-half months are good enough. If your goal is to become a yogi, it may happen in five-and-a-half seconds, or it may not happen in five-and-a-half lifetimes, because it is not of the physical nature. It depends on how an individual being allows it to happen. To be a Yogi Baars, Bernard J. (2002). "The conscious access hypothesis: origins and recent evidence". Trends in Cognitive Science. 9. Sadhguru looks at the importance of the process of karma yoga, its role on the spiritual path, and how one can go about using action as a means to spiritual growth.Broad, William (2012). The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4516-4142-4.

Outside of India and yoga teacher trainings, most people have no idea about these tremendously important practices. According to Patanjali, the yogic sage and author of The Yoga Sutras, the yamas and niyamas should be the first step on the yogic path—before even a single yoga pose is practiced. Sadhguru looks at the importance of the right kind of clothing during sadhana, and the need to avoid metallic objects on the body at this time. Baars, Bernard J (1997). "In the theatre of consciousness: Global Workspace Theory, A Rigorous Scientific Theory of Consciousness". Journal of Consciousness Studies. 4.Breathing may be considered the most important of all of the functions of the body, for, indeed, all the other functions depend upon it. Man may exist some time without eating; a shorter time without drinking; but without breathing his existence may be measured by a few minutes. In 1970 Christopher Hills, his son John, and Kevin Kingsland organized the 'World Conference on Scientific Yoga' in New Delhi, bringing 50 Western scientists together with 800 of India's leading swamis, yogis and lamas to discuss their research and establish a network for the creation of a World Yoga University. [12] Scope [ edit ] To be a yogi means to live without the coffins that people build around themselves. Yoga means union. It means you have breached the boundaries of the physical and have the ability to touch and experience everything in the universe. Unless a human being acquires this quality, they are somehow trying to hide from life. He watched them closely for the next few days and when the next full moon rose, he decided to become a Guru. The Adiyogi transformed himself into the Adi Guru; the first Guru was born on that day which is today known as Guru Purnima. On the banks of Kanti Sarovar, a lake that lies a few kilometers above Kedarnath, he turned South to shed his grace upon the human race, and the transmission of the yogic science to these seven people began. The yogic science is not about a yoga class that you go through about how to bend your body – which every new born infant knows – or how to hold your breath – which every unborn infant knows. This is the science of understanding the mechanics of the entire human system. Beyond the obvious of not taking anyone’s physical property, asteya is also about not taking more than you need in any given situation. It also extends to being aware of and not “stealing” people’s time, energy, and emotion.

Kuvalayananda watching an experiment on oxygen consumption in yogic practice at his Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center, Lonavla, [1] c. 1955 Essentially, the yamas and niyamas are a yogic code of conduct that teach us how to interact with the world around us as well as the world within. The classical teachings of yoga suggest that before you attempt any yoga poses or meditative practices, you need to work on being a good person. The first step in this process are the yamas, and they can be thought of as a moral code: the way in which a yogi should interact with those around them. There is a lot of “yoga” happening in the world today that has very little to do with what yoga really is. Several myths about this ancient practice have long been masquerading as facts. It’s time we demystify yoga, in Sadhguru’s very own words. A Brief History of YogaMan in his normal state had no need of instruction in breathing. Like the lower animal and the child, he breathed naturally and properly, as nature intended him to do, but civilization has changed him in this and other respects. He has contracted improper methods and attitudes of walking, standing and sitting, which have robbed him of his birthright of natural and correct breathing. He has paid a high price for civilization. The savage, to-day, breathes naturally, unless he has been contaminated by the habits of civilized man. This work will take up the Yogi “Science of Breath,” which includes not only all that is known to the Western physiologist and hygienist, but the occult side of the subject as well. It not only points out the way to physical health along the lines of what Western scientists have termed “deep breathing,” etc., but also goes into the less known phases of the subject, and shows how the Hindu Yogi controls his body, increasing his mental capacity, and develops the spiritual side of his nature by the “Science of Breath.”