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Yoga and Digital Archiving for IP & Research

Yoga and Digital Archiving for IP & Research
Photo by Jared Rice / Unsplash

Yoga is a healthy living art and science of breathing in the Bharatiya culture. Yoga is a highly sophisticated knowledge reported in the Yoga Sutra of Patañjali describing its theory and practice in sutra to integrate the mind, the body, and the soul. The essence of Yoga is breathing consciously to help connect with the subtle energy within. We can navigate different levels of consciousness through our breath through Pranayama. Breathing affects our mental, emotional, and physical consciousness by performing Yoga and Pranayama with or without chanting mantras. As much as the Indus-Sarasvati civilization over 5,000 years ago, Yoga was practised in the Bharatiya culture to train the body and mind in self-observation.

The "Yoga" is a Sanskrit word "Yuj," meaning "to unite". However, later, the meaning of Yoga diverged from the central thoughts of Patañjali. The ancient art of Yoga does not have a religion, but Hinduism as a lifestyle influences the practice of Yoga. The Buddhists, Jains and Hindus chant the mantra Om during their Meditation or prayer, which evokes harmony in the universe. Some Christians integrate physical aspects of Yoga, stripped from the Yoga Sutra, and mingle with other aspects of Eastern spirituality with prayer, Meditation and Jesus-centric affirmations. Similarly, the Persian scholar, Al-Biruni's translation, preserved into Arabic and Persian, adopted many core themes of Patañjali's yoga philosophy. Some sutras and commentaries were restated to balance monotheistic Islamic theology, later adopted as Islamic Yoga.

You may find it interesting that the reference to Yoga is given in the Rig Veda for the first time. The Vedas as a collection of texts consisting of mantras, songs and rituals, which Brahmans used as Vedic priests. Brahmans and Rishis gradually refined and practised Yoga, documenting their approaches and beliefs in the Upanishads. Later brought the practice into about 200 Sutra, known as the Patañjali's yoga sutra, which later became the central philosophy adopted by other diverged forms into the above-mentioned religious Yoga.

Yoga also references Bharatiya literature reported in various Upanishads wherein the five vital energies (prana), concepts of later yoga traditions to manage blood vessels, and an internal sound described in the Chandogya Upanishad. The practice of Pranayama is mentioned in Sutra 1.5.23 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, and pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) is mentioned in Sutra 8.15 of Chandogya Upanishad. The Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana teaches breath control and repetition of a Sanskrit mantra. The Taittiriya Upanishad defines Yoga as the mastery of body and senses. Katha Upanishad describes the Yoga practice through food discipline.

The modern practice of Yoga postures as Asana and the practice of Pranayama in the form of a scientific guide to caring for your body and mind are well accepted in the world. This is popularized as a combination of physical exercise and mental wellness techniques. The evidence for its use in preventive / therapeutic healthcare and natural remedies among people is well accepted. Yoga has scientific evidence to reduce stress and anxiety improve autonomic functions by triggering neurohormonal mechanisms by the suppression of sympathetic activity. Yoga is the most effective method for the prevention and management of stress and stress-induced disorders such as hypertension and angina. Stress and stress-induced disorders are the banes of "modern" society. The prevention and management of stress and heart disease are well established to report the benefits of Yoga and Pranayama.

Yoga and Pranayama have been shown to immediately reduce axis responses to stress and also provide cardio relief. There are numerous attempts being made to offer new terminology to the practice and philosophy of Yoga and Pranayama trying to dislocate the roots of the same from the Bharatiya culture. The attempt to denigrate by adopting Pranayama as cardiac coherent breathing exercise which works to commercialize it, Meditation as mindfulness to change lives, Yoga as stretching and relaxing workout for body toning or Uppavas as intermittent fasting to keep weight in control.

These are the attempts to project Yoga and Pranayama as a core philosophy of healthy living art and science of breathing and even Ayurveda as superstition to disconnect it from Bharatiya culture as an established way of life. Millions of Covid patients have found that Yoga reduces mental stress and anxiety during home isolation or after recovery and reduces burnout in healthcare workers during their stressful duties.

Yoga, Pranayama and Ayurveda are an integral part of Bharat's traditional knowledge and need inclusion in the digital archive to create the scientific reference in TKDL The establishment of the practice of Yoga and Pranayama with their healthcare benefits can further be studied as scientific research. The effect of mantra chanting during Yoga or Pranayama and the sound / intensity / raga and their effect on body or healthcare will decode their Veda and Upanishad references and their effect using modern science. Simply, the divergent approach without reference to their core philosophy of Yoga and Pranayama is diluting Bharatiya culture. The time for creating the reference with a scientific approach will be the fundamental research awaiting attention by the researcher.


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