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 nlike most countries, India never consigned its past to be read in history books
alone. India lives with its history, which remains both unbroken and
progressive. Indians have shown a
remarkable ability to adapt to the changing times and adopt people from
all over the world. Invaders attracted to this
fabled land gave up their wartime practices and settled here forever in
search of peace and solitude. It is this traditional practice of living and let
living, influencing and being influenced, which has made India the abode of
spiritual learning.
Throughout
its glorious past, India has produced philosophers and spiritual gurus - Swami Vivekananda, Guru Aurobindo, Sai Baba and Maharishi Mahesh yogi to name a few. Visitors from far and wide
frequent ashrams to gain solace from the unique power of Indian spiritualism.
Gurus and Sadhus
hold special significance in the lives of Indians - they are
revered and taken care of.
The plethora of Indian epics -  from Vedas to Upnishads,
and Shastras to Puranas - were not written at the same time. Indian philosophy
has aged and matured with passing time. Just when it seemed that everything
had become defined and explained, there used to be a fresh spiritual
revival that never superceded the older philosophy, but added yet another
layer to the existing theories and practices. It is this complex and revivalist nature of Indian philosophy
which makes India the
TRUE spiritual destination.
Yoga
The ancient Vedic philosophy of India lays special significance on Yoga and meditation.
 Considered
to be India's oldest religious philosophy, Yoga states that the human body and mind
develop vikaars (abnormalities), which can be removed by leading Yogic lifestyle
that is both precautionary and curative. Yoga shows the ways to live with nature and has codes and ethics associated with it. There are several
aasans (positions) proposed in Yoga for physical and mental upkeep. Yogic exercise is quite different from aerobic and anaerobic exercises as it involves breath control, physical positioning, body flexibility and mental ease together.
The spiritual part in Yoga is taken care by meditation, through which (or so
it is claimed) the atma (soul) of a man can reach param-atma
(the ultimate soul, that is God). A large number of visitors to India come for Yogic treatments only. Though Yoga
and Meditation centers can be found everywhere in India, by far the most popular
destination is Rishikesh by the Ganges.
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