Yoga

Many students often ask why a prayer or chanting the shanti mantra is necessary after a Yoga class. It is true that in many new age yoga classes that this is overlooked and omitted. Yoga has been reduced to just another physical routine and hence this callous attitude.

The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root word ‘yuj’, which means to yoke or make an union of. Yoga is a practice of uniting the body with the mind and soul. This is the basic 101 of any Yoga instructor course. But what is often missed is the need to experience this union at the end of every class, and live that essence of Union while carrying it in your heart for the rest of the day. It is only with this consistent practice does the union of body, mind and soul get cemented in your being. Throughout an otherwise stressful day or difficult situation, remembering this last moment of peace at heart keeps you empowered and equipped to remain poised in any storm.

Traditionally, a yoga routine that comprises few asanas and Surya namaskar is completed with naadi shuddhi (alternate nostril breathing) and savasana. During each asana, the body is disciplined with a posture, and the mind is guided to flow with the breath. The breath or swaasa is guided to follow the flow of prana. Prana rejuvenates the whole being at all levels and layers of existence – physical, mental and spiritual. Through this simple routine, if done with sincerity and dedication, the ego really quietens giving space for the impressions and guidance of the Universe. It may take a few months to years to achieve this moment after a yoga session; but with consistency and perseverance, and the able guidance of a true yogi, it is very much a possible feat.

The savasana makes us temporarily rid of a bodily identity. This is the real moment of surrender on the yoga mat. You are not the body. You are not the personality hiding in the shadows of an ego. You are truly one with the flow of the Universe and in sync with its movements.

What could be a better moment to offer your gratitude to the higher energies and the Universe? This is why we make a prayer as a gratitude to Ganesha (the destroyer of all obstacles in all realms), the Guru tattva (the embodiment of wisdom and learning) and shanti pata (a mantra of peace to resonate with all of Universe) at the end of the yoga class. When we offer gratitude to the Universe, it is poured back to us in abundance.