Yoga
Alternative healing is experiencing a boom in the Sri Lankan tourism industry. Yoga centers, for instance are being established in different parts of the island, catering to both local, and overseas travelers. These healing sanctuaries have become places' of comfort, calmness, .and' quietude for visitors who seek an escape from daily living. When the physical mind is able to reach the superfine layer of the' mind, the purpose of Yoga is achieved. Yogic exercises have two purposes. The first is to train and control the body physically. The second is to develop the mind to reach the height of spiritual excellence.
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And within every one of us there are tremendous depths. The practical aspects of Yoga, therefore, are how-to enter these depths. The answer is through meditation and concentration. The Yogi learns that through the proper control of breath - the flowing in and flowing out of breath - his system gets purified, and a new kind of strength enters and takes possession of his body. Yoga brings mental calmness, which leads to peacefulness. The control of the breath, whose yogic name is pranayama, is the first and foremost method of controlling the mind. The mind is like a liquid on a leaf, so hardly ever steady, Through Yoga this mind can be touched, felt and controlled. Pranayam or breathing exercise is the simple form of Yoga. Prana means "air of life". Prana remains pure even in polluted surroundings. With yogic concentration of prana we are able to maintain good health.
In India, Yoga has a recorded history of 6,000 years, from the times of Mohen-jo-daro to the modern age. One of the great source books that enshrine the teachings of yoga is named The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Patanajali was a sage who appeared, according to some scholars in 820BC. Through steadfast purpose and discipline, he attained the state of Samadhi, wherein Lord Shiva granted him the boon he desired - namely, the cosmic vision of His celestial dance. This enabled Patanjali to write authentic treatises on Yoga, grammar, and Ayurveda. Lord Shiva is also known as Yogeswara or the "Lord of Yoga".
It was the bliss of witnessing the celestial dance that enabled Patanjali to compose the masterpiece Yoga Sutra, a work in which Patanjali has brought together the Sutras; the aphorisms concerning the Yoga of his days. In Yoga Sutra Patanajali teaches the different stages in the development of a yogi.
The first stage, he tells us, that of an average good man, who keeps away from the dark path of life and lives the life of a gentleman. Such a man refrains from sinful acts. He is good, Kind, gentle, loving and helpful towards all I The first stage, he tells us, is that of an average I good man, who keeps away from the dark path of life and lives the life of a gentleman, Such a man refrains from sinful acts. He is good, kind, gentle, I loving, and helpful towards all,
The second stage is that of the seeker, an aspirant, a jignasu, meaning a seeker after truth. The gentleman has moved along the pathways of life. He has passed through a series of experiences and has come into contact with different types of sympathy. He finds that people have hot understood him and have' misinterpreted his motives. He asks -himself, "Why is this happening to me? I only want to do good to people. Why do they return evil for good?"
He finds, too, that fortune is fickle. Money comes and money goes. Nothing is permanent in worldly life. He asks, "Why am l here? What is the purpose of life? What is the aim of this endless adventure of existence?" in short, he wants to know the truth about life. He becomes a jignasu. The third stage, according to Patanjali, is the stage of the shishya, the disciple. The seeker sets out in search of a sage, a seer, a saint, a yogi, a man of God, who is a teacher of wisdom, who may show him the way to the truth he seeks.
Then comes the fourth stage. The disciple has received the teaching from the Master. Now he has to live up to that teaching. Every day, in every way, he trains himself to walk on the path the Master has pointed out to him. The fifth and final stage in the life of the Yogi is god realization. The shishya becomes a shishu - a child of God. He is a man who has fulfilled the purpose of this human birth.
MANTRA YOGA
Mantra-Yoga teaches Us how concentration' can be achieved by the repetition of a single syllable, a single word, or a set of words. A mantra works on several levels. At the literal level-a mantra is a brief prayer, but at a deeper level, every mantra is also a mystic formulation. Repeating the mantra is a technique of Yoga that evokes a positive, spiritual vibration within us. It brings grace, purifies the mind and strengthens the body. Mantra Yoga helps us build up a reserve of mental, emotional and spiritual power that will take us to the path of self-realization.
RAJA YOGA
The second- main category is Raja Yoga. This aims to control the breath and the mind. It's the yoga of meditation. According to the ancient philosophy of Raja-Yoga, each one of us blessed with infinite potential, laying open for us endless possibilities.
HATHA YOGA
Hatha Yoga or the yoga of physical culture, is a complete system of psychophysical training that helps to harmonies the mind and body with the external world and elements with which all creation is composed. Of late, Hatha Yoga or physical postures have become popular with tourists in Sri Lanka.
Hatha Yoga is based on a system of exercises such as asanas or various poses, pranayama or breathing exercises, mudras or special poses, bandhas or "ties" involving concentration, and kriyas or purificatory, exercises.'
LATA YOGA
Lata Yoga teaches use attain peace and serenity at the very core of inner consciousness. The word laya signifies. “Void or emptiness”- the absolute dissolution of ego. The symbol of Laya Yoga is the lotus of one thousand petals, with a void in the center. The process is of spiritual ascent and descent made by concentrating on the lotus in each, chakra ("wheel") of the body and observing them with detachment.
KUNDALINI YOGA
In Sanskrit kundalini -literally means "snake” or. "Snake-power”. This refers to the latent superior force in every -humman being, thought to lie curled at the base of the spine. This force is awakened from sleep through kundalini yoga, and it rises through, a series of centers or chakras to attain spiritual awareness. *