A practice that has not only to do with physical well-being, but also involves the spiritual and social dimension of existence.
Martina Cordella is a Hatha Yoga teacher, a discipline she has learned in an Ashram in Southern India. We have asked her to explain the differences between the main “yoga paths” and how they can help us to live better.
«The word Yoga», explains Martina, «comes from the Sanskrit root Yuj, “union”, understood as the link of the soul to the creative source which it comes from. This is the ultimate goal of yogic practice, which in everyday life transforms itself into greater harmony in the relationship with oneself and with others. According to tradition, there are 4 main ways to achieve this realisation (or enlightenment). Karma Yoga is the yoga of action, suitable for people who are extroverted and active; it teaches how to sublimate the ego by acting altruistically without thinking about a gain or a final reward. Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of divine devotion or love, often followed by people with an emotional nature; the yogi learns how to channel and transform their emotions into unconditional love. Jnana Yoga is the yoga of knowledge or wisdom: through the study of Vedanta philosophy, the intellect is used to investigate one’s own nature. Hatha Yoga, the most popular practice known today, comes from Raja Yoga, and is the part that deals with fortifying the body and mind. Through the Asanas (poses) and Pranayama (breathing exercises), the yogi learns how to let the energy flow throughout the body, not only through the muscles level but also to the nervous and endocrine systems, improving digestion and facilitating blood circulation, including that of the lungs, heart and brain. This exercise, accompanied by slow breathing and mental concentration, meditation, in a short time gives benefits that go beyond the hour and a half spent on the mat. After a few years of practice, the changes also start involving deeper aspects of our existence: in fact yoga helps us to live in full the present moment, reducing completely conflict and useless anxiety towards the future».