The concept of "yoga" is about two thousand years old. However, the phenomenon that it means has been greatly transformed over its long history. Born as a philosophical doctrine, in modern world yoga became first of all the practice of healing and physical improvement... So here Short story yoga.

The essence and purpose of yoga

Liberation from the circle of rebirth (Samsara) through the realization of one's unity with the absolute (Brahman) - this was the goal set by the yogis of antiquity. To prepare the body and mind for the experience of higher states in yoga teaching, over time, a component appeared, including special postures (asanas) and breathing practices(pranayama). These days, the practice of yoga in most cases means doing just such exercises.

The modern yoga system helps to build a healthy, harmonious body, forming a muscular frame, positively affecting internal organs and the endocrine system. Yoga also affects the state of mind, helping a person to become more calm, balanced and resistant to stress.

But let's see where it all started. How did yoga make its way from a philosophical doctrine to a system of special physical culture?

Hermits, gurus, fakirs

Yoga as a philosophy appeared no later than the 4th century. Most researchers date the creation of the text of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali to this period. This treatise contains basic principles philosophical school of yoga. The ancient text reveals methods of working with the mind that can lead to higher states of consciousness. Patanjali is not concerned with physical exercise. He mentions the concept of "asana" rather in the sense of a position suitable for meditation.

The foundations of yoga physical education were probably laid by Gorakshanath, a native of East Bengal. In the 12th century, he developed the Hatha Yoga system. Presumably in the 15th century, his follower Swami Swatmarama wrote the famous treatise Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This source tells about the energy "device" of a person, describes 15 asanas, several pranayamas, shatkarmas (purification practices). In addition, he gives dietary advice and also outlines aspects of yama and niyama (norms of behavior). At the end of the 17th century, the Gheranda Samhita appeared, describing already 32 poses. Nevertheless, physical education at that time remained only an auxiliary aspect of yoga.

The training format itself was also radically different from the one adopted now. The training was exclusively individual, and only men had access to it, with rare exceptions. The parampara was strictly observed - the chain of succession from teacher to student. Self-assimilation of the teaching was impossible.

In the 18th century, the reputation of yoga and its followers was spoiled by acrobats and fakirs. These miracle people demonstrated lying on nails, living burials and miracles of flexibility in Indian villages under the guise of yoga miracles. Of course, for a reward, and even, at times, quite good, if they managed to surprise some rajah. Some were involved in extortion and drug use. Such "yogis" did not inspire confidence either among the Indians themselves or among the British colonialists. The latter even classified the yogis in the population census as "various and suspicious rabble."

In the 19th century, with the development of science and interest in "yogic miracles", a number of revealing studies were carried out. This made the public even more skeptical. And the West, perhaps, would never have gotten to know Indian gymnastics ... If - unexpectedly - not the struggle for Indian independence.

The pride of the nation

It was a number of activists who staged a revolution in yoga and its total "rebranding", radically changing the negative and skeptical attitude towards the practice and its adherents.

To expel the British from the country, the Indian elite needed to raise the popular spirit. It was necessary to eradicate the idea of ​​the superiority of the West from the national consciousness. To this end, a large campaign has begun to modernize Hinduism. And yoga took one of the key places in it.

The first significant contribution to yoga rehabilitation was made by social and political activist Jagannath Gun. In the 1920s, he opened an ashram near Bombay. There he deployed a large-scale experimental study yoga. For half a century of work, Gong managed to create a new look for yoga. It has become synonymous with wellness practice, backed by scientific evidence and devoid of mysticism. The Guna Center not only conducted research, but also taught yoga. By the way, and here he made a coup, starting to accept women for training.

Around the same time, yoga rehabilitation was taking place in one of the most progressive Indian principalities - Mysore. Its rulers played important role in the national movement. In 1933, a new teacher, Tirumalaya Krishnamacharya, was invited to teach the princes who had previously practiced yoga. He subsequently developed his own yoga style. In fact, it was his technique that laid the foundation for all modern yoga... From it emerged such basic modern trends as Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar Yoga and some others.

Krishnamacharya actively popularized, but his talented students turned it into a cosmopolitan discipline.

How Hollywood and the whole world fell in love with yoga

Oddly enough, a woman brought the first news to the Western world. (And we remember that most of its history yoga was available only to men - ed.) The daughter of a Swedish banker and Russian aristocrat Evgenia Peterson conquered the Indian film industry under the pseudonym Indra Devi. When she was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, she went to the Guna Ashram to improve her health. After studying with Krishnamacharya and inspired by the effect, Peterson went to Hollywood in 1947. So she became the first "star instructor".

However, Indra Devi did not descend from the "Star Olympus", teaching Greta Garbo and Gloria Svenson. So among the general public yoga was spread by another student of Krishnamacharya.

B.K.S.Iyengar combined the knowledge gained from his teacher, his own experience and achievements of medicine, anatomy and physiology and formed own style yoga. With the help of an ardent yoga aficionado, American violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Iyengar was able to travel to Europe, where his classes became very popular, and the book "Clarifying Yoga", published in 1965, sold millions of copies around the world.

Pattabhi Jois became another link in this modern parampara. The hard, energy-consuming Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga he created was not less successful than the soft therapeutic yoga of Iyengar. After Joyce's first European student wrote a yoga tutorial, mentioning his teacher in it, hundreds of Europeans and Americans flocked to Mysore. In 1975, Pattabhi Jois made the first trip to America, which began the popularization of Ashtanga around the world.

So, the West enthusiastically accepted the Indian curiosity. But in the Soviet Union, yoga was perceived ambiguously.

Pranayama for astronauts: yoga in the USSR

Officially, Indian philosophy, or physical education, just in case, was not favored. Some propagandists were even expelled from the ranks of the CPSU and fired from their jobs. Nevertheless, the highest echelons of power were interested in yoga and even tried to apply its methods in the space race. So, in the early 60s, they were invited to work with Soviet cosmonauts famous yogi Dhirendru Brahmachari, who gave practical and theoretical studies. In the same years, Indra Devi came to the USSR and met with the largest Soviet politicians: A.N. Kosygin, A.A. Gromyko, A.I. Mikoyan.

The first popularizer of yoga physical education in the country was the indologist Vasily Brodov, who fell into the very closed group of Dhirendra Brahmachari. Feeling the positive impact of exercise on your health, Brodov published a number of articles and books on yoga, co-authored the popular science film “ Indian yogis- who are they? ”, released in 1970.

The script for the film was written by a Hindi linguist, Anatoly Zubkov, who became the first certified yoga teacher in the Soviet Union. In the 60s, he went on a long business trip to India to teach students Russian at a local university. And four years later he returned with a document for the right to teach yoga. Zubkov spent not only practical lessons, but also lectures, was published a lot.

In 1963, Gennady Statsenko founded a yoga school in Moscow. True, it was possible to officially register it only after 15 years of work. Like many other popularizers, Statsenko was inspired by the amendment of his own health: yoga helped him get rid of kidney stones.

In the early 80s, publications of individual enthusiasts flashed in the press, for example, Viktor Voronin, who later wrote his own book on hatha yoga, was published in the journal Science and Life.

Some yoga enthusiasts were unlucky. The engineer-inventor Yan Koltunov was expelled from the party and fired from his job in 1983 for the fact that he founded a spiritual and health club "Cosmos" in the Moscow region, in which hundreds of people attended classes.

But after Perestroika, things went much better for the popularizers of yoga. The same Yan Koltunov resumed the work of the club and even began to establish branches in other cities, held meetings, and actively published. In the late 80s, the Yoga Academy, the Yoga Association were created, the first yoga conference was held, the guest of which was B.K.S.Iyengar. At the same time, Yogi Bhajan, a well-known adept of Kundalini Yoga, visited the USSR for the first time.

Yoga in Russia today

Over the past 20 years, hundreds of yoga schools have appeared in our country. Indian physical education is now adjacent to circuit training and stretching in almost every fitness club. And many video tutorials allow you to do it yourself at home.

Yoga philosophy is extremely popular today. For many, it has become a real discovery in life. Yoga saves tortured people from daily stress and helps them see the most important, leaving the secondary aside. At the same time, it is not limited to a banal complex of physical exercises. Yoga as an ancient tradition and religion, yoga as - that's what this article will be about.

Reasons for the popularity of yoga in the modern world

As already noted, yoga is extremely popular today. You can even say that it is fashionable in modern society. What are the reasons for such popularity?

To do this, you need to answer one question. What is a modern person like? Exhausted, depressed and depressed. A person of the XXI century, as a rule, spends his life in pursuit of dubious goods. Yoga, on the other hand, helps not only to cope with daily stress, but also teaches you to concentrate your attention (and strength) on the most important, truly important things.

The philosophy of yoga opens up the only true way for a person to realize his essence, helps to fully reveal his inner potential.

Curiously, the practical methods of yoga work anyway. Even if a person does not really believe in them or does not have the slightest idea about the essence and foundations of this philosophy. This is another unique feature of yoga.

Yoga philosophy (briefly)

What is yoga? Is it fair to call it philosophy, science, or religion?

The word itself, translated from Sanskrit, means "unity". In a narrow sense, it is primarily about the harmony and fusion of the human body and soul. In a more global sense, this is the union of man with God.

Yoga is an Indian philosophy, very ancient. Its main postulates were identified in the second century by the famous guru Patanjali. However, it is wrong to say that the philosophy of yoga was founded by him. After all, it is believed that yoga was presented to mankind by the Creator himself (through the avatar Krishna).

The foundations of this teaching are not systematized. Their individual aspects can be found in various ancient Indian sources, starting with the Vedas. That is why historians cannot define a clear chronological framework for this direction.

Yoga philosophy is extremely versatile. The main goal of the teaching is the achievement of nirvana. This term means complete reunification with the Creator.

To date, researchers have identified several forms of yoga. It:

• karma yoga;
• bhakti yoga;
• jnana yoga;
• mantra yoga;
• hatha yoga and others.

Each of these directions is just one of the steps on the path to the single goal of yoga philosophy - unity with the Almighty. In this article, we will dwell on the last of these forms in more detail.

The parable of the hidden divinity

The philosophy of yoga for beginners is perfectly illustrated by one of the ancient Indian parables. It will help to better understand the essence of this teaching for those who are just beginning to get acquainted with it.

So, the parable of the hidden divinity ...

According to legend, before all people on Earth were gods. That is how Brahma created them. However, soon the lord of all the gods saw that they were using their power not quite righteously, and therefore decided to take away the divine power from them. At the same time, the question arose: where to hide divinity from people so that they could not find it?

To resolve this dilemma, Brahma called in counselors. They began to fill him up different options: some proposed to bury divinity in the earth, others - to throw it to the bottom of the ocean ... However, Brahma did not like a single proposal. "Sooner or later, people will get to the bottom of the oceans," he answered thoughtfully.

Suddenly the lord of the gods himself guessed what needed to be done. He decided to hide divinity within the person himself. And I was not mistaken. The man conquered the heavens and the depths of the sea, drilled kilometer-long tunnels underground, but he never really looked inside himself.

ancient finds

It is difficult to determine how deeply the roots of yoga stretch into history. So, in the valley of the Indus River, archaeologists have found ancient seals dating back to the second millennium BC. They depict people, as well as deities in unusual poses (in total, the researchers counted 16 different positions). This find prompted historians to believe that one of the forms of yoga was already familiar to the inhabitants of the Harappan civilization.

If we talk about written evidence, then the concept of "yoga" is first encountered in the Rig Veda - one of the most ancient monuments of Indian literature.

Patanjali and his "yoga sutras"

This teaching belongs to the list of six orthodox schools of Hinduism. Yoga philosophy is very closely related to the Samkhya direction. However, in comparison with it, yoga is more theistic.

Heinrich Zimmer also spoke about the kinship of these two schools in his time. At the same time, he argued that Samkhya provides a general explanation of the nature of man, while yoga reveals practical methods and paths to his complete liberation (the state of Moksha).

Like any other school of Indian philosophy, yoga has its own sacred texts. These are the so-called "yoga sutras", taught by the sage Patanjali. In one of them, by the way, the teacher reveals the very essence of the concept we are considering. According to the text of the second sutra, yoga is "the process of controlling the disturbances inherent in the mind."

Swami Vivekananda: the life of a philosopher

One of the brightest representatives of this school is the Indian sage and Swami Vivekananda. The philosophy of yoga in his writings acquired a new meaning. He was able to explain its key provisions from the point of view of the Western worldview.

Swami Vivekananda lived and worked in the second half of the 19th century. He was born in 1863 into a very religious family. He studied at Scottish Church College, where he showed a particular interest in philosophy. At the same time, Vivekananda sets out to find a person who has met with God Himself. And soon he finds it. It was a certain Ramakrishna. Soon Vivekananda becomes his disciple.

In 1888, he, along with other disciples of Ramakrishna, began to travel across the territory of India. Then it goes to other countries (USA, France, Japan, England and others). The sage died in 1902. Swami's body, like he was cremated on the banks of the Ganges River.

During his life, Vivekananda wrote a number of works. The most important among them are as follows:

• Karma Yoga (1896).
• Raja Yoga (1896).
• Philosophy of Vedanta: Lectures on Jnana Yoga (1902).

Swami Vivekananda: Philosophical Views

A very famous saying belongs to Vivekananda: only his names differ. "Some call him Jesus, others - Allah, still others - Buddha and so on.

Swami Vivekananda was distinguished by the originality of his thought. His main merit as a philosopher lies in the fact that he was able to prove that the key ideas of Vedanta can be applied for purely practical purposes, in public life.

"Each person is divine in itself" - this dictum of Ramakrishna became a common thread in the life of a philosopher. He was sure that no one would be free until all other people were free. Vivekananda argued that he really had to work tirelessly to save other people. The philosopher extolled selflessness and agitated everyone not to lose faith in themselves.

Swami Vivekananda's public opinion was that one should be divided. Religion, in his opinion, in no case should interfere with the issues of marriages, hereditary relations and the like. He also believed that society should ideally be an even mixture of all four castes. Moreover, he was sure that religion should not interfere in the process of building an ideal society.

Yoga Hatha: School Philosophy

The name of this is translated from Sanskrit as "enhanced fusion". For the first time, the postulates of this school were systematized by Swami Swatmarama. He believed that hatha yoga is the process of preparing the human body for complex meditations.

The very word "hatha", as the researchers suggest, consists of two components: "ha" - mind and "tha" - life force.

Hatha yoga is a comprehensive teaching on how to achieve bodily harmony with the help of physical and mental influences on the body (these are asanas, pranayamas, mudras and bandhas). Each of them affects a specific part human body... In hatha yoga, sets of certain exercises are specially selected, with the help of which you can strengthen your health and fight against serious diseases.

Breathing is the foundation of life

The main emphasis in hatha yoga is on breathing. The adherents of this school are sure that the effect of breathing on the body is so strong that only pranayamas ( breathing exercises) you can significantly improve your condition. And skillfully combining them with asanas is a guarantee of a healthy and strong body.

Hatha Yoga as a medical philosophy prioritizes complete purification respiratory system person. In addition, it is a real art of relaxing the body and all its muscles. After all, real clarity of mind comes only to a relaxed body.

The state of the body, well-being, as well as the thought processes of a person are closely related to his breathing. I think everyone will agree with this. This is why Hatha Yoga places such emphasis on the arts and techniques. correct breathing... At the same time, she teaches people to breathe correctly, not only during special classes, but also in Everyday life... A wise and careful attitude to one's health is what hatha yoga teaches people. At the same time, philosophy and practice are organically intertwined in this teaching.

General goals and objectives of yoga

Anyone who decides to take yoga seriously can pursue various goals. It could be a simple desire to improve your health or to be cured of a chronic illness. And for some, yoga is the key to achieving moksha ("union with Brahman").

By the way, it is Moksha - as the process and the fact of liberation from samsara - that is the ultimate goal in many schools. ancient Indian philosophy... But in Vaishnavism, the main goal of yoga is striving for God, the Creator. According to the teachings of this school, a Vaishnava then enters the spiritual blissful world, in which he can enjoy the devotional service of Visnu.

Development of yoga in Russia

Some residents of Russia showed interest in yoga even in pre-revolutionary times. In the era of the Soviet Union, this school was under an ideological ban, which, however, did not prevent an individual enthusiast from studying semi-legally.

In Russia, at different times, many famous personalities acted as active promoters of yoga. Among these are the doctor BL Smirnov, professor VV Brodov, writer VI Voronin, engineer Ya. I. Koltunov and many others. In the late 1980s, a higher educational institution, the so-called Yoga Academy, began operating in Moscow. Its founder was Gennady Statsenko. At the same time, a laboratory appeared in the capital of the USSR, which was engaged in the study of non-traditional methods of treatment and recovery. Of course, the area of ​​interest of this laboratory included the teachings of Ancient India - yoga.

Today, yoga courses are taught in almost every fitness club. However, knowledgeable people still recommend attending classes at a specialized school.

Finally, a few useful tips for those who are planning to start doing yoga:

• clothing for classes should be comfortable and made of natural fabric;
• you need to start mastering yoga small, gradually penetrating into the "depths" of this teaching;
• it is undesirable to skip classes, because each new session is a logical continuation of the previous one;
• yoga classes must be approached extremely consciously and thoroughly.

And, of course, do not forget that yoga is not only a healthy, fit body, but also an opportunity to feel the harmony of body and soul.

Finally...

Yoga is a philosophy of Ancient India that is very popular in the modern world. However, this is not quite a philosophy, or rather, not only philosophy. It is also science, religion, centuries-old tradition and practice. Why is it so attractive modern man philosophy of yoga?

There are two main theses to answer this question briefly. First, yoga helps a person to cope with the tremendous pressure of harsh reality. Second: she is able to each of us open the way to knowledge of himself, his inner essence.

Yoga philosophy in a broad sense, one can call the ancient doctrine of the spiritual self-improvement of man, which came to us from the civilization of the Aryans and developed into the form known today in the religious and philosophical schools of ancient and medieval India. This article will focus on the basic philosophical concepts and concepts of this teaching, which for almost two millennia has been for many admirers of Indian spirituality a model of wisdom that leads a person to the highest possible goal of his life.

Yoga- this is one of the darshans, six orthodox (following the spiritual tradition Veda) philosophical schools of India. Its theories and principles are set out in the founding work of this school, “ Yoga sutra», And comments on this work. We know practically nothing about the author of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali. In India, since ancient times, he is considered a great teacher, yogi and philosopher who lived in the II century. BC. However, today most scholars agree that the content and terminology of the "Yoga Sutra" should be attributed to the II century AD.

Patanjali was not the person who invented the yoga teaching. We find the origins of the yoga set forth by him in the oldest monument of world culture - Vedah(~ II millennium BC), sacred texts of India. The doctrine of the basic elements of yoga practice - concentration, contemplation, mind control and the term "yoga" itself - is present in the early Upanishads(~ VI - III centuries BC), commentaries on the Vedas. A special place in the protoyoga is occupied by the ancient epic works of India: Ramayana and Mahabharata(~ I millennium BC). The part of the Mahabharata, which is called Bhagavad gita... It contains many important parts of the teachings of yoga, there is only no systematization and classification of categories necessary for philosophy - basic philosophical concepts. Patanjali acted as such a systematizer, summarizing and briefly formulating ancient spiritual knowledge. The theory and practice of the "Yoga Sutras" has fully stood the test of time and has earned the right to be called classical yoga .

Patanjali's work, like many treatises of that time in India, is a collection of short sentences (sutras). For the students, they may have served as a reminder to restore the course of complex oral reasoning. However, for descendants who do not have the opportunity to personally communicate with the teacher, short sutras are often not enough. Therefore, the existing teaching today classical yoga formed, in addition to the original treatise of Patanjali, an extensive commentary literature. In this article, we focus on the Yoga Sutra and the most authoritative commentary by the philosopher Vyasa, “ Yoga bhasya"(V century AD).

Proceeding directly to the philosophy of classical yoga, let us single out two fundamental categories that include all being, all that exists. it Purusha and Prakriti- spiritual and material substances.

Prakriti (matter) is everything that we see, hear, touch or are able to feel in any other way. This is everything that the most sophisticated instruments can register, from the smallest particles to cosmic-scale objects. The concept of Prakriti contains the entire universe, all physical objects and energy fields.

Purusha means the eternal Spirit, the spiritual principle. He is transcendental to Prakriti, that is, he is beyond all Nature. Purusha is the highest part of being. In Him there are no forms characteristic of Prakriti, therefore it is impossible to imagine Him. He has consciousness, while matter is unconscious. However, one should not identify Purusha with the doctrine of God that is familiar to Western people. Purusha is devoid of any personal attributes. The god of classical yoga - Ishwara- a manifestation of Purusha, but He does not create the world and does not control it. Besides Him, there are other gods in the Spirit, but Ishvara is supreme among all spiritual beings. He also has the property, which is most important for yoga philosophy, to unite and separate Purusha and Prakriti.

Before the union of Spirit and matter, the latter is in an unmanifested state. This means that the universe does not exist, but three basic properties or forces ( gunas) Prakritis are in equilibrium. Guna sattva is responsible for the principle of clarity, rajas- for the principle of movement, activity, tamas- for the principle of rest, inertia. With the combination of Spirit and matter, Purusha, as a conscious principle, begins in a certain sense to control Prakriti, to cause changes in it. The gunas begin to interact with each other in many combinations and, passing through certain stages, form the objective world in all its forms. In this case, the first product of the interaction of the gunas becomes Buddhi mahat... This important concept of yoga philosophy designates the ideal foundation for the entire future universe. In the course of further evolution through a series of stages, five primary elements are formed: ether, air, fire, water, earth, of which all objects are composed.

The interaction of the gunas is a continuous change, the consequences of which we observe in our constantly changing world. These modifications give us a sense of time. That is, we can say that a second is not a small time period, but some change we observe, for example, the transition of the clock hand to the next position. According to classical yoga, time as such does not exist, there is only a moment (now) of change. Any changes are possible in some space, therefore the category of space is also characteristic of the objective world.

Unlike Prakriti, Purusha is not subject to change. Therefore, we can say that he is outside of time and space. Purusha is called the Spectator, observing the unfolding picture of the change in matter.

Now let's look at the teachings of classical yoga about a person. Here it is necessary to understand a thought unusual for the consciousness of a modern Western man. In the anthropology of yoga, the inner world of a person corresponds to the outer being. Man is viewed as a microcosm, which is identical in structure to the external macrocosm for him. Thus, man is also the result of the union of Purusha and Prakriti.

Buddhi Mahat is the stage of development of Prakriti and the basis of the universe. In it, as a stage in the evolution of matter, an individual Buddhi, which is the ideal basis for the human psyche. In the future, the rest of the elements of the microcosm are also formed. These are the organs of perception - hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell; organs of action - arms, legs, organs of excretion and reproduction, organ of speech; organ of the mind - mind ( manas). So, in fact, everything that we are used to identifying with ourselves, with our I - the physical body, memory, emotions, intellect, mental images, etc. - refers to matter and is potentially contained in the individual Buddhi.

Purusha in a person is pure consciousness, his Spirit, his true Self. Yoga presupposes the existence of many "small parts" of the Purusha, individual souls that manifest through different beings in Prakriti. Our true self is eternal and unchanging. It is conscious and directs all processes in the sphere of Prakriti. The model of the union of Purusha and Prakriti in a person is often compared to two people lost in the forest. One of which is without legs (Purusha), and the other is blind (Prakriti). It is clear that, having united, they will be able to start getting out of the forest. Purusha, interacting with Prakriti, fills the individual buddhi of a person, the matrix of all his mental phenomena, with the ability to self-awareness. Therefore, we, not knowing about Purusha, are aware of ourselves in our mental activity.

So, having considered the main philosophical categories of classical yoga, we move on to the theory liberation, the central doctrine about the meaning of human existence, for the sake of which the Yoga Sutra and commentaries on it were written. Liberation is the separation in a person of Spirit and matter, Purusha and Prakriti. Why is this separation necessary? The fact is that a person in his usual state does not know his true self and identifies himself, at best, with his individual buddhi. But buddhi's ability to be aware of itself is no more than an illusion, because only Purusha possesses true consciousness. We always say to ourselves: "I am walking, I feel, I think," etc., thereby limiting our being within the framework of Prakriti. As we already know, any manifestation of Prakriti is only a consequence of the interaction of the gunas. They are changeable and no form is eternal. We, identifying ourselves with our psyche, become attached to its manifestations and to the forms of the objective world. From this affection all our suffering... Attachments give rise to desires and expectations in relation to the world around us and to ourselves. But the world is changing - people close to us grow old and die, the deeds done do not bring their former satisfaction, negative emotions replace positive ones, any pleasures always end. We want a constant sense of satisfaction, but this is not achievable, and, as a rule, the more pleasure we get from something, the greater the later disappointment.

In addition, striving for the forms of Prakriti gives the existence of our karma. Karma is a causal relationship generated by humans and other beings. By our attraction to one form or another of Prakriti, we determine who we will be in the future. For example, if we tend to be kind and honest, then we want to be judged in accordance with these virtues, which in turn engenders our desire to be the same in the future. Aspirations leave, figuratively speaking, prints ( vasanas) in our individual buddhi. Every moment we do something, feel, think, adding new prints. After physical death, our spiritual essence is embodied in another body ( reincarnation), and the vasanas persist, determining our future life. As long as our adherence to the forms of Prakriti remains, more and more imprints are added to the buddhi, which ensures the next births. Thus, we are in a series of rebirths ( wheel samsara), suffering eternally in the changing world of Prakriti.

Liberation from suffering is possible, and striving for it is the highest possible goal of existence. Through yoga practice and philosophical reflections, a person gradually, better and better realizes his higher being, Purusha, achieves complete spiritual dispassion, ceases to internally strive for anything in the material world. Then his karma is no longer created, and he comes to the separation of the Spirit from matter, leaves the circle of samsara and attains absolute liberation. Such a person will no longer be born, but he may still continue to live in his real life, being in an unceasing awareness of oneself as eternal and unaffected by the Spirit's changes. This is the state of a god who is essentially equal to Ishvara. This being cannot be described in words, but it is difficult to imagine being better than that, in which even the very potential for suffering or any dissatisfaction is absent, and at the same time there is full awareness.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the ideas of yoga can be found in all orthodox Indian philosophical schools, as well as in Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, not to mention numerous directions in yoga itself, which have grown out of their classical form.

During the period of active colonization of the East by European countries, the philosophy of yoga begins to make its way to the West. Scientists from Europe, America and Russia get to know her. Indian thinkers also appear to popularize the teachings of yoga. The most famous of them are Ramakrishna (1836-1886), his follower Vivekananda (1869-1902), and also Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950). The philosophical basis of yoga, spread in the West, has not undergone major changes, but there are tendencies in it to combine the spirituality of yoga and the achievements of Western science, as well as to the synthesis of various religious teachings.

In the modern world, yoga is becoming more and more popular. TV programs are shot about her, she is engaged in fitness clubs, famous artists talk about her. However, having become generally available, yoga has largely lost its esoteric part, and people today strive to live better in this world with the help of yoga methods, not striving for the beyond world, for the innermost essence of yoga philosophy.

Modern people today again come to the realization of the importance of everything spiritual. Exhausted by constant worries and stress, they just need a sip fresh air, a source of peace and inspiration.

And this source can be the philosophy of yoga, which allows you to gradually open the true path to liberation. And awareness of one's own essence with further disclosure of the hidden inner potential.

Understanding yoga in a philosophical sense

For many people, the philosophical teaching of yoga becomes an incredible discovery, saving from constant anxiety and stress, helping to openly see the main thing in life. But one should not think that yoga is reduced to the usual performance of asanas.

In a philosophical sense, it helps you find the shortest path to liberation, reveal your own potential and open the true path to the inner essence.

Therefore, the basic principles of yoga are reduced to achieving a harmonious fusion of the human soul with the body. In a deeper understanding, it means union with the Supreme. In general, the foundations of yoga are not very systematized, and its individual aspects are spelled out in detail in various ancient sources - the Vedas.

And according to numerous sources, for the first time the philosophy that entered the foundations of yoga was described precisely in the writings of Patanjali. In the classical sense, yoga includes two main categories - Purusha (spirit) and Prakriti (matter). Together they allow you to consider and unite the external and internal world of each person.

The philosophical theory of yoga is multifaceted, and its the main objective consists in the gradual achievement of the state of Nirvana in the form of complete reunification with the Creator. In the modern world, there are a number of different yogic directions that can effectively help in the attainment of Nirvana.

It is also worth noting that the philosophical teaching of yoga is valid even in the case when a person has little knowledge in this area or practically does not believe in the power of the teaching. And this approach is quite justified for a modern person who seeks to get more material, rather than spiritual, in the learning process.

Purusha and Prakriti

For those who find it difficult to understand what the essence of yoga is, it is necessary to study various sources of information and first try to understand what Purusha (spirit) and Prakriti (matter) are. It is the spiritual and material components that are the main basis of all that exists in the world.

According to the teachings, Prakriti consists of three main forces:

• peace - Guna Sattva;
• degradation - Guna Tamas;
• movement - Guna Rajas.

But the true essence of the spiritual component in yoga philosophy is very difficult to imagine. It does not have a specific form, and its location is outside the boundaries of the material world.

Also, Purusha has real consciousness, but in matter it is completely absent. And its embodiment is the ancient god Inshvara, although other deities are also known.

Having studied the foundations of philosophical teaching, one can realize the unity of the material and the spiritual, which forms everything on Earth. And outside the framework of space and time, since yoga implies continuous processes of changes taking place in material structures. And the spiritual basis remains completely unchanged, since it is not subject to time.

Through the philosophy of yoga, one can maintain good physical fitness and live in harmony with the world. Translated from the Sanskrit language, the word "yoga" means "connection", the connection of the soul with the Lord. Therefore, teaching belongs to spiritual practice.

For almost 2000 years, yoga for many has been a model of wisdom leading to the highest life goal. This is the oldest teaching on personal self-improvement, which came from the Aryans. Philosophical doctrine yoga is still developing splendidly, new schools are opening.

The practice is one of the Drashanas, six orthodox Indian schools that follow the spiritual traditions of the Vedas.

In the philosophy of classical yoga, there are two main categories that cover spiritual and material substances:

• Purusha (spirit).
• Prakriti (matter).

The classical practice is called "royal". It was founded by the famous Patanjali (founder of the Yoga Sutra practice) in the second century BC. He showed the duality of metaphysics, which considers Spirit or (own I, Prusha) and Nature (Cosmos), as independent Realities.

Yoga as a philosophical science, considers the inner and outer world of the individual as a whole. Therefore, the human essence unites Purusha and Prakriti.

The Teaching frees consciousness from false identification. To put it another way, a spiritual vision opens up, which makes the "I" return to its own nature.

People often isolate themselves from the world around them, which leads the mind to suffering. Yoga helps to cope with this.

Experienced mentors claim that Patanjali's Yoga Sutra was written with the aim of illuminating the teachings of the meaning of human life and liberation.

What is Liberation

This is the separation of spirit (Purusha) from matter (Prakriti). Because of this, suffering appears in a person. People tend to get attached to something in order to get pleasure. But every pleasure has a tendency to end. And the stronger it is, the more disappointment there will be in the future.

Yoga soothes the rushing mind and helps to redirect energy into intelligent channels. The process can be compared to a hydroelectric power station on a powerful river. If the dam and canals are intelligently constructed, the hydropower plant will have a large supply of water that will benefit during a drought.

The human mind is also under control. Energy is accumulated from Space, creating great forces for the all-round development of a person. It is very difficult to calm a person's mind - it is compared to trying to stop a mountain river.

By applying yoga at different stages, a special strength is formed.

Patanjali argued that liberation can be achieved only through the ability to distinguish the "I" from the physical world and own body, mind, individuality.

This can be achieved with the help of a spiritual teacher, by suppressing and limiting the functions of the body, feelings, intellect, individuality (personal I). But at the same time to have self-awareness, the experience of Purusha (transcendental spirit).

I am higher than the mind, body, feelings, intellect, joy, suffering. This is the awareness of the I myself, as the spirit of immortality, which is beyond evil, suffering, destruction, death. This is the state of Freedom.

The yogic system is a path of self-development for those who follow the dictates of the spirit and sincerely strive for this. So, the practice of Sankhya pays more attention to the ability to distinguish the Self from the rest of the world, as a goal for Liberation.

The philosophy of the teaching aims at practical methods of purification, concentration, to distinguish the self from the mind and body.

Properties of yoga philosophy

Yoga combines spirituality and physical exercise, which is capable of developing a personality in different directions (mentally, spiritually, physically).

Its philosophy has the following properties:

• Spirituality - with the help of awareness, being is revealed and comprehended.
• Ethics - virtue is brought up, where important aspect lack of violence.
• Emotionality - beneficial qualities (love, kindness) develop.
• Practicality - the ability to control your own body.
• Intelligence is the application of the power of reason.

Yoga is one of the areas of spirituality in India, it is a philosophical school. Elements of it can be found in Orthodox schools, Buddhism, Sikhism and other modern trends. Many of them are based on classical yoga.

The goal of yoga

With the help of yoga, a person gains knowledge about the truth of reality, which is hidden from every soul from the moment of birth. She comprehensively changes a person, transforming his consciousness through the realization of his divine nature.

The ancient sages argued that reality is not only the Universe, but also the personality itself (Atman). The versatility of the world is manifested in a single transcendental Reality (Brahman). To pass this reality - to approach the highest goal of Samadhi yoga.

Achieving Samadhi means erasing the boundaries between the personality and its shell, distances between a person and temporary space disappear. There is no past and future, there is only the present.

Philosophy of the main yogic directions

There are many yogic directions today. Each of them has three components:

1. Exercises.
2. Breathing practices.
3. Meditation.

They cannot exist without each other. The effect of exercise and breathing exercises will be only when a person activates his spiritual abilities.

Each direction in yoga has its own philosophy. Here short description philosophy of the most popular types:

• Hatha yoga combines physical perfection and peace of mind. This is achieved not only with special asanas, breathing practice but also meditation. This is how the harmony of the body with the surrounding world is obtained.
• Ashtanga directs inexhaustible human energy in the right direction to achieve peace of mind.
• Kundalini Yoga aims at everyone's right to happiness. This requires peace and harmony with the world.
• With the help of Vinnie yoga, a person can heal not only physical injuries, but also mental ones. Winnie's practice relieves a person of fears, bad memories, opens the world of joy and happiness.

In any chosen type of yoga, it is important to work not only on your body, but also on your mind. Every asana is imbued with philosophy, so the exercises should not be performed mechanically. You need to sort out your mistakes, with your subconscious. Breathing practices, asanas, meditations help in this. This is not easy to do. But applying efforts, purposefulness, concentration, a person will receive a healthy body and a healthy mind as a reward.