Let’s do a simple breathing experiment…
Take a deep breath… Hold it !
Done!
Now release…
Well, presumably, this stupid experiment making no sense to you. right!
Perhaps, it was the same reason why you haven’t completed it yet. Although, it takes only few or no time for completion. Right!
You may still believe breathing or doing some sort of exercise less in time brings no possibilities at all. You think it was just a waste of your time. Do you?
Well, if you’ve done any sort of exercise or how about yoga meditation? One important aspect you would figure in this out, having a really deep connection with breathing.
But the thing is…
Yoga meditation is just the body, breathing however, makes the magic work. The truth is – you can’t even get any accomplishments just from yoga and meditation, certain breathing movements literally need to make the real difference appear in the world.
Can I ask something? Although, yoga and meditation practice are great, but oftentimes they come together. So, is yoga meditation ?
Is yoga meditation different or are they the same ?
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Difference Between Yoga and Meditation
Well, technically, yoga is a part of meditation. As Maharshi Patanjali affirms, meditation is the seventh limb of patanjali yoga sutras. While the hatha yoga is being practiced in the form of asanas and pranayama. Maharshi Patanjali cumulated this practice for convenience to ordinary peoples.
If you have paid close attention, chances are you will come up with two completely New things: “limbs of yoga” , ” Hatha yoga “.
Do you know them? What do they really mean by the terms Limbs of yoga or Hatha yoga?
Here’s the big secret…
What is Hatha yoga
Firstly, Yoga means ‘union’, ‘to yoke’ or ‘join’, not the exercise of yoga mats or classes. Hatha yoga literally means aligning ourselves – physically or mentally to sequences of asanas that energies or balance pranic energy within the body.
Although, different types of yoga are also available to you, to name of fews – Raj yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, and Gyan yoga.
Here’s the bottom line…
Well, the difference between these, however, never concerns me. Because the ultimate goal of these different yoga meditation exercises is the same, the supreme path of devin, freedom or enlightenment.
What makes them appear different in each other is the way they are being practiced. Literally practice makes the real difference.
By the end, you become more healthy, stable, and feeling blessed by the energy you have acquired through the whole universe.
How to practice hatha yoga
To practice Hatha yoga you need to combine asanas ( aka yoga postures ) with pranayama or breathing exercises.
Firstly, make this clear your body is in a comfortable position. You should then linger on some mudras. Confined breathing movements are essential, so keep this in your mind.
Here’s how you can make the real yoga meditation practice best work for you.
Breathing:
Inhalation or exhalation are the two outermost things. Even a short pause between your yoga meditation breathing exercises makes an enormous difference.
What’s more ? The speed of your breathing and certain bodily fluctuations literally counts. Don’t worry, you need not to make everything perfect, just be sure you’re mindfully practicing all the things.
Asanas
Even though asanas are just certain body postures, it is as important as breathing exercises.
You can diversify the benefits of yoga meditation, just from exchanging single posture in your practice. This will be added after you’re done with practice. For now, the best start you can make yet, straighten your back and shoulders relaxed.
Meditation
Well, don’t know, you heard it or not! It is said that meditation and yoga complete each other. So, if you’re planning either one of these practices, go with both.
Good news: you can still practice either yoga or meditation if you want. Tough decision, right! However, best is when you practice it together. But still you’re free to decide whether yoga or meditation suits best your requirements.
What are the benefits of Hatha yoga
Relative to classic exercises, the benefits of hatha yoga are astonishing. Yes, initially you may find it difficult, seeing or experiencing a single benefit feels taking years, sometimes onset may feel challenging to you.
Once you’re done beginning your teeny tiny breathing or yogic exercises, stay ready for drastic changes, occurring soon.
This may include…
Persisting ability increases: Stability comes with the ability to face challenges. However, practicing yoga meditation can scale up your ability to persist, working on a sequence of asanas helps you gain the strength you need most in life.
Make you healthy: As you would know, yoga or meditation both allies physical activities, of-course meditation doesn’t require that much but still some asanas are needed to practice. Right! And only an ordinary person knows, importance of physical activities in daily life. It makes you literally healthy, so strong and charged up for your job.
Strengthen your immunity: living a fast paced life along with so much of responsibilities, career and family pressure weaken the immune system. Although, making really good lifestyle changes requires a strong immune system. Yoga & meditation take this off and gives you the best possibility to stay healthy each day.
Limitations of hatha yoga
Well, if something is right, as a fact wrong persists. That’s true! There is no question about that.
Likewise!
Practicing yoga meditation gives so much advancements. Still we can literally think, somewhere it lessens itself as well.
Directly, it doesn’t harm anyone, but if a person tries to make the practice incorrect, the results will be so impactful.
What’s more, yoga contains extremely difficult asanas, if you are not careful about practice then chances are you would end up hurting yourself.
So make no mistake!
Ashtanga Yoga or Eight Limbs of Yoga
Maharshi Patanjali was affirmed, founder of ashtanga yoga in the 3rd millennium BC.
This Indian texts scripture contains Sanskrit written language. Which has 196 hymes talking about a really deep practice of yoga meditation.
Two of them are instruction, so remaining 194 hands written sanskrit based texts language made the complete practice of yoga meditation aka ashtanga yoga.
What does ashtanga yoga mean ?
Ashtanga yoga is a sequence of yoga meditation practice.
Ashtanga yoga contains 8 levels or parts. So, Ashtanga yoga is a Eight Levels sequence based practice of yoga meditation. These are the levels – Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, Asana, Pranayama, Dharana, Dhyana and lastly Samadhi.
Yes, you must pass through each level to reach the higher level.
Here’s how easily you can…
Well, you seems not spritual probably. I can think you’re just starting because you’ve heard about it. All the possible benefits of yoga meditation. Right!
Good news : you don’t need to actually practice all the eight limbs. Here’s why? Well, you can practice if you want, although, these are intended to prepare you for supreme consciousness.
But essentially, if you’re practicing not intended for spiritual purposes, you should then practice what is most important to you.
It gets better when you practice!
But you may know Eight Limbs of Yoga
Yama : it is the self restraint through action, word or thought that may harm someone either to yourself.
The five yamas are
- Non violence
- Truthfulness
- Non covetousness
- Conservation of vital energy
- Non-attachment
Niyama : it is a fixed observance. It is just as important as Yama but talks more about individuals than society.
The five niyamas are
- Purity
- Contentment
- Self discipline
- Self study
- Attunement to the supreme consciousness
Asanas : it means yoga postures. It is well known or widely practiced in modern life.
However, Patanjali who laid it out as the third limbs actually deals with the subject of asanas in only 3 of 196 Sutras, mostly siddhasana, sukhasan, and padmasan.
Pranayama : It is the regulation of life force through the breath. The practice of pranayama implies not only the flow of pranic energy in your body but it regulates it. And use it for energizing and calm the mind for meditation practices.
Pratyahara : Withdrawing the mind from sense organs is possible through the practice of pratyahara. It is possible that we can learn to turn the mind’s attention inward, aware of where we are and what we are doing?
Dharna : It is a concentration of mind or focused attention to something or somewhere. Technically, it’s your breath that’s your point of focus in dharna.
Dhyana : Aka meditation is the seventh limb of eight limbs of yoga. It is the liberation of mind from all the disturbance thoughts, emotional reaction, and restless desire and turning our attention inward to become aware of our blissful true nature.
Samadhi : The term samadhi means perfect or complete consciousness. whomever in the state of samadhi person is totally absorbed, so he is no more aware of her physical self. And this is where all human suffering ends.
Conclusion
Is yoga meditation ? Essentially, yoga and meditation are the branch of a single tree, you can have it alone or privilege the one. Although, the difference between yoga and meditation is just the practice, one is completely physical then the other is about spiritual.