While shooting his film, Yoga for Health & Global Harmony, filmmaker, art historian and photographer Benoy K Behl realised that yoga helps us find ourselves
Yoga takes away each perception of the ever-changing material world while helping us find peace and bliss deep within us. Across the world, the concepts of Indian philosophy are being accepted by people, through yoga. It is the path towards knowledge, which begins with the physical dimension. A lot of people in different countries have found it easier to go back to the Indian roots, through yoga. It is like a wedge which introduces deep knowledge beginning with the physical dimensions of asanas. We gain control over our body, breath, emotions and mind to gradually awaken our knowledge of unity (the meaning of yoga is to unify).
There are four paths of yoga: karma yoga, the path of selfless actions in the world; bhakti yoga, the path of losing one’s ego by surrendering and devoting oneself; raja yoga, the path of pranayama and the asanas, leading to meditation; and gnana yoga, the path to salvation through knowledge.
Tulku Sherdor, New York, Director, Blazing Wisdom Institute says in an interview: “Whether you are a Tibetan or an Indian or an American or from some other place, everyone’s mind functions in a similar manner. We all seek happiness and avoid suffering, this is universal. Therefore, anything which is universal discovers the actual, reliable, scientifically-verifiable sources of happiness and suffering.
This is where Buddha and other saints proved themselves to be great scientists as they understood the universal feelings in such a way that they transmitted and shared their knowledge with others so that everyone realised the same things.
We still hope that at the end of this road there would be some final and perfect payoff. For instance, if we have delicious food whether its nutritious or not, at the end you will be satisfied. But the problem here is, we haven’t figured out how to stop or when to stop or look in a different direction and this is what yoga is here for.”b
In another interview in the film, Dr Ananda Balayogi who is a yoga expert and doctor from Puducherry says: “If you start becoming content with whatever you have in life, you will suddenly realise that you have the best partner, children and home. You become the best version of yourself and your life will be amazing.”
In the next interview Padma Bhushan awardee Dr David Frawley, Santa Fe, USA, yoga and Ayurveda expert says, “Yoga helps us discover ourselves. It wants us to know ourselves in such a way that we do not rely upon the interpretations or opinions of others but can know our realities ourselves.
The Vedic philosophy teaches us that the entire creation is born out of ananda or bliss. The overflowing of bliss, peace, delight and the power of consciousness, manifests itself as the universe.
It also teaches us to awaken happiness so that we find it in our own self and everything around us and not look for it externally.”
