12. Benefits of yoga

 

 

It is a very long time process to practice and arrived to the top level. It may even take many births depending upon individual’s karma accumulation. At times people may get frustrated in the middle and try to discontinue. Few will discontinue after achieving some worldly benefits. There are few who will start yoga practice only to get certain specific advantages.

Criminals in jails are being taught yoga to improve their good characters.

Top management employees are being taught yoga only to improve their skill on ability to concentrate.

Sick people may try to do yoga asanas to get rid of their health problems. There are people who get trained themselves on breathing practice alone.

Most of the household people are doing dhyanam only to get rid of their family problems. There are magicians who used their concentrating power for doing cheap magic to attract people and earn.

BUT, YOGA WAS DESIGNED ONLY TO GET THE BLISS OF GOD AND AVOID REBIRTH IN THIS MISERABLE WORLD.

At the same time, there are benefits in every step of yoga Each step may take few years of practice to achieve the benefits. Also few steps can be practiced simultaneously. So, it is better to start practicing yoga as early as possible. The benefits because of each step of yoga are given below:

 

Benefits from step one (Iyamam): The morals in this step is mostly universal. Those who were following this step will be respected as gentlemen by the society.

Niyamam is the second step during which practices clean healthy habits and behave softly with others. Because of neat and soft look, people will love to approach the practitioner. Also due to contended life style, they will live within their earnings. There will be no worries for want of  funds. Mind will be light free. There will be no laziness to them. Their ambition towards worldly materials will be so minimum.  

The third step is ‘Asanam’ and after accustomed to this, their body will never get strained. Regular practice of various Asana exercises will keep their body organs work efficiently. The defects happening in the body due to aging can be avoided. Yogis will always look fresh and active.

The fourth step is ‘Pranayamam’ and if practiced, there are many benefits to the body.

It is very important to know that food habits, breathing practices, senses and thoughts are having close links.

It is natural for human to avoid or forget food in sad or joy mode. Thoughts about future life may lead to good or bad feelings.  

We would have observed that breathing will be either fast or slow based on feelings. When there is a danger which could lead to death, breath will run fast.

When a known favorite music is  heard (Feeling), connected event will come as a thought. 

Already it was mentioned that food habit and character are having relationships. Character depends on thoughts. Sathvic food will produce soft and good thoughts in the mind.

 We can understand from the above, the importance of controlling at least one or two  aspects in the above if not all. Bagavath Geetha calls a person who feels neither sad nor joy for any event as ‘Sthira Pragngyan’. This character (Same feeling for good or bad result)  could be practiced but difficult in worldly life.

Human feelings depend on thoughts. Thoughts start when taking birth and ends when death happen. Thoughts are being focused on one and not fully stopped in yoga practice except during ‘samadhi’ step. So, it is beyond the scope of human to stop thoughts fully.

Excess energy from food activates the brain  fast to get too much of thoughts. Fat in the food limits the analyzing mind. As a result, laziness,  criminal activities and worries may occur. To avoid such happenings, everyone can follow better food habits.

Similar to food habits, breathing also can be controlled with little practice. Following the ‘Upanayanam’ function, everyone (At present Brahmin community) were taught pranayamam (Breathing practice). But, now this practice being discontinued. The most effective system to control thoughts, normal organs’ functioning, good blood circulation and getting peace of mind is this breathing practice. 

‘POSSESSING GOOD HEALTH IS WEALTH’

 

 

‘Prathyaharam’ is the step at which thoughts were focused on a single object. This practice will lead to better concentration and focus on any action. As a result, failures will be less. Employees in  managerial level will be taught this yoga step to improve their skill and extract efficient work. Also, decision making skill will improve on their all activities.

‘Tharanai’ is the step at which all human feelings will vanish. There will be uninterrupted yoga practice. Knowledge about the nature will flow inside during this practice. Their intuitional power will increase. So, people will love to get predictions on their life with the practitioner.

‘Dhyanam’ is deep meditating stage. The image they meditate will slowly brighten in the form of  light. After this experience, they will get many supernatural powers. Yoga books quote that there are eight supernatural powers.

They are called as ‘Anima’, ‘Lahima’, ‘Karima’, ‘Mahima’, ‘Praththi’,                ‘Prakamyam’, ‘Esathvam’, and ‘vasiththuvam’.

Reducing the size of the body to less than an atom is called as Anima.

Increasing the size of the body huge like mountain ia called as Mahima.

Lahima refers the lighter weight of the body which enables to flout on water.

All the above three supernatural powers are connected to the body.

 

 

 

 

Getting all the worldly materials when think is called Praththi.

Prakamiyam refers to multiplying the body and enable their presence at different places at the same time. Also, entering as a soul into an another (Normally dead or newly born) body. Saint Thirumoolar wrote that his original name was Sundharar, but he entered into a dead shepperd’s body whose name was ‘Moolan’. ‘Thiru’ is a word in Tamil to show respect.  

Understanding and commanding over the nature is called Esaththuvam.

Bringing the entire Universe within them is called Vasiththuvam.

Not affected by the karmas they happen to do is called Karima.

Real yogis will never work for getting all the above benefits. Their aim will be on joining with God so that there will be births in this world. So, yogis will continue their practice until they get the close contact with God. After achieving the result, no yogi will like to return to this world. Such step is called as Samadhi.

There were many saints in the past reached this step. Ragavendrar, Ramana Maharishi, Sai baba, so many siddhars and  others are to show as examples. They were called as ‘Jeevan mukthas’. The place at which they were buried are called as Jeeva Samadhi. Many of them have entered into caves and vanished. So, most of the mountains and hills were approached with reverence.

There is a belief that these saints are coming with their own body at times but we could not recognize them.

Let us bow our head on the lotus feet of such great Jeevathmas.

 

OHM SHANTHI ……… SHANTHI …………. SHANTHI. (Let the peace be with us for ever).