THE PURPOSE OF YOGA, LET’S TALK ABOUT AVIDYĀ
This Sanskrit word is a biggie in the yoga world. Avidyā is a word that translates to mean ignorance, misunderstanding, or misconception. It relates to all the things in life that cloud our judgement, mislead our thoughts and actions, and in turn cause humans to feel separated from our inner divinity and chase finite things like wealth, material objects, stature, and power.
THE 4 BRANCHES OF AVIDYĀ
- EGO (asmitā in Sanskrit)
This is the concept of “I”, ego pushes us to feeling of superiority
- DEMANDS (rāga in Sanskrit)
This is the idea of always wanting more, to have, to enjoy, wanting out of desire rather than need
- REJECTING (dvesa in Sanskrit)
Rejecting people, places, things, or thoughts that make us uncomfortable, and rejecting the unfamiliar
- FEAR (abhiniveśa in Sanskrit)
Fear can be felt on many levels, from the most subtle to the most extreme. It could be anything from doubting yourself to feeling fear, worrying about being judged by others, to fear of new experiences
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT IN YOGA?
The goal of yoga, contrary to popular belief, is not to lose weight of be able to do a headstand. The true purpose of yoga is to reduce avidyā so that we can realise our true nature of divine perfection and therefore act from a place of clarity, a place or true knowing and understanding, and live in the most honest and pure way possible.
But how does yoga help us reduce avidyā I hear you ask. How does it make us be better and do better? Well in a practical sense, yoga has three main ways of doing this:
1 | Heating and Cleansing (Tapas in Sanskrit)
Through the yoga poses (āsanas in Sanskrit) and breathing exercises (prānāyāma in Sanskrit), we heat and cleanse the body. We purify ourselves from the inside out, we remove blocks, and get rid of impurities.
2 | Self-Study (Svādhyāya in Sanskrit)
When we study the major yoga texts, like the Yoga Sutras, we understand ourselves and our true nature better. We reflect, relate, grow, and learn.
3 | Quality of Action or Love of God (Īśvarapranidhānā in Sanskrit)
This is the idea of doing all things as well as possible. Giving all your focus to carrying out the task at hand rather than worrying about the outcomes.
Together, these three intentions of yoga will help reduce your avidyā, or misconceptions, and enable you to grow as a person, to leave behind human deceptions of happiness and find true inner peace. Happiness is an inner state of being, it comes from within you, from the deep knowing of what you and everything around you truly is. Yoga is an incredible and rewarding way to get you this state of understanding, acceptance, and happiness.
We wish you the gifts of joy and self-discovery in your yoga practice, wherever you may be.
Love and light friends,
The Eye of Hatha Team
THE PURPOSE OF YOGA, LET’S TALK ABOUT AVIDYĀ
This Sanskrit word is a biggie in the yoga world. Avidyā is a word that translates to mean ignorance, misunderstanding, or misconception. It relates to all the things in life that cloud our judgement, mislead our thoughts and actions, and in turn cause humans to feel separated from our inner divinity and chase finite things like wealth, material objects, stature, and power.
THE 4 BRANCHES OF AVIDYĀ
- EGO (asmitā in Sanskrit)
This is the concept of “I”, ego pushes us to feeling of superiority
- DEMANDS (rāga in Sanskrit)
This is the idea of always wanting more, to have, to enjoy, wanting out of desire rather than need
- REJECTING (dvesa in Sanskrit)
Rejecting people, places, things, or thoughts that make us uncomfortable, and rejecting the unfamiliar
- FEAR (abhiniveśa in Sanskrit)
Fear can be felt on many levels, from the most subtle to the most extreme. It could be anything from doubting yourself to feeling fear, worrying about being judged by others, to fear of new experiences
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT IN YOGA?
The goal of yoga, contrary to popular belief, is not to lose weight of be able to do a headstand. The true purpose of yoga is to reduce avidyā so that we can realise our true nature of divine perfection and therefore act from a place of clarity, a place or true knowing and understanding, and live in the most honest and pure way possible.
But how does yoga help us reduce avidyā I hear you ask. How does it make us be better and do better? Well in a practical sense, yoga has three main ways of doing this:
1 | Heating and Cleansing (Tapas in Sanskrit)
Through the yoga poses (āsanas in Sanskrit) and breathing exercises (prānāyāma in Sanskrit), we heat and cleanse the body. We purify ourselves from the inside out, we remove blocks, and get rid of impurities.
2 | Self-Study (Svādhyāya in Sanskrit)
When we study the major yoga texts, like the Yoga Sutras, we understand ourselves and our true nature better. We reflect, relate, grow, and learn.
3 | Quality of Action or Love of God (Īśvarapranidhānā in Sanskrit)
This is the idea of doing all things as well as possible. Giving all your focus to carrying out the task at hand rather than worrying about the outcomes.
Together, these three intentions of yoga will help reduce your avidyā, or misconceptions, and enable you to grow as a person, to leave behind human deceptions of happiness and find true inner peace. Happiness is an inner state of being, it comes from within you, from the deep knowing of what you and everything around you truly is. Yoga is an incredible and rewarding way to get you this state of understanding, acceptance, and happiness.
We wish you the gifts of joy and self-discovery in your yoga practice, wherever you may be.
Love and light friends,
The Eye of Hatha Team
