The Real Yoga
I attend yoga classes as part of my fitness routine. Something that was an ancient tradition for health and balance in life in the east had become a fad and then a part of our culture in the west. I notice that there are many women in my classes who think that their yoga postures will advance their spiritual development as well as their physical health.
Renowned Vedic scientist and sage Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the foremost teacher of the development of consciousness in the last century and the founder of the TM program, wrote, “The advantage of yoga asanas (postures) over other eastern and western systems of physical posture is that they do not consume energy. They help to restore life force, promote health and maintain normal conditions in the body.”
But If you are practicing a set of postures, are you really experiencing ‘Yoga’? Yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah is the Sanskrit definition of yoga. It means, Yoga is the complete settling of the activity of the mind. It is referred to as a state of union with the Self, divine union.
Practiced before an effective method of meditation, yoga postures create balance in our physiology, allowing for a smooth experience of transcending once we close our eyes and start meditating, like the truck that goes down a road clearing it of rocks and ruts so that the traffic can follow. If we do the postures first, and then TM—which takes our conscious awareness to the transcendent, the state of settled silent unity—then our meditation will be more efficient.
The TM technique is a scientifically verified authentic Yoga meditation that is derived directly from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and was revived in this scientific age by Maharishi. He said, “Enlightenment is a scientific reality today and practically achievable for anyone. Indeed, we see that enlightenment is our birthright.”
Transcendental Meditation practice settles the mind to a state of restful alertness which saturates the mind and becomes the basis for dynamic balanced daily life. Long-term TM practice leads to the development of a higher state of consciousness—a self-realized state of ‘liberation’or ‘enlightenment.’ This has been documented scientifically, as evidenced by distinctive changes in brain functioning, with subjective reports of inner unbounded awareness (Samadhi) during activity and during sleep. This state of profound neurological integration results in highly significant improvements in the development and functioning of the mind, body, emotions, and ego.
Enjoy your yoga classes, but don’t rest on your laurels while you’re resting in a posture—take a more profound step in the direction of enlightenment by taking the TM course and adding the TM practice to your routine. TM is easy-to-learn, evidence-based, and natural; it fulfills the core purposes of Yoga—from improved health and well-being to enlightenment.
About the Author
Anita Warner is a retired Vice President, Institutional Fixed Income Sales on Wall Street
