E-book

Yoga and Namaz

By

Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran

About the Author:

Mr T Sampath Kumaran is a freelance writer. He regularly contributes articles on Management, Business, Ancient Temples, and Temple Architecture to many leading Dailies and Magazines. His articles are popular in The Young World section of THE HINDU.

His e-books on nature, environment and different cultures of people around the world are educative and of special interest to the young.

He was associated in the renovation and production of two Documentary films on Nava Tirupathi Temples, and Tirukkurungudi Temple in Tamilnadu.

Acknowledgement:

I wish to express my gratitude to the authors from whose works I gathered the details for this book, and Courtesy, Google for some of the photographs.

- Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran

With the introduction of International Yoga Day a controversy arose by a section of the Muslim community, identifying Yoga as a practice of Hindus.

A brief attempt is made to present a compiled note collecting views expressed by several learned scholars identifying Yoga as a health exercise, and its identity in the Namaz being practiced by Muslims.

In an increasingly stress ridden and emotionally distraught world the need for providing appropriate and adequate counseling and psychotherapy has made the therapists look for novel and integrative approaches to meet the challenge. In the course of the last century, psychotherapy has evolved into a varied source of techniques and therapies to cater to the problems of the new order where rapid progress in science and technology has rendered life more of a materialistic meaning devoid of mental peace and contentment. Attempts to draw from diverse sources such as alternative and complementary treatment modalities, use of spiritual healing processes, yoga, Reiki, etc., have yielded mixed results. Religion at large has always been at hand to lend useful guidance to approach both the physiological illnesses and psychological maladjustments. In this regard, counselors and therapists have looked up to religious texts and acts of worship for help in their practice to address the specific needs of patients, where a spiritual approach was more acceptable to the client. Major religions in the world have contributed enormously to this process and resulting advancements in therapeutic efficacy are widely documented.

Yoga (Sanskrit: , Listen) is an Indian physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline.The origins of Yoga have been speculated to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions, but most likely developed around the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, in ancient India's ascetic circles. The chronology of earliest texts describing yoga-practices varyingly credited to Hindu Upanishads and Buddhist Pali Canon probably of third century BCE or later. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date from the first half of the 1st millennium CE, but only gained prominence in the 20th century. Hatha yoga texts emerged around 11th century CE, and in its origins was related to Tantrism. Yoga gurus from India later introduced yoga to the west, following the success of Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world. Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more than physical exercise, it has a meditative and spiritual core.Asana is one of the eight limbs of classical Yoga, which states that poses should be steady and comfortable, firm yet relaxed helping a practitioner to become more aware of their body, mind, and environment.The 12 basic poses or asanas are much more than just stretching. They open the energy channels, chakras and psychic centers of the body while increasing flexibility of the spine, strengthening bones and stimulating the circulatory and immune systems. Along with proper breathing or pranayama, asanas also calm the mind and reduce stress. With regular practice one can ensure overall physical and mental health and the possible prevention of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and arthritis. In time, performing the poses slowly and consciously, becomes a mental exercise in concentration and meditation.

In Arabic, namaz is known as 'salaat', which is derived from 'silaa' meaning 'meeting'. Thus namaz is a means for meeting God; that is, during namaz man's submission and God's acceptance take place. This namaz, formulated by the great Prophet Mohammed, under the inspiration of God, has to be prayed 5 times a day: before sunrise, at noon, between noon and sunset, just after sunset, and before bedtime.Namaz consists of rakaats, each rakaat being a series of 7 postures. For example, before sunrise, 2 rakaats or 14 postures must be performed. Thus, if a Muslim practices namaz strictly and properly, he will be automatically fit and sound physically, mentally and spiritually. In this respect Al Quran (29:45) says: "Innas Salata Tanha Fhasyaye. Valmunkar," which means in English as: "Neither ill feeling nor unhealthy thought can occupy the mind of a namazee."

Seven postures of namaz and their impact on the nervous system.

Fig. 1 - Quaym: Body and mind feel relaxed and balanced as the weight of the body is evenly distributed on both legs. Backbone is straight, and breathing is natural and invigorating. Control of thoughts and concentration of mind become easier on account of focusing the eyes steadily on the spot of Sajda. Fig. 2 - Rukoo: This pose is equal to quarter sirshasana or semi-paschimottanasana. Blood is pumped towards the upper half of the body. This is an effective pose for elimination of flatulence and excess fat. Spine is made supple and spinal nerves are nourished; backaches and pains are relieved. Also provides effective relief in cases of constipation. Tones up calf and thigh muscles, backbone, abdomen, kidneys, etc. Fig. 3 - Quanta: Fresh blood pumped towards the upper half of the body now returns to its normal route. The body is again in a relaxed and evenly balanced position.Fig. 4 - Sajda: This pose is similar to shashankasana or half sirshasana. It helps pump blood into the brain and upper half of the body, including eyes, ears, nose and lungs. As such, by the performance of this posture, all the benefits of shashankasana as well as a proportionate benefit of sirshasana are simultaneously derived. It is also an effective cure for cardiac and circulatory diseases.Fig. 5 - Jalsa: This hardy pose is like vajrasana. Again the fresh blood which was pumped towards the upper half of the body now returns to normal circulation. This is the best pose for relaxing the muscles, including those related to the spine. This pose stimulates circulation in the nerves and muscles of the thighs. It eliminates indigestion and constipation, and is beneficial in the case of peptic ulcer or other stomach ailments. It concentrates the mind on its spiritual pursuit, and is commonly used as a meditation pose by Japanese Buddhists.Fig. 6 - Sajda: This is again comparable to half sirshasana. As the practitioner returns to the fourth position for a second time, the repetition of this pose within a few seconds produces a beneficial effect on the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems.

Fig. 7 - Returning to Fig. 1: This is like the squatting pose of utkatasana. It is a dynamic posture which involves standing up without any support, so that the entire weight of the body is on the toes. This exercises the backbone, thighs, knees and leg muscles, increasing strength by daily repetition. The person who regularly offers namaz in this posture will be free from backache and any degenerative disease of the joints, like osteoarthritis of the knees, during his lifetime.

Namaz is one of the best forms of meditation or Dhyan from Yogic point of view where the person unilaterally surrenders to Allah.

The history of India overwhelmingly evidences that its civilization and culture were blessed with diversified and scientifically remarkable achievements in all spheres of life including health care, when other parts of the world were in their infancy of development and maturation. The globally accepted heritage of Ayurveda and Yogic practices is an unique contribution of the ancient Indian health care system to the rest of the world.Patanjali is regarded as the father of yoga. It was also discovered and developed during the Vedic period. Yoga derives from the Sanskrit word yuj which means to yoke, to join the Supreme power ultimately through simple, healthy, sacred and spiritual lifestyles. Thus, yoga implies union and integration of total human being from the inner most to the external nature or the Almighty. It is a path of self-discovery bringing about balance and harmony in life. This is a science of strengthening human mind and elevating the level of consciousness to a maximum. At one hand, it helps the normal people in living a healthy and contented life, and on the other hand, it bestows relief, solace and tranquility of mind to the persons with mental distress. Hence, the meaning and eventual purpose of Yoga appear to be fundamentally very similar to the messages of other religions of the world including Islam and its prayer (in the context of this article), despite differences in their fundamental concepts of origin, as per the understanding of the authors. Therefore, a combination of the salah and Yoga could be an unique pair in relation to the mental healthcare in particular.In yoga, activation of all the seven energy levels at least once in a day is advocated to realize the true potential of the practice. Since salah is procedurally less complex than yoga and is practiced ritually five times in a day without requiring any formal training it is a boon to the Muslims that they get to tune the energy chakras effortlessly integrating the practice with their daily routine. Nonetheless, combining several aspects of Yoga with salah could be able to catalyze the many more folds of advantages of activating energy chakras.Yoga is not a religion. Rather, it is a set of techniques and skills that enhance the practice of any religion. A French author named Jean Dchanet discovered this in regard to his Catholic faith and wrote the book Christian Yoga (New York: Harper, 1960). Islamic yoga is a reality. It is possible to employ the skills of yoga to worship Allah better and to be a better Muslim.