Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a
living organism. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's
mind, body, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain
(as in "good health" or "healthy"). The World Health Organization
(WHO) defined health in its broader sense in 1946 as "a state of
complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity". Although this definition has been
subjected to controversy, in particular as lacking of operational value
and because of the problem created by the use of the word
"complete", it remains the most enduring.
The word yoga origines from the Sanskrit word "Yuj"
meaning to yoke, join or unite. This implies joining or integrating all
aspects of the individual - body with mind and mind with soul - to
achieve a happy, balanced and useful life, and spiritually uniting the
individual with the supreme. In India, Yoga is considered one of the
six branches of classical philosophy that is referred throughout the
Vedas - ancient Indian scriptures and amongst the oldest texts in
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existence. The Upanishads are also broadly philosophical treatises
which postdate the Vedas and deal with the nature of the "soul" and
universe. However, the origins of yoga are believed to be much older
than that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where
knowledge of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher)
to Sisya (spiritual student) all the way back to the originators of
Yoga, "the Rishis," who first began investigation into the nature of
reality and man's inner world. Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga
was first passed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there
into the lives of men.
