Yoga has been around for thousands of years – but many people practicing it today seem to have lost their way entirely. According to Swami J, “The deep and eternal essence of yoga has been misrepresented and packaged for personal profit by clever people.” The art of yoga goes far beyond exercise programs and the latest attire available in sports stores – but unfortunately the true meaning of yoga has been forgotten as its popularity has increased.

Yoga is actually a form of self-study, providing you with a sense of inner peace, harmony and clarity of mind – and has absolutely nothing to do with leggings.

The true meaning of yoga

Yoga is defined as a science – a practical, methodical and systematic discipline – that was originally designed to help people to become aware of their deepest nature, according to Swami J. The roots of this ancient practice in its most pure form can be traced back to the East, where culture has not changed the science, and an ongoing, traditional form of yoga has been continued through to the present day.

The most important yoga teaching is about human nature that “goes far beyond the limits of the human mind and personality,” as reported by Swami J. The process of yoga is an ascent into the purity of absolute perfection – the essential state of all human beings.

When you first start to practice yoga, you will probably struggle with a restless mind; this is completely normal. However, meditation requires a calm, serene mind that is free from negative emotions and distractions.

Those who have achieved the subtler levels of consciousness and awareness do so by demonstrating willpower, clarity of mind and the ability to consciously redirect thoughts towards their goal. It is possible to achieve a state of peace, harmony and contentment with daily meditation – allowing you to live your everyday life with the love and devotion that emerges from a meditative experience.

Many people find that as they become experienced in the art of yoga and meditation, they experience deeper personal growth in both an emotional and spiritual way.

The truth behind yoga-based franchises

A recent report by the Daily Mail provides some interesting insight into what really goes on behind the scenes in popular yoga-inspired companies, such as Lululemon. Lululemon sells sportswear for yoga and is supposed to inspire customers to find the real benefits of yoga – but it seems that the opposite is true for its employees.

One anonymous employee recently stated that, “Immediately after I started work at Lululemon, I realized that almost all their talk about empowerment and happiness was empty … The company’s culture is delusional, hypocritical, and cult-like.” This employee went on to explain that the company is based on a “bastardized” version of yoga, misusing Sanskrit phrases and completely misunderstanding and misrepresenting the true meaning of yoga.

It seems that in trying to make money, companies have lost the true sense of what yoga actually means.

Benefits of real yoga

With the development of yoga and the growth of its popularity, people have lost sight of its psychological benefits and tend to focus entirely on the physical benefits – which include increased flexibility, increased strength, better condition of muscles and an improvement in posture.

According to Natural News, yoga provides you with moments of silence and introspection, allowing you to reconnect with who you are, and give you your own space to communicate with your inner, most honest self. You can face fears, get rid of frustrations and overcome your worries – finding your way to emotional self-healing, which is incredibly useful in today’s busy, noisy and stressful world.

By mastering the art of proper breathing, movement and posture, those practicing yoga can experience a great number of physical and psychological improvements. The special breathing that is necessary for yoga promotes relaxation, helps with stress-management and reduces anxiety.

The benefits of yoga are plentiful and varied, as long as you take the time to understand the difference between yoga in its purest form, and commercialized yoga; focus on the real, traditional yoga teachings and don’t get too caught up in the franchises that confuse the true message.

Sources include:

SwamiJ.com
NaturalNews.com
DailyMail.co.uk
Science.NaturalNews.com

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