Yoga and Ayurveda

Yoga
" Free yourself from anger and desire, which are the causes of sin and conflict, and thereby make yourself whole. This is the essence of yoga; this is the means by which you come to know the soul, and thereby attain the highest spiritual state... and thereby free yourself from desire and anger." - Bhagavad Gita

Yoga, which is Sanskrit for union was formulated by sage Patanjali. Yoga originated from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita; its purpose to free the mind and set it on a course of selfrealisation. It is now practiced by people all over the world as a part of their daily routine, helping to combat the stresses of modern day living and harmonizing mind, body and spirit.

There are now many yoga ashrams all over the world. India, as the home of yoga, has many wonderful places to practice, for example, Rishikesh in Uttaranchal where in February a weeklong International Yoga festival is held on the banks of the River Ganges.

Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the traditional holistic medicine of India. In Sanskrit ayur means life and veda means knowledge. Ayurveda teaches that each of us holds at our core peace and perfection, which is a natural state of every being. Ayurveda seeks to balance our energies or doshas and bring us back in harmony with our environment; therefore resulting in a natural state of health and happiness.

Kerala, in South India, has some wonderful ayurvedic centers and spas.