Excercise, Breathing and Meditation, these three are the foundation of yoga. Ancient Yogis had a belief that in order for man to be in harmony with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For these Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance with the help of excercise, breathing and meditation.
Wikipedia describes Yoga as
Yoga (Sanskrit, Pāli: योग yóga) refers to traditional physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines, originating in ancient India,whose goal is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
There are misconceptions about Yoga, like Yoga being a religion. Yoga is not a religion. It is more of a set of techniques for us to find spirituality. In fact, Yoga is being practiced by a lot of people from different religions like Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims.
According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ultimate aim of Yoga is to reach "Kaivalya" (emancipation or ultimate freedom). This is the experience of one's innermost being or "soul" . Then one becomes free of chains of cause and effect (Karma) which tie us to continual reincarnation. In Kaivalya one is said to exist in peace and tranquillity, having attained absolute knowledge of the difference between the spiritual which is timeless, unchanging and free of sorrows, and the material which is not.
Yoga is therefore a spiritual quest. However, along the path of yoga, the aspirant also gains health, happiness, tranquillity and knowledge which are indicators of progress and an encouragement to continue their practice.
Generally when we think of hygiene, our physical self first comes to mind. Because illness robs us of peace of mind and the ability to focus clearly, physical cleanliness is important. However Saucha, refers to the physical, mental and spiritual freedom that purity offers. Purity is the result of clearing away clutter of the mind, body and speech. The practice of Saucha on all levels honors the Self and others, allowing one to experience increasing calm and stability even in the most difficult of circumstances.
