...Jnana Yoga is the yoga of intellectual inquiry, using the mind to come to the profound realization that our God-Self, the consciousness that we are in reality a manifestation of God, is beyond and behind our mind. However, we should not fall into the mistake of thinking that we can discover God through the use of the mind alone. To achieve Cosmic Consciousness, what can be called Self-realization, we must continually ask "Who am I", in other words, am I just this material body and material mind, or am I in fact an integral part of something greater. That something greater is considered by yogis to be God, the presence of which everything and everyone is made up, whether or not the individual realizes it or not. The purpose of Jnana Yoga is to come to just that realization, in a way in which the small mind cannot impose limitations.

One of the great features of yoga is that there is a yoga for every type of personality or character. For those who are contemplative, there is raja Yoga, the yoga of meditation....more

Tracing the History of Yoga

...The history of Yoga has a lot to do with the present times. Yoga started some 5000 years ago when human civilization has only begun. Scholars have believed that Yoga was originated out of Stone Age Shamanism.

This is because there were some cultural similarities between Mehrgarh which was a Neolithic settlement and the Modern Hinduism. The shamanistic culture of Mergarh was in fact influenced by Hindu ideals, symbols and rituals of the present. The ancient shamanism and early Yoga had so much similarity for the reason both wanted to go beyond the human condition.

Shamanisms primary goal was to heal the members who were in their society and at the same time act as the religious mediators.

Archaic Yoga also had the same purpose as they were community oriented and they aimed to determine the enormous order through senses and inner vision which then ca...more

Yoga - A Philosophy Of Body And Mind

...It is claimed that the practice of yoga is capable to satisfy virtually all personal, philosophical, and spiritual human needs. Between many professionals in this fine art of fitness, there is a collective understanding that yoga is philosophy, and science as well as an art form. Many people use yoga classes, home exercise instructions, etc. as a primary form of exercise.

Practitioners find yoga relaxing and refreshing, and it shapes your body while serving your personal physical needs. In addition, there are mental advantages of which you may or may not be aware. As far as the spirituality behind the art of yoga, it caters to the personal spirituality of virtually anyone. Perfect for relaxation, it...more

The Physical And Mental Exhileration Of Practising Yoga

...ase the one that suits you best.

With some yoga poses you may need yoga props such as blocks which are generally made of bamboo or foam and are reasonably priced at under ten euros. If your new to yoga a dvd or cd could be a good idea so you can practice your yoga at home too. These yoga lessons on dvd or cd are priced at anything between fifteen to fifty Euro. meditation cushions are also available at reasonable prices, but are not essential to start practising yoga.

The Benefits of Practising Yoga One of yoga's many benefits is that it will help to increase your ability to find your space, harmony, inner peace and ease within your body and mind. But yoga can also help ease aches and pains in all parts of the body - for example; one of the places where we often have tightened tendons is around the shoulders and neck area, which often causes headaches, practicing yoga can loosen up tight muscles and tendons and alleviate those annoying headache.

Yoga Poses For Beginners There are many yoga poses, each one being helpful for any number of ailments, ach...more

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