Support is provided to members and local groups through: Informing members and others about yoga activities in part through the regular publication of a newsletter
Promoting high standards of yoga instruction through teacher training and certification
Organizing workshops, retreats and other activities either on its own or in co-operation with yoga groups throughout the province
Providing opportunities for yoga activities in rural communities in Alberta
,=union], general term for spiritual disciplines in Hinduism Hinduism (hin`d
, Buddhism Buddhism (bd`ĭzəm), religion and philosophy founded in India c
, and throughout S Asia that are directed toward attaining higher consciousness and liberation from ignorance, suffering, and rebirth
More specifically it is also the name of one of the six orthodox systems of Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy, the philosophical speculations and systems of India that have their roots in Hinduism
Hindu philosophy began in the period of the Upanishads (900 �500 B
Both Vedic and Buddhist literature discuss the doctrines of wandering ascetics in ancient India who practiced various kinds of austerities and meditation
The basic text of the Yoga philosophical school, the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali (2d cent
), is a systematization of one of these older traditions
Contemporary systems of yoga, such as those of Sri Aurobindo Ghose Ghose, Aurobindo (ôrōbĭn`dō gōsh), 1872 �1950, Indian nationalist leader and mystic philosopher
, stress that spiritual realization can be attained without the withdrawal from the world characteristic of the older traditions
Yoga is usually practiced under the guidance of a guru, or spiritual guide
Patañjali divides the practice of yoga into eight stages
Yama, or restraint from vice, and niyama, or observance of purity and virtue, lay the moral foundation for practice and remove the disturbance of uncontrolled desires
Asana, or posture, and pranayama, or breath control, calm the physical body, while pratyahara, or withdrawal of the senses, detaches the mind from the external world
Internal control of consciousness is accomplished in the final three stages: dharana, or concentration, dhyana, or meditation, and samadhi samadhi (səmä`dē), a state of deep absorption in the object of meditation, and the goal of many kinds of yoga
Through such practices yogis acquire miraculous powers, which must ultimately be renounced to attain the highest state
In samadhi the subject-object distinction and one’s sense of an individual self disappear in a state usually described as one of supreme peace, bliss, and illumination
A common feature of different traditions of yoga is one-pointed concentration on a chosen object, whether a part of the body, the breath, a mantra mantra (măn`trə, mŭn �), in Hinduism and Buddhism, mystic words used in ritual and meditation
, a diagram, a deity, or an idea
Hindu tradition in general recognizes three main kinds of yoga: jnana yoga, the path of realization and wisdom, bhakti bhakti (bŭk`tē) [Skt
yoga, the path of love and devotion to a personal God, and karma yoga, the path of selfless action
Patañjali’s yoga is known as raja, or “royal,” yoga
Hatha yoga, which stresses physical control and postures, is widely practiced in the West
Kundalini yoga, especially associated with Tantra Tantra (tŭn`trə), in both Hinduism and Buddhism, esoteric tradition of ritual and yoga known for elaborate use of mantra , or
, is based on the physiology of the “subtle body,” according to which seven major centers of psychic energy, called chakras, are located along the spinal column, with the kundalini, or “coiled” energy in latent form, located at the base of the spine
When the kundalini is activated by yogic methods, it ascends the spine through the main subtle artery of the sushumna, “opening” each chakra in turn