How distinctive are both of these words? Surprisingly, not much. When we talk about broad definition of Yoga, everybody has their own interpretation and ways to appreciate it, just like Art.
Yoga is mindfulness and for others, some sorts of creative take on contortionism. There is no right or wrong answer.
Yoga is Artistic and Art itself is everything beautiful. Safe to say Yoga is a beautiful practice. Appreciating Yoga means practicing something beautiful. Appreciating something beautiful is an art and appreciating art relaxes you, makes you feel good. Hence, the same feeling when you practice Asanas.
Yoga has a lot to do with harnessing energy. Similar things tend to be indescribable by words until and unless one is to experience them.
…..There is Art in Yoga and There is a place for Yoga in Art….
Yoga itself is an art in its own right. The art of breath work, the art of cleansing and detoxification, the art of flexibility and strength, the art of self love, the art of respect towards others and environment, the art of peacefulness, the art of giving, the art of learning, the art of tolerance, the art of non judgment, the art of letting go and non attachment, the art of gratitude and the list is endless.
In Yoga, the art of visualization takes a big part. Also known as Yoga Nidra. It is a technique to stimulate and retrain positive thoughts into productive non harmful actions towards one’s goals. There are ways to begin, one of which is by meditation with guidance of Mandala.
How do common mandalas today come about? It was told that gurus in old times were enlightened by certain images when they worked on different type of focus. For example, Ganesha is a symbol of knowledge which means, if you want to embrace yourself as a learner, mandala of ganesha will assist towards your journey.
Yoga art like mandala provides visual to train our concentration and could lead to self hypnosis effect. Along with mantra, mandala refocuses energy and positive vibes around yoga space.