Sivananda yoga was introduced by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936. His teachings synthesize the principles of the four paths of yoga – Karma yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga; and it has been practiced with its originality since then. This classical and authentic approach of yoga was brought to the West in 1959 by Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati, one of Swami Sivananda’s disciples.

The history of yoga goes back to thousands of years in India. At that time, the sages used this divine practice to elevate their soul to be one with the Supreme. Sivananda yoga style is the best example of this authentic practice of Vedic knowledge. It is the complete practice of yoga whose primary goal is to allow prana or life force energy to circulate more freely in the subtle body and serve the higher purpose of life; retaining the vitality of the physical body is the good byproduct of the practice!

Sivananda yoga is the practice of self-discipline, based on the belief of “Simple living and high thinking”. Rather than a simple asana practice, it is the system that targets all aspects of a healthy life. It is based on five main principles.

Five Main Principles of Sivananda Yoga –

1) Proper Exercise,
2) Proper Breathing,
3) Proper Relaxation,
4) Proper Diet, and
5) Positive Thinking and Meditation.

Sivananda Yoga is a complete yogic practice that brings deeper communication with the body (proper exercise), mind (proper breathing), and soul (proper relaxation). Rather than just physical exercise like in today’s time, yoga serves a much higher goal of inner peace and connection to divinity.

During my training, I have learned these five principles with an example of an auto vehicle. After learning this metaphoric comparison, it made perfect sense of why practicing just asana will not be enough to maintain a healthy body.

A human body is a temple or vehicle for the soul, and it has specific requirements in order to function optimally. and the requirements of an auto vehicle are a lubrication system, a battery, a cooling system, fuel, and a responsible driver behind the wheel.

Now, for better understanding, let’s compare our human bodily vehicle with the five main principles–

Proper Exercise acts as a lubricating system to our joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other parts of the body by increasing circulation and flexibility.

Proper Breathing assists our body in connecting to its battery, the solar plexus. The solar plexus is the energy storehouse located in the naval area of the abdomen. Through proper breathing techniques, aka Pranayamas, this tremendous potential energy is released for physical and mental rejuvenation.

Proper Relaxation acts as a cooling system after tremendous energy release through pranayama. When our body and mind are continually overworked, their efficiency diminishes. So proper relaxation works as a natural way to recharge our bodily vehicle.

A Proper Diet provides the correct fuel for our body. We all know the importance of a proper diet. It is a very common saying by Ayurvedic proverb, “We are what we eat”. Not only food which we eat through our mouth, but also what we receive through five senses. And most importantly, how we digest these physical, mental, and emotional foods. Pure fuel will support in maintaining healthy function of the body temple.

Positive Thinking and Meditation work as a responsible driver who controls the bodily vehicle. Positive thinking activates every cell with positive energy. And meditation helps to achieve a positive state of mind, which rejuvenates body cells and retards decay. Through this practice, our intellect gets purified. And pure intellect acts as a perfect controller of this amazing body temple.

Now a day, yoga is practiced as an exercise session. But practicing asana is just one small part of yoga, as we saw earlier. It has to be combined with other pieces to make a complete practice.

If you like to know a little deeper about yoga, then check out my interesting article on Yoga – The Goal of Life.