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YOGA - The Sanskrit word "Yoga" comes from the root yug (to join), or yoke (to bind together or to concentrate). Essentially, the word "Yoga" describes a means of uniting or a method of discipline: to join the body to the mind and together join to the self (soul), or the union between the individual self and the transcendental self. In his classical work The Yoga Sutras, a 2000-year-old treatise on yogic philosophy, the Indian sage Patanjali defines Yoga as "that which restrains the thought process and makes the mind serene." Yoga has been practiced in India for thousands of years, and is traditionally used by spiritual seekers as a system of self-development for purification of the body and mind. Yoga is proposed to be a preventive as well as curative system of the body, mind, and spirit.
AYURVEDA
Ayurveda, the Sanskrit term for "knowledge of life” or “knowledge of longevity," is a comprehensive system of traditional health care that emphasizes the relationship among body, mind, and spirit, with balance of the internal and external environment. It is one of the officially recognized medical systems in India. Ayurveda seeks to restore an individual’s innate harmony. Ayurveda is the healing side of Yoga, and Yoga is the spiritual tradition from which Ayurveda emerged. Through Yoga one prepares the body and mind for self-realization or union with the Divine. Through Ayurveda one supports the spiritual journey by maintaining body and mind in a state of balance and well being. Yoga and Ayurveda are so closely intertwined that it is hard to imagine one without knowledge of the other. Using the wisdom of Ayurveda, a Yoga practitioner can choose asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing practices) and mantra (sacred sounds) specific to his or her unique constitution in order to maintain health. The Ayurvedic physician prescribes specific practices to prevent illness and assist the healing process
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