There are many disciplines of Yoga. Some amongst these are meant for health and physical fitness. Others are for spiritual Sadhana. However, good health is an essential prerequisite for entering the path of this Sadhana. The higher disciplines of Yoga comprise Pratyahar (Inward withdrawal of mind and senses from their objects), Dharana (Concentration), Dhyan (Meditation), and Samadhi (State of Trance) successively.
Spiritual seekers also follow many other disciplines like Yam, Niyam, Asan, Pranayama. The Hatha Yogis carry out procedures of Neti, Dhoti, Vasti, Vajroli and other exercises for physical fitness and control. Others have their own specific methods for physical fitness. All of these are basically meant to keep the body healthy so that problems of the body do not create obstacles in course of mind control exercises. The seekers are advised to maintain good health with simple exercises.
In today's environment, it is neither advisable nor necessary to follow the traditional ancient physical exercises of Yoga, involving intricate postures.
It would be unfair to ask a person living in a polluted environment of a city to carry out intense Pranayama practices. Such difficult exercises were prescribed for those seekers of yore who lived in the unpolluted environment of the hills, took only fresh fruits for meals, used unpolluted water from the mountain springs or streams and observed continence. There is no logic in asking a frog to wear a horseshoe. It would kill the frog. Today there is general awareness about the norms for healthy living and these should be strictly adhered to. If there is some disease, an expert medical practitioner of the discipline may be consulted. For our present objective, however, no such physical standards of health are necessary for which one may require prolonged treatment or prior training. Normal health and a relaxed, happy attitude are the only two prerequisites.
Vedanta
Vedanta is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality (Brahman).The word Vedanta is a Sanskrit compound word which can be treated as:veda = 'knowledge' + anta = 'end, conclusion': 'the culmination of knowledge' or veda...See More
Gayatri Upnishad
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