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Comment by astazangasta | Hacker News Reader

'yoga', btw, has the same meaning in Sanskrit.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word, which means union. It is much broader and deeper than doing physical asanas. The asanas is just the tip of iceberg :) As you said, when you practice the asanas, your body and breath becomes more controlled. The next level is you control your thoughts - and not vice versa -> union of body, breath and mind. As you become more serene, your meditation starts getting deeper -> union of mind, body, breath and self.

I came across this video recently, where three "genuine" yoga teachers are asking questions about yoga and meditation. The format is initial 10-12 minutes, the yoga teachers talk about their experiences, and then in rest of the video, they ask questions to Sri Sri Ravishankar about deepening mediation with yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7HEmsY29EU

If you are interested in this stuff, check out Christopher Wallis's Tantra Illuminated. It describes the potent View of classical tantra and has a history section tracing it to modern yoga.

I have never heard it referred to that way. Usually I have heard Yoga described as union. As the term applies to the asanas the union between breath and movement.

My quick 30 seconds of googling supports what I had been taught but those old words can really have a broad set of meaning depending on who is using them

I've started hearing that use of the word 'yoga' in the context of yoga instructors as well, but I don't think it's accurate even if it is evocative. The closest meaning of 'yoga' is probably 'control', having the same root as the word 'yoke'. The earliest techniques are about control of the breath, so the idea of the word meaning 'union' doesn't really make sense to me, except in that the goal of yoga, like most activities in the Hindu sphere, may be couched as seeking samadhi/unity with creation. I've always thought of "yoga" as meaning "discipline", as in, "a discipline or practice", or even "school of thought".

Also, even in English the phrase "taking up the yoke" is one of discipline and possibly servitude, as distinct from simply joining together. Also, Googling "one ox yoke" returns around 50/50 split between two-ox and one-ox yokes, so the act of yoking is not necessarily dual in nature, although traditional yokes are not capable of adding additional oxen (and instead are arranged in reins, like with a stagecoach).

When translated into the modern, English-speaking culture, words and ideas of discipline gets distorted. There is usually a meaning-sense of servitude floating around. People see the old kung-fu movies and thinks that is what is about.

A master can refer to a master of an art or a master to your slave. It can be understood like that.

However, a master of an enlightenment vehicle is a master of self. A art can be an enlightenment vehicle, but few in the modern world will see it that way.

This misunderstanding is the generator of a lot of drama :-D

For the ancients, breath was spirit. "Union" refers to "Union with God". This idea was not exclusive to the Indian culture. In English, the roots of words like "inspire", "expire", "respire", "perspire" relate to old root words for spirit and breath.

Modern Yoga inherits the ideas and methods of classical Tantra, though often in a degenerated or distorted way. That is why you have teachers ascribing meanings like that. It means there is a semantic ahift going on, but don't confuse it with it's historical roots.

I expect Chinese martial arts to go into a similar decline. Many of the fighting arts come from either a Buddhist or a Taoist neigong lineage. For example, there is a reason to work on horse stande for a while, but it is non-obvious.

My own teacher in the US was interested in teaching a classical form in a modern way: forms and fighting methods. He was very good at decoding the applications from a form in a flexible way. I ran through the entire cirriculum in about a year. Then I stopped practicing regularly.

It wasn't until years later that I found a neigong method that works with the art. It's something I am undertaking by myself, just myself, my body, and my internal energy. It took two yeara to just get through the preliminaries and shed enough of emotional crap to start integrating things into the movement. Once I started doing thaf, stuff like training in horse stance like the classical teaching method, makes more sense. It's pretty amazing stuff, and even though I am touching the tip of the iceburg, I do feel sad. There are not many who will want to invest the time in this. The payoff takes too long.

That's ok. All things come and go.

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