समत्वंयोगउच्यते. In the second chapter 48 the verse the full shloka that explains what is yog says:

योगस्थःकुरुकर्माणिसङ्गंत्यक्त्वाधनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योःसमोभूत्वासमत्वंयोगउच्यते॥२-४८॥

The literal meaning of the shloka is
O Arjuna! Steadfast in Yoga, giving up all attachment, unmindful of success or failure, do your work. Such equanimity of mind is called Yoga.

Lord Krishna is telling Arjuna to give up all attachments and be balanced in success and failure. This evenness of mind is called Yoga.

The sacred ancient Indian wisdom proclaimed in Bhagwat Gita by Lord Krishna has always emphasized equanimity in life. Balance of mind in success or failure and it has to be achieved by control over body and mind.
Hence Lord Krishna himself has defined yog as “Samatvam Yoga Uchyate” – Samatva – balanced state, Uchyate – said to be.

Yoga is a balanced state of the body and mind. Yoga is a balanced state of emotions. Yoga is a balanced state of thoughts and intellect. Yoga is a balanced state of behavior. We are excited in the situation of pleasure and we become sad when it is a negative situation. Yoga is to maintain an equilibrium of the mind in any situation. This equanimity of mind is the ultimate objective of yoga.

Today everyone knows what yoga is but their understanding is mostly limited to physical postures, known as Asanas. But does yoga means physical poses? To find the answer we need to understand the definitions of yoga in the ancient texts. These ancient texts are giving a powerful message of yoga that is much deeper than what we understand.

Yoga is a word from the Sanskrit language which means join, 2 or more things are needed to join. And when 2 or more objects are joined, then it becomes one object. There is connection and harmony between 2 objects which have become one. So yoga is all about oneness, the experience of oneness, and the feeling of harmony.

Today’s reality

However, in today’s reality we have lost this ancient wisdom and the so called modern life style has given us all only one thing in common and that is Stress! Physical and mental stress. And this is because we have lost the feeling of harmony and balance. As a result we are facing serious health issues and innumerable problems in daily life.

How to regain harmony in life?

The most famous Indian Rishi Patanjali in his Ashtanga Yoga sutras says, योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः

“YogahChittaVrittiNirodhah” – Chitt – mind, Vritti – functioning of mind, Nirodha –control Yoga is to control the functioning of the mind. We have our thoughts, emotions, feelings, and conditions in the mind. It is very difficult to control. Yoga is the technique to control all these functions of the mind.

In Yoga Vashishtha, Guru of Lord Rama Sage Vashishtha defines yoga as “Yoga mana pashmina up ayah” – mana – mind, pashmina – perfectly peaceful and silent, upay – remedy, cure

Yoga is a cure for the mind to become perfectly steady and peaceful. Our natural state of mind is peaceful and without any distractions, disturbances, difficulties, and distress. Yoga is the path to reaching this natural state.
Yoga’s approach is simple. If the mind is not controlled then the body will also not be under control. If the mind is not healthy then the body will not be healthy. Research has shown that every thought in the mind affects the brain, nervous system, and all other organs in the body. Negative thoughts and emotions disturb the balance of the nervous system and all other organs. This is the cause of all diseases of the body and mind, so control of the mind is essential for physical and mental health.

A balanced lifestyle is essential for the harmony of mind and body. This lifestyle is connected with nature and therefore making our life more nature-friendly is a positive way to health. Yoga is to harmonize the body and mind with nature and lifestyle in tune with nature.

Role of  Yog and Phytochemicals in human life

By following balanced life style we can regain our harmony. To gain balance of mind and body we need to have a balanced diet too. A healthy diet includes fruits and vegetables. Here comes the phytochemicals in picture.
Phytochemicals are compounds produced by plants. “Phyto” in Greek means “plant” They are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, beans, and other plants. All these plant produces are the rich source of phytonutrients.

Phytochemicals have great antioxidant potential and are of great interest due to their beneficial effects on health of human beings, and they give immense health benefits to the consumers.

We will see more about it in the next article.