Ancient Indian wisdom has given the key to mental peace, radiant health and spiritual fulfillment amidst the intense stress of modern life. This key is the practical science of Yoga. Though mental peace is the under current of the whole system of yoga, it is a very effective healing exercise-method to many physical abnormalities.

As said earlier, Swami Vishnu-devananda, word authority on ‘Hatha and Raja Yogas’ has stated that 'health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness'. Yoga shows the way. "Swamiji, a native of Kerala, has reawakened the modern world to the incredible benefits of Yoga. Emphasizing Yoga’s fundamental principles, Swamiji has given simple guidelines for their practice in the face of the demands of daily life. Swamiji himself learnt these basics from the dynamic sage, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, and upon his command spread the age-old wisdom throughout the world. Yoga is a timeless means of integrating individuals, regardless of their physical, cultural or spiritual characteristics, so that they can manifest peace and health in their daily lives, here and now. It is immensely practical and has nothing to do with superstitions and like. Yoga has lasted throughout the thousands of years of Indian culture and has now firmly taken root in western countries as well. Its simplicity continues and its essence lies in its practical nature.

Swamiji, clearly understanding the needs of modern people, has given the whole of the Yogic system in Five Principles. These are:-

Proper Exercise - Asana

Proper Relaxation - Savasana

Proper Breathing - Pranayama

Proper Diet - Vegetarian

Positive Thinking & Meditation - Vedanta & Dhyana

As Swamiji has observed, modern people are always driving around in and are also very fond of their cars. Therefore he used to like to draw the following analogy to clarify the importance of his 5 principles. 

Exercise is like Lubrication for the car. All the moving parts must be well oiled. Relaxation is the coiling system without which the vehicle would overheat. Breathing gives us energy and thus can be compared to the battery, which supplies the spark to start the engine. Diet of course is the fuel - we cannot run a car on water and the body also needs proper fuel. Last comes the driver who must be sane and in control, this is our mind, which should be quiet, content and concentrated.

We need all these five things to keep our cars running well and to have them last a long time. Not just one of them, but also all the 5 are needed simultaneously. The body and mind is the vehicle for the expression of he inner spirit and we need a practice. Combining all these five principles to keep this vehicle in good condition so that we can reach the material and spiritual goals of life. This is Yoga; it must be practiced on a daily basis to be successful. However surprisingly, even just a little practice a day brings beneficial results within a short space of time.

Proper   exercise   is   based  upon   a   non-violent system of movement that increases the circulation of fluids in our bodies, especially through the stimulation of endocrine glands and the distribution of the chemical hormones secreted by these glands. Then come the blood circulation, lymph return and freedom of energy flow for the nervous system. The movement and structure of the body must be kept in good order by exercising the muscles and joints and also keeping all the connective tissues healthy and pliable. Yoga excels in these points as no other exercise can.

Yoga in its aboriginal meaning is very much abstract and mystic. Yoga asana is the exercise, which activates the body organs and enthralls mind to a static condition. Yoga simply is the enlightenment of the mind. It is the method of tacking the soul to its original
Home-its Maker.

There are different paths (margas) by which a person can travel to his Maker. The active and energetic person finds realization through Karma Marga, the path of reaching divinity through accomplishing work and duty. The emotional person makes it through Bhakti Marga, where the realization is through devotion and dedication to a personal God. The intellectual person follows Jnana Marga, where knowledge is the means and a reflective person pursues Yoga Marga, where, through the control of the mind the person attains enlightenment. 

What one has to remember always is that whatever path he/she chooses, the ultimate result is achieved only after the torrent of strenuous efforts. Very often people are either blurred by the materialistic aspects of the world or slumps at the unexpected obstacles and hardships. Yoga helps in preparing and maintaining the mental and physical stature in a strong and robust condition so that the mind is always aware of the ultimate destination and is never deviated or digressed from its true path.

The word Yoga has its Sanskrit rot as ‘Yuj’, meaning to bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one’s attention on, to apply and use. It has another meaning as union or communion. Of the six orthodox systems of Indian philosophy, Yoga is one. It was compiled, co-ordinated and systematized by Patanjali in his classical work, the ‘Yoga sutras’ that contains 185 terse maxims. 

‘When the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect fickles not-then, say the wise, is reached the highest stage. This steady control of the senses and mind has been defined as Yoga. He who attains it is free from delusion’. __Yoga Sutra 

Patanjali enumerates eight stages of Yoga for the quest of the soul as;

The eighth stage is the final stage and the very way the aspirant wishes to have his termination of life on earth to be accomplished. Thus all through the life he performs the other seven stages along with the exercises and finally when he by his mental power is able to know that his end is near he sits in Samadhi in profound meditation. One who is able to end up life in such a way is considered to be the most blessed of beings according to Indian philosophy. 

Practicing Yoga exactly in the vedic way is very difficult for the beginners. Hence fr the beginners the best way is to follow the simplified form of the stages of Yoga and one can gradually pick up the momentum. So in the simplified form according to yama one should exonerate all the mental impurities from the body giving a mental command to the self to remain pure and proper, in the Niyama stage one should be ready by becoming physically clean by washing and making your stomach empty the Yoga exercises are performed in the Asana stage. The Asana does not mean the performance of such muscle flexing exercises they are mostly postures in which one remains for sometime regulating his/her respiration and is more strenuous to perform than other exercises. Then it is the relaxation of mind and body by doing Savasana. After that one can perform Dhyana which is meditation sitting in Padmasana posture. In the Yoga terms the meditation can be conducted by closing eyes after setting view towards the end of the nose. Pranayama is the higher version of Dhyana. 

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