Summary of Philosophy Class 29th April 2015

What is yoga philosophy essentially about?

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj which means union. yoga is essentially a philosophy which teaches you to be humble, to let go of the ego and see your connection to the world around - working out of duty and in harmony with the world around you, rather than competing and working against the world filled with your own ego.

Are yoga philosophy and Buddhism related?

There are many ideas in common in both yoga philosophy and Buddhism. Also it is likely that Patanjali who wrote the Yoga Sutras lived around the same time as the Buddha and hence shared ideas or studied the same philosophies. Both yoga philosophy and Buddhism talk about stilling the mind, focussing on the breath, karma and humility. Both talk about our original nature being one of peace.

Does yoga philosophy say that there is a connection between the mind and the body?

Yes it does. It says that when the mind is tense then the body (the muscles and so forth) become tense. Hence if we relax the body (by stretching out the muscles) we can encourage the mind to relax.

How do you know that you are meditating?

Remember that the mind will always wander when you try to meditate, it is normal. Accept this, be compassionate with yourself and whenever you can bring your awareness back to the focus of the meditation. There is no goal to meditation - in fact meditating is more about letting go of goals and living in the here and now. Do not think 'in 20 years I will be there' - your goal is to simply enjoy meditating now in the present.