Yoga integrates body, mind and soul
Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta
The Beatles did it. Madonna does it. The chic girls from the popular TV series Sex In The City do it too. Countless celebrities do it (whether they just practice it in front of the camera or they also perform it in real life, the fact is they make yoga cool and a must-do activity for other people).
So no wonder that so many people, including countless celebrities, are practicing yoga these days. And folks with the motto: "Just follow the trend, whatever it is", would be among the first to sign up for a yoga class (whether they practice yoga continuously or occasionally is another story). On the other hand, of course, many people practice yoga simply because they believe it is good for them.
These days, yoga practitioners come from different backgrounds, including students, writers, actors, yuppies and housewives.
Yoga, apparently, is not only admired in India and the U.S, but it's also happening in other countries too, such as the UK.
"In London, yoga is popular. You can find yoga studios easily. Some friends of mine joined some yoga classes, told me the physical and psychological benefits, such as immunity increases and improved concentration. So I joined them. Actually, yoga improved my health and I stopped smoking thanks to yoga. However, it may take some time before you notice significant change. I haven't joined any yoga classes in Jakarta, but I still practice yoga regularly at home," said Matthew James Brian, an announcer and lecturer at the Trisakti English Center.
Yoga in Sanskrit has its roots in the word yuj, which means union. Yoga is holistic, as it is a union of body, mind and soul.
"Yoga is an art and it purifies your whole body without any negative side effects as it requires no drugs. It's different with other physical exercises. While conventional exercises are only for the body, yoga is for body, mind and soul. Also, you don't need expensive tools to practice yoga. All you need is a yoga mat and, of course, a good yoga teacher," explained Usha Naqvi, the director of the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Center.
According to Yudhi Widyantoro, a well-known Indonesian yoga teacher, yoga has many paths, the six main ones being: Jnana Yoga (union by knowledge); Bhakti Yoga (union by love, yoga of devotion, faith and worship); Karma Yoga (union by service to mankind); Mantra Yoga (union by chanting); Hatha Yoga (union by body control); and Raja Yoga (union by mental control or mastering the mind).
While some yoga studios and yoga gurus/teachers emphasize Bhakti yoga (prayer and mantra chanting), most studios and teachers, including those in Jakarta, teach various types of Hatha yoga that emphasize body postures and breathing techniques.
There are various reasons why people join a yoga class. Some do it simply for stress relief, some for better posture, some for improved concentration, some for religious or spiritual reasons, while others practice it to beat their health problems.
Yoga is known for its physical and psychological benefits. Helping practitioners to overcome insomnia, migraines and asthma are among the physical advantages, while relaxation and a decrease in depression and aggression are among the psychological benefits.
"I think yoga is good to combat insomnia. At my first yoga session, somehow I felt relaxed, so relax I fell asleep," said Vinaya Pribadi, a manager at Apartemen Eksekutif Menteng.
"I practice yoga because it relaxes my mind. Basically, I like sports such as swimming. For me, yoga is a kind of 'relaxing sport'. It improves my immune system too, and in general I feel healthier," said Siti Dian Insani, one of Yudhi Widyantoro's students who has practiced yoga at least twice a week for the last two years.
Most types of yoga involve physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises or breath control (pranayama) and also meditation (dhyana).
The stages of yoga are: Yama (universal moral commandments), Niyama (self-purification by discipline), Asana (postures), Pranayama (rhythmic control of breathing), Pratyahara (withdraw and emancipation of the mind from the domination of the senses and exterior objects), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (a state of super-consciousness), as explained by Yudhi Widyantoro.
"Yama and Niyama control the yogi's (one who follows the path of yoga) passions and emotions. Asanas keeps the body healthy and in harmony with nature. Pranayama and Pratyahara teach the aspirant to regulate the breathing and thereby control the mind. Meanwhile, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi take the yogi into the innermost recesses of his soul. He doesn't look heavenward to find God, as he knows that He is within. The last three stages keep him in harmony with himself and his Maker," added Yudhi, who apparently learned a lot from a book titled: Iyengar: Light on Yoga.
There is no obligation whatsoever that you must convert to Hinduism in order to practice yoga. True, yoga came to be associated with Hinduism and its philosophies, as it was developed in India. But the spirit of yoga has always remained separate from any specific religion (including Hinduism). In fact, the yoga practitioners that I know are mostly non-Hindu.
Yoga, being universal, can be practiced by anybody -- regardless of one's beliefs, race or background. People of various faiths, such as Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and atheists practice yoga, just because yoga is good for them.
Yoga, however may change your opinion about life. Many yoga practitioners become vegetarians or stop smoking and drinking. According to some people, they changed their unhealthy lifestyles due to their self-awareness of the importance of living a healthy life -- a lesson that they learned from yoga. Also, for many yogi, modesty becomes their middle names.
"Yoga teaches us to respect other living creatures and be modest," said Mohammad Idris, the yoga trainer at Le Spa. "Since about seven years ago, I became a vegetarian. I still eat eggs and drink milk though. Anyway, in general, yoga has changed my life. It eliminated the negative thoughts in my head, such as anger, revenge and prejudice," Yudhi said.
Some people say that to do yoga, you have to convince yourself that you can do that difficult pose (some of the poses are fairly challenging). For instance, to do the Sirsasana or Shirshasana (the headstand), you must have the faith that you can do it. If you think that you will fail, then failure will be the result. Of course, besides self-confidence you need to know the right steps as well.
But what if you're not flexible? Most practitioners believe that your flexibility will improve with time. Actually, some particular yoga types can help students who lack flexibility, such as Iyengar, which uses items like blocks, pillows, etc. to help the students. However, one must bear in mind that yoga should be practiced step by step, going from easy to challenging. That's regardless of how flexible you think you are.
The other thing is that yoga is a good way to stay fit during pregnancy too, as long as you already started practicing it before becoming pregnant. Yoga will calm your mind, while strengthening the pelvis and controlling your blood pressure at the same time.
"Pranayama without retention may be practiced throughout pregnancy, as regular deep breathing will help considerably during labor," explained Yudhi Widyantoro.
Many yogis agree that while books, websites and tapes are also good sources to learn about yoga, they can't beat flesh-and-blood yoga instructors. Books and the like can't tell you when you are doing a pose wrong, while a guru or yoga teacher can correct your pose immediately. Besides, a guru can tell you the most beneficial style for you. Nevertheless, no one style is better than another; it's just a matter of individual preference.
A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment -- that's a beautiful Indian proverb. Yoga, for many people, does bring contentment -- as yoga teaches self-acceptance, guides its devotees to live a peaceful life and also enhances their spiritual journey with its ancient wisdom.