Yoga

Tantraism or Tantra is a form of religious philosophy that considers Shakti as their main deity. Followers of this school of thought believe that the universe is a combination of Shiva and Shakti. Tantra does not discriminate people on the basis of caste, creed, or colour. In this school of thought, there are materialistic barriers in order to obtain knowledge and wisdom, followed by salvation or the liberation of the soul.

Yoga has made its way into Islam only recently. Up till now, the only connection between Yoga and Islam was Sufism, an aspect of Islam said to have been influenced in some degree by the yogic art form of meditation. Sufis, inspired by the physical postures of Yoga called asanas and also by the ability of restraining one’s breath, called ‘pranayam’, adopted these two measures in their lives.

The practice of Yoga in Jainism is quite simple to follow, as opposed to its inclusion and practice in other religions. Jainism makes several concessions for the practitioners of Yoga. Firstly, the belief of Jainism in Yoga is based on the tenet that the Yoga is a combination of all the activities of mind, body, and speech. Jain leaders have hailed Yoga as the path to the much-sought after liberation of the soul. According to them, Yoga involves both asrava meaning acts of karma as well as samyak caitra, an essential quality. It is a blend of both these factors that helps one attain liberation.

Going by the history and evolution of Buddhism over the years, as well as the spread of Yoga through the religion, it would be safe to say that the first teachings of Yoga in Buddhism were provided by Lord Buddha himself. In sermons to his disciples, Lord Buddha stressed on the intense meditative aspect of Yoga. In fact, the followers of Buddhism took care to assimilate the teachings of pranayam in their lives. But even while yogic teachings became almost imperative in this religion, one almost never comes across the term ‘Yoga’ anywhere in its history, except perhaps for the tantric Buddhism that was born later, in Tibet.

Practitioners of Yoga reap great health benefits from it. This is the reason the meditative art form has become a global phenomenon. People across the world are increasingly adopting Yoga in their daily lives. Human beings have come to realize that this over 5,000 year-old practice has a positive influence on one’s life. Yoga is great, not just for the body, but also for the mental and spiritual well-being of a person.

It has often been wondered as to what does one gain from Yoga. Or rather, what does Yoga aim to teach us? The answer to these questions is that the ultimate goal of Yoga is to attain salvation. Simply explained, salvation refers to the liberation of soul from the materialistic pulls of this world. It strives to make a man free from the yearnings of this world, and be at complete peace with his inner self.

Dating back to almost 3,000 B.C., Yoga is an Indian meditative art form. The term ‘Yoga’ is derived from a Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ meaning control or unites. It is actually a meditative practice that involves both the physical and mental faculties of the body. Apart from Hinduism, the meditative aspects of Yoga are used in various other religions such as, Buddhism and Jainism. Yoga finds mention in some of the earliest and most revered books of Hinduism such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagvad Gita.