Some people think that Yoga means a particular exercise, No, no, no: Yoga does not mean exercise. Yoga means unification. It is the Supreme definition of Yoga.
There is common wont in each and every human mind and that wont differentiates human being from animals, people from plants. What is that difference? That spritual wont is called human Dharma. What is Dharma? Human beings want to expand, and secondly, they want to become one with the Cosmic Body. Thirdly they want to do something noble and the fourth thing is that they want peace, Supreme peace, undisturbed peace. These are the four special qualifications of human beings. Collectively you may say, it is the human mode.
Yoga is the path of progress, the path of development for each and every human being. Nobody can keep himself herself away or aloof from that track of Yoga. Yoga is Dharma. So in individual life we should practice Yoga, and in collective life we should encourage others to practice Yoga. It is the solution of all human ailments in the physicial stratum, in the psychic stratum and also in spiritual stratum.
Shrii P. R. Sarkar
12 September 1979, Haifa
Published in: Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14
Yoga is a science. From systematic observations and experiments over thousands of years, and from substantial guidance from various elevated masters, yogis have got a deep understanding of the functions of body and mind and the relationship of the two. From yogic practices such as meditation we experience the vast potentialities of the mind and realizes what we, and the cosmos really are. Such valuable understanding gives us a strong base for personal growth and to face the challenges of life. As such, Yoga and Intuitoinal Science is fundamental to the self-development of each student at Ananda Marga Gurukula at all grade levels.
Yoga Academies facilitating Certificate and Diploma courses in ‘Yoga Science, Practices & Lifestyle’ have been established in Singapore and Argentina. Prama Institute in the USA also holds regular yoga teacher training programs. Other initiatives are underway in the world including Russia, Taiwan, Mexico, Portugal and Ghana.