Yoga (Sanskrit: योग yóga – unity) was born in India and it is the ancient method of self-development which, first of all, relies on synthesis of experience and knowledge.
It involves using of the following techniques: physical postures (Asanas), Prana (energy) managing through breathing (Pranayama), meditation-relaxation exercises (Pratyahara), concentration (Dharana), meditation (Dhyana) and self-realization (Samadhi).
Yoga proposes the adoption of the system of values (Jama, Niyama) which creates a philosophy of life that results in the new developmental lifestyle.
The appearance of yoga is connected to the period in which Aryan and Dravidian culture met in India. Knowledge of the yoga method, which is founded in the Vedas, Upanishads and other original documents, has been formulated and systematized by Patanjali in the legendary scripts Yoga Sutras. Yoga is one of the six systems of Indian philosophy (Darshana). Because of the effectiveness of yoga as a discipline, we find that it is used in many religious cults. Till today, however, yoga as a discipline of self-development managed to preserve its authenticity to a great extent because of Patanjali’s efforts. Today, the yoga techniques are important in the health prevention and rehabilitation.
Yoga techniques are present in a variety of psychotherapeutic methods for years, but more recently also as an independent therapeutic method.
Yoga techniques are used as a tool to achieve excellence in sport and arts. The importance of yoga practice is increasingly being reflected in the results achieved in work with children with disabilities and elderly persons. Yoga promotes physical health, normalizes the activity of physiological systems, it helps to establish emotional balance, encourages creative expression, creates a strong foundation in oneself by directing an individual to discover inner resources that connect him/her with meaning.
