YOGA

 

There has always been a lot of interest in Yoga, and there are reasons for that. Some are interested in their philosophy, others in their psychophysiology. Some authors promote their physical exercises, others study ethics, and so on. Many researchers consider Yoga to be the most ancient monument of human body culture and self-development, and there are those who consider it disconnected from science and life.

 

Yogis have a unique approach to their bodies. They through tremendous training, incredible spiritual tension and self-hypnosis master the hidden depths of the human body, subdue it, cause inconceivable conditions for the common man. People who have passed through the stages of their teachings control their bodies with supernatural perfection. They can sink in and out of lethargy. they can so dictate to their bodies that in the brutal cold, standing naked in the wind freezing their skin, they experience a sense of heat.

 

The search for vast dormant brain potentials, experiments with telepathy, and hypnosis are all mastered by yogis. In recent decades, the extraordinary ability of yogis to stop the heart at will, to withstand incredibly enormous weights, has particularly tickled the imagination. There is a documented experience when an Indian yogi professor drank "royal vodka," a destructive mixture of two acids for everything, "brought it back," and chemists were convinced that it was exactly "royal vodka." The yogi explained this phenomenon by his ability to change the atomic structure of the substance by means of a special power!

 

The stories of yogis who allowed themselves to be buried in the ground and then, a few days later, came back to life again are striking. Transmission of thoughts at a distance, clairvoyance - this also perfectly knows the yogi. They convincingly assert that after special training you can communicate with astral beings, that the "inner" sight can comprehend what is incomprehensible to ordinary organs, that death itself is powerless before the TRUE yogi who discards his body like a worn-out robe and continues to live forever in another incarnation.

 

The yogi walks through the fire and leads those who wish to go with him unharmed; it is only important that he who follows the yogi be able to fully transfer his consciousness into his heart.

 

Much has been written about yogis, stories have been told, schools have been established, and scientific experiments have been conducted. "Miracles" of yogis can be listed for a long time, although they are not miracles at all, but hidden capabilities of any person.

 

Yogis surprised the world when the Egyptian pyramids were built, and no less surprise the modern world, but if you put aside all sorts of layers and much inexplicable, it turns out that yogis offer quite^ acceptable things - health, vitality, longevity and efficiency, and this is what most of humanity is interested in now.

 

In addition, yogic methods offer the opportunity to develop attention. concentration, better character traits, and a healthy physically and mentally controlled body.

Yogis believe that man harbors within himself enormous reserves of strength and ability, and if you awaken these abilities, you will discover things that you don't even know about - you will learn many of the mysteries of life, you will be imbued with deep self-knowledge. And all this is achieved through a system of physical and mental exercises, special ways of breathing and a natural way of life, a close union of physical and spiritual exercises.

 

Health is the highest value on Earth, but it is not the goal of Yoga, but only a means to higher self-improvement and the formation of a harmonious personality. As seen by the yogis, Man is a unified whole in which the physical and mental processes are in close unity. The physical body influences the state of mind, the spiritual state of the body. Therefore, by taking care of physical perfection, yogis simultaneously master the spirit, thoughts and feelings. Yogis also offer longevity; they know how to extend life to 100 years or more while maintaining mental and physical abilities. Yoga gives a lot to the individual, but it also requires a lot from the individual--it favors a healthy lifestyle, self-discipline, routine, and regularity in exercise.

 

In recent decades, when India emerged from colonial rule, the country became more accessible and, naturally, information on the achievements of yoga became more extensive, but new difficulties arose as many enthusiasts began a hasty practice at their own risk, without systematic knowledge. This led to undesirable consequences, harming both the students and the teachings.

 

As usual, the initial failures were followed by a storm of destructive criticism in the press that Yoga was totally unsuitable, undesirable for healthy people and inapplicable in therapeutic practice.

 

In reality, this system is not like any of the familiar and accustomed to us western systems, as it is based on a deeper knowledge of human nature. Therefore, some of our perceptions and hasty conclusions should not have been made based on a superficial study of literary sources alone, without practical analysis and made up on a tendentious selection of some facts.

 

Those who have practiced asanas and breathing exercises for at least a year in reasonable moderation and caution have felt their beneficial effects and have been imbued with a deep respect for this ancient wisdom, and they have never had any doubts about its usefulness.

 

This ancient teachings, the age of which is estimated by various sources from 6000 to 8000 years, proven by the experience of many and many generations, now in India is experiencing a new birth. Many directions of Yoga are studied in specially created institutes and recommended as part of the national system of physical training, medical practice and not only in India, but in many countries of the world.

 

Autogenic training received official recognition, a deep study of yoga therapy began.

 

But even now there is still so much confusion around the teachings of the yogis, there are a lot of stories about them that may surprise even the yogis themselves. This, of course, has been contributed to by apostates from Yoga, who, having mastered some knowledge, earn their living by demonstrating all kinds of "miracles".

 

The atmosphere of mystery surrounding the teachings of the yogis has led to the fact that even now many ancient texts are encrypted with special symbolism. Yoga was guarded by sages, and the accumulated knowledge was passed on only to the most devoted and talented students. The ancient rishis (sages) were inaccessible to the common people. The mystery of Yoga had been guarded for thousands of years, and perhaps this was the reason why it did not occupy its proper place in human society, and what came in fragments was interpreted incorrectly and erroneously. On the other hand, though, these special measures have preserved it from imminent degeneration.