Yoga for Cynics

Time and again we hear the word yoga. Often people think it is some sort of exercise with funny poses, right? The left leg stretches upwards and the hand goes behind the body to hold the leg, no? But yoga is not just about stretching, maintaining a posture, breathing or even merely a form of exercise. It is much more than just that. It is a spiritual practice but not a religious one that helps you to maintain a fine balance between work and a healthy mind! Not to worry, you are not the only one who doubts this! Many people have questioned how something like this could help them to maintain a balance between work and a healthy mind or even establish a healthy, lively and balanced approach to life. And to understand this better and to know how yoga actually works, you need to get a better understanding of what yoga is all about.

Yoga originates from the language Sanskrit and it means “union” or “merger”. And the essential purpose of it is to achieve a stable balance between the mind and the body and to also to achieve selfenlightenment. And to accomplish this, yoga applies movement, breathing, pose, relief and meditation as various means of maintaining a healthy, lively and balanced approach to life. Yoga is believed to be a physical exercise that is the oldest still being practiced. Thus, yoga signifies stability in every area of life. In earlier times, the logic behind yoga practice was to achieve constancy and relaxation so one could get ready for the severity of meditation - that is, to stay sat still and remain alert for a long period of time. From today’s perspective too, yoga has a crucial role in achieving a fine equilibrium between work and a healthy mind.