Yoga and the Martial Artist

- Article By Grandmaster-Acharya Javed Khan

Yoga, which means the union of the mind, body and spirit, is an ancient practice and a way of life, perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root word 'yuj' meaning to bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one's attention on, to use and apply. Yoga is one of the six orthodox systems of Indian philosophy. It was collected and put together in a systematic manner by Patanjali in his classical work, the Yoga Sutras, which consists of 185 terse aphorisms.

The ancient Sages or "Sadhu's" meaning seekers of the truth were in constant state of yoga away from the world and looking for answers and the truth within themselves. Over the time four different paths of yoga developed

1. KARMA YOGA (ACTIVE YOGA)

2. JYNANA YOGA (KNOWLEDGE OR PHILOSOPHICAL YOGA)

3. BHAKTI YOGA (DEVOTIONAL YOGA)

4. RAJA YOGA (GREAT OR SCIENTIFIC YOGA)

1. KARMA YOGA: The Karma Yogi is a person who is selflessly serving people around him; he/she works hard, both physically and mentally and seeks to eliminate the ego and its attachments serving without any expectation of reward.

2. JYNANA YOGA: It is a philosophical or intellectual approach to ones spiritual ascent, which describes everything around as an illusion. Based on the philosophy of Viveka (discrimination) and Vairagya (dispassion) the veils of Maya or Illusion are lifted.

3. BHAKTI YOGA: This form of yoga is mostly appealing to people of a very emotional nature. Here they try to achieve bliss thru chanting, prayer and mantra recitation channeling emotional energy into devotion and in positive direction.

4. RAJA YOGA: This is the most comprehensive form of yoga that involves a scientific and practical approach towards the control of the mind and body through Correct Breathing, Postures and Meditation. The most popularly seen form of Yoga in the west Hatha Yoga is a form of Raja Yoga. Raja

Yoga has eight steps, which the ancient Yogis studied by observing their own thoughts, scientifically and objectively to bring the uncontrollable mind under conscious control. Sage Patanjali in his compilation of Yoga Sutras provides the ASHTANGANA or the eight steps for mind control an enjoying everlasting peace.

1. YAMA: (Abstentions) Truth, Non-Violence, Control of Sexual Energy, No stealing, No covetousness, No anger, No Greed, No attachments

2. NIYAMA: (Observances) Study, Purity, Surrender of Ego, Contentment, and Austerities.

3. ASANA: Continued practice of Yogic Poses

4. PRANAYAMA: Control of Breath and Vital Energy through proper breathing

5. PRATYAHARA: Withdrawal and control of the Senses

6. DHARNA: Concentration of the mind

7. DHAYANA: Meditation

8. SAMADHI: The Superconscious State and total Oneness with the self and Nature. When Bodhidharma introduced the martial arts to the Chinese monks at the Shaolin temple in China, the basis of his instruction was the yogic exercises that were designed to help the Chinese monks with their meditation. The practice of Yoga along with that of the martial arts will greatly benefit the martial artist as well. A Yogi (person who practices yoga) develops great flexibility along with suppleness and strength that are very important for any serious martial artist.

Martial Arts also speak of the Ki or the Chi, which in Yoga is called the Kundalini (serpent power/energy) that lies dormant within all of us and is awakened by the correct practice of Yoga. As the martial arts were exported from India so was the concept of Zen or meditation that is an integral part of Yoga practice.

Now the question is "How does Yoga help a Martial Artist?" and "What does a Martial Artist need from Yoga?"

· Balance is a very important aspect for any Martial Artist, regardless of his style. We need perfect balance to execute any technique with utmost perfection doesn't matter if it is a punching or a kicking technique, a throw or a takedown. We need to have good balance. The Tree and Eagle poses in Yoga help a martial artist in developing good balance.

· Strength any technique requires a degree of strength to be executed with proper effect kicking, punching and even grappling techniques require a degree of strength.

· Breath Control or correct breathing is an integral part of the execution of a perfect technique and also it helps in relieving tension and aids relaxation. A tense martial artist will wear out himself/herself quite fast and will not last long, but if the breathing is correct it will aid in proper relaxation even in the most tense moments helping the martial artist to make the right moves and also last longer in battle. The correct practices of Yogic Pranayama help achieve this. There are several kinds of breathing techniques in Yoga, they are:

1. Ujjai Pranayama - Full Yogic Breathing'

2. Anuloma Viloma - Alternate Nostril Breathing

3. Bhasrika - Bellows Breathing

4. Kapalbhati - Respiratory System Cleanse

· Flexibility and Suppleness is so important and vital to any martial arts system; they reduce the chances of injury and also give us an increased range of movement. In basically all Yoga postures, there are a lot of twisting and turning movements, which are related to the spinal column. These Yogic postures also give the muscles, joints and ligaments in the hands, legs, shoulders and hips a lot of stretching, twisting and turning movements, which increase the range of these joints and muscles making them stronger and less susceptible to injury.

· Relaxation Without proper relaxation, the body and mind get overworked and inefficient. All action causes stress, and undue stress and tensions wear out the mind and body and the Yoga postures or the asana help the body to relax and people who practice them find that they need less sleep and feel more rested. Yogic breathing or Pranayama develop the ability to relax mentally and help in controlling the thoughts. And last but not the least is Spiritual Relaxation, which can be got through meditation.

Grandmaster -Acharya Javed Khan's younger brother, Shahid Khan teaches Yoga full time in Bern - Switzerland.

Click here to for Guru Shahid Khan's Yogaveda website