Yoga means yoke, to unite – specifically, the body, mind, and soul. Yoga works these 3 areas, bringing harmony, increased awareness, and increased self-control. It also allows for the fullest expression of one’s highest self, and the individual personality, in the best and healthiest possible manner.
Something to note: most people, when they hear the word “control”, they think of it in the negative. It has both a negative and a positive connotation, so free yourself from thinking of it in only the negative. In this sense, controlling oneself does not mean repressing, suppressing, or stifling oneself. It simply means that you are in control of how you act and when and where; you have the freedom to choose how you act and react in direct relation to the pure identity of your highest self, instead of automatically giving in to emotional or mental reactions, or psychological programmings.
The enemy, as always, tries it’s hardest to control (in the negative connotation) yoga and yoga practitioners. They advise people to do yoga without eating first in the morning, and being vegetarian, if not vegan. Starvation is one of the common tactics used in brainwashing and mind-programming, as it allows the person to become too receptive to programmings and thought-forms. Try to eat when you need to eat, and as much as your body needs.
Yoga heals the body, mind, and soul. We are not just spiritual beings, nor are we just material bodies. We are both, plus consciousness. Yoga is not like regular athletics that work only the body; nor is it like passive meditation that works only the soul; nor is it an intellectual pursuit that only works the mind. It unites and harmonizes all, strengthening all, empowering all aspects of our being. Yes, including the mind, as explained in my post on Increasing Awareness, which is to be done with as many yoga asanas as you are able to easily and conveniently do, gradually building up and expanding your consciousness throughout your body, and beyond.
To further explain what yoga does: The body has 144,000 nadis, which are energy channels and pathways throughout the entire body. They all connect to the Solar Plexus chakra. The main nadis of Sushumna, Ida, and Pingala in the spine are empowered through the practice of kundalini yoga, but the rest of the nadis need to be stretched, strengthened, and cleared. Only a proper and thorough yoga practice can do this. This is one of the reasons why people can’t advance after the death of the physical body, and why we must be incarnated again and again – the physical body is absolutely essential for spiritual advancement.
Simple stretching is a basic introduction to the physical practice of yoga. As you advance, you will utilize your mind and consciousness in each asana, using your breath to allow for opening and healing of the nadis and the circulation of your spiritual energy, otherwise known as your Qi, or bioelectricity. Don’t think this is overly complicated, it is actually quite easy and basic as you do it, much of this happens naturally. It is just what happens when you do yoga.
Yoga, as well as pranayama and meditation, increases our bioelectricity levels. When our levels are consistently higher, we are stronger in every way, and we can use our energy to improve our lives. People on a low spiritual level are subject to many curses and negative planetary influences and transits. Being on a higher level raises us to where much of this no longer affects us. We radiate a spiritual light, as opposed to the average degenerate who sucks the life force and spiritual energy from others. Many people feel like they are struggling to stay afloat, struggling like a person fighting against the tides. A consistent yoga practice will raise you up and allow you to shine brightly and have strength – strength of physical body, strength of mind, strength of emotions, and strength of spirit. This all-encompassing strength gives unlimited potential for everything good and positive in our lives; in our advancement towards Godhood; and in our benevolent influence upon the common people on our planet. And it of course makes us stronger warriors in our fight against our enemies.
Getting back to how yoga helps the mental side of our being. The benefits of a yoga practice on the mind cannot be acclaimed enough. Putting your physical body into a position, feeling the stillness of the mind as you concentrate your thoughts and mental effort into holding the pose, focusing on your breath while maintaining balance and posture… can you feel it? It calms, strengthens, refreshes, and nourishes the mind. Anyone suffering from anxiety, mental illness, or mental hyperactivity will benefit immensely. People who are weak-minded or anything of the sort will feel stronger in every way.
If you do not do yoga, as I know a lot of members here simply aren’t into it, then this can hamper your advancement. Energy/qi will stagnate in various areas of your body, and can manifest in abnormal and harmful ways. We are all individuals however, based on our past lives, inherited physical genetics, and so on. Some people don’t need much yoga at all to advance, while some other people may need a lot of yoga daily. If all you currently need is 10 minutes a day, then consider that at some point in the future, you might need to do more. And it might be that you only need to delve deeply into a yoga practice for a period of time, to work through whatever spiritual, physical, emotional, or mental obstacles you have, to reach a higher level, and then perhaps you can lessen your practice afterwards. This is all individual.
Yoga also re-trains the body and mind. A lot of people have defections in their body, and mental and emotional blockages. A proper yoga practice, combined with eating healthy food (which includes eating meat), and spiritual cleaning of the soul and chakras, will heal the body and mind. Yoga will help your muscles, nerves, organs, lungs, bones, spine, digestive system, hormones, brain... literally everything.
Certain asanas can feel unpleasant, not enjoyable for us. But as we advance in yoga and master the asanas, walls come down in the mind. Breakthroughs of all types often happen after we achieve the mastery of an asana we previously had trouble performing. Even just doing a modification of a difficult asana, held long enough, can accomplish this.
In closing, don’t ever look to yoga as being something weird, difficult, or strange. There are endless free resources online and in library books to teach yoga. Many videos too. Try some, see what feels good for you, and let your practice grow on it’s own!
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