Yoga terminology.

Atman

Yoga believes that the Atman of each person is absolutely and unconditionally free. As free as the root cause that created whole Universe and thanks to which we came to this world. In yoga, the root cause sometimes is called the Absolute. This root cause created us according to own image and likeness, i.e. absolutely free.

The fact that we do not know and do not remember about the root cause and thus are in the primordial ignorance, is also a consequence of our freedom . Otherwise, we would have pre-knowledge, but it would influence our actions, and it would no longer be absolute freedom. Even pre-knowledge that we are free, would infringe our "Freedom to know nothing." Like any advertising or installed software on the computer determine partly our future actions.

Maya

In order to make it happen, it was necessary to have an illusion or the factor from which it originated that in Sanskrit is called Maya.

Due to the initial ignorance the situation occurred where our free Atman (Higher Self) could regard itself as somebody else and not who it was. The closest thing that surrounded the Higher Self was a manifestation of the Higher Self, known in yoga as Prana or the power that our Higher Self possesses.

It would be like when the a man suddenly realized himself/herself as his/her shadow, even though shadow results from the presence of the body. However, the manifestations of man are not completely free but are limited to the amount of person’s Prana. The more Prana you have the freer you are.

Yoga encourages increasing the amount of Prana through self-exploration and thereby to increase the freedom. And in this way, sooner or later to reach the source of all our power, i.e., Higher Self. Then the man gets the absolute and unconditional freedom. Therefore, yoga encourages everyone to increase their freedom. And all that leads to a reduction of freedom, is not yoga.

However, yoga insists that when you seek for the possibility to increase your freedom it is worth it only if freedom of others is also increased, not decreased. And not at any cost, but taking into account the interests of others, because their Higher Self is equal to our Higher Self.

Dharma

In fact, all of the principles of yoga, such as the first principle and the second principle, all the tips and yoga exercises, it is exactly made on how to maximize your freedom and minimally infringe upon the freedom of others. If we act in this way, everything that we do, it becomes unshakable, we obtain an unwavering power. It happens due to the fact that our power is based on the increase and preservation of the freedom of others. You can’t lose such power, since it is based on the truth of our Universe, the most fundamental law of freedom. Power built on other principles, is unstable and tends to disappear quickly at the slightest upheavals.

It should be remembered that being free and almighty, even though in the initial ignorance, we begin to build our own Universe by the laws that we have made up ourselves. It means that, they are immediately applied on us. It results as Karma. What we see around us, somehow was created by ourselves. All people, with whom we have to meet, we have invited in our lives, consciously or unconsciously, whether we like them or not. All the people around us (just initially free beings) have accepted our invitation. So nations were formed. We made about identical laws and therefore came together and communicate with other living beings. This process could take many lives, and we do not remember it. If we strive towards freedom and at the same time try to minimally infringe upon the freedom of others in one way and give them more freedom in something else then those people will accept our power on them.

Any laws try giving all members of society maximum personal freedom and minimum infringement of the freedom for everyone else.

Lawyer who can write such laws, is the greatest yogi, even if he/she has never heard the word “yoga”. If such people live and work in any country then this country will overcome any difficulties and the country will dominate.

This is called the Legislative Power (In India those were Brahmans). A leader who will comply with these Laws will have a firm power. It is the Executive power (in India, Raji - Kshatriya).
When somebody tries to expand own freedom without justification and reduces the freedom of others, it is a crime against the Law. In such case some punishment will follow. The punishment is made not because someone tries to extend own their freedom, but for the fact that he/she reduced the freedom of other people. Judges don`t depend on the influence of other people, they just ensure the preservation of freedom within the law. It is the judiciary.

People says that media is the fourth power. Indeed, those who own Media resources, sometimes are more powerful people, than representatives of the Executive power (remember PR-technologies). But it is not true as it`s just a part of the instruments, given away from the hands of representatives of the Executive power as the result of a low level of understanding of the so-called methods of Consciousness.
Thus, there can be no Freedom for you without the responsibility for others. In any group of people there should be rules and laws of co-existence. Yoga is not an exception. If you are studying in a school of yoga, you must respect the freedom of the other disciples and those teachers that teach you. Therefore, you will not find any anarchy either in the East or in the West. The requirements can be different, sometimes harsh, but not because someone is trying to take away your freedom, but for you not to take away the freedom of others. Freedom in yoga is sacred, but it is freedom for all, not permissiveness in the behavior of somebody at the expense of others.

International Open Yoga University also has a set of rules, probably one of the most liberal of all real yoga schools. But we don`t have gifted lawyers and the audience sometimes is very strange, so we have to make the rules to marginal people not ruin the yoga.

Yoga helped me very much in the life, so I want to tell about yoga to as many people as possible. What would you advise me to do for the advertising of yoga?

Unfortunately, this question has no answer. We do not know how to bring yoga to other people in the modern situation of life and at the same time to be unobtrusive. We go in this direction by method of experimenting and errors. We carefully listen to the opinion of other people on this matter. We encourage all our students to think in this direction and share ideas.
The only thing we would suggest is the following. First, this is not to hurry and to approach to this issue thoroughly. Advertising can imperceptibly become imposing that is unacceptable in yoga. You must not at any cost try to involve in yoga as many people as possible. People must first decide whether yoga suits them or not. In yoga freedom of others is above all.

You have to learn to bring discreetly to other people's minds the fact that yoga is just there, in the world. That yoga is a good and logical system of self-exploration, revealing the potential of a person. Yoga is not a system of prohibitions and strict requirements, but it is system of recommendations that helps people. That yoga is not a sect or a religion. That yoga values of freedom above all and it does not imposes alien lifestyles for people have made a choice, whether yoga is for them or not. And only after this decision is made, you can take any active steps to help other person to make first steps in yoga.
If you will be intrusive and indelicate, people, of course, will decide that you are trying to get them in network marketing or some kind of religious sect. And it can be understood that people will start avoiding you and they will be right. It is not the aim of yoga to make everyone to practice yoga. Yoga in general cannot force anyone to do anything. Yoga simply recommends that you can use the experience that mankind has accumulated since ancient times in the area of self-exploration and disclosure of abilities embodied in a person. Be prepared for the fact that many people do not perceive yoga and you need to respect to their opinion. Every person has to come to acknowledgment on the necessity of yoga. Sometimes it takes years.

As our experience shows the best advertising for yoga is when the joy, serenity, wisdom shining from you, that you internally have changed for the better. Then people will ask what you are doing, and your words will mean a lot for them. If once after using the methods of yoga you will begin to succeed at school, work, business, creativity, it will be the most powerful help in distribution and advertising of yoga. If you won’t despond, but will display optimism, be attentive to other people, willing to help, then you yourself will become the best recommendation for yoga.