Yoga is a system of physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation that has been practiced for over 5,000 years. The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit word “Yuj” meaning to yoke or unite. Yoga unites the body with a mind so that you can achieve enlightenment through self-realization. The asanas, or poses are designed to stretch and strengthen your muscles while calming your nervous system.
This blog post will provide some basic information about what yoga is all about as well as how it can benefit you both mentally and physically! It would be best if you chose to try yoga, to find a practitioner who is experienced in using asanas to heal ailments and treat medical conditions. The risk of injury increases for students who are new to yoga so it’s best not to practice on your own without proper training!
When we speak about yoga in its most classic form, the physical postures are only a part of what is known as Raja Yoga. It is said that Patanjali (200 BC) outlined an eightfold system of raja yoga that included: Yama (moral codes), niyama (religious observances), asana or posture exercises), pranayama (restrictions on breathing types combined with control of vital energy called prana), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from objects and focusing on breathing), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi or super consciousness.
- Yama is known as the “universal code” for being kind, truthful, compassionate, non-violent, and forgiving. Niyama is our personal code including self-discipline, purity in thought, word and deed, austerity, and devotion to God/higher power/divine source.
- Asanas are physical poses that enable you to learn more about how certain positions affect your physiology so that you can better understand what it’s like to be other creatures such as animals!
- Pranayama or control of the flow of prana enables you to understand the flow of your own personal energy. It also helps calm your mind and body.
- Pratyahara is our ability to work with that prana and control it so you can move throughout your day without being overcome by all the stimuli around you.
- Dharana is a preliminary step in meditation where you can concentrate on an idea, object, or person for any length of time.
- Dhyana is like meditation but more intense where you focus solely on achieving samadhi or super consciousness where we have no identity other than the divine spirit within us.
- Lastly, Samadhi means full absorption into the experience of divinity; the union of the self with infinite being!
Philosophy of Yoga
Yoga is a physical system of asanas that are designed to increase your flexibility, strength, and balance. Yoga is also an opportunity for self-exploration as you learn more about yourself through practice. Yoga teachings often include aspects of Hinduism and Buddhism but there are also many merged philosophies from other religions. Yoga in its most classic form has three main paths:
- karma yoga where you live life with no attachments
- jnana yoga or the path of wisdom using meditation to break free from ignorance
- and discover universal truths, and bhakti Yoga which means union through devotion to God/the divine source/pure spirit by using love instead of seeking liberation or enlightenment through knowledge
Yoga as a therapy
Yoga as a therapy has gained a lot of popularity in the past few decades. Yoga’s ability to increase your strength, flexibility, and balance are very useful for recovering from an injury as well as improving overall health! Yoga also has so many emotional benefits: brings awareness while calming the mind or it can be used to actively assist with change by bringing about a feeling of peace through heightened feelings. Yoga asanas (poses) help you become more aware by placing specific attention on different parts of your body that will enhance concentration skills such as giving undivided attention to one point while focusing your breathing only on that area for sustained periods of time.
Yoga teaches compassion towards yourself and others and gives you tools for how to better communicate with others who live inside ourselves too! All of Yoga is a form of self-reflection that can be used to explore deeper issues about ourselves. Yoga asana practice is often done with mediation and study of the Yoga Sutras. Yoga also teaches us how to live with non-attachment:
- letting go
- surrendering our attachment to external objects
- desires will lead us closer to enlightenment
Yoga is a great way to relieve stress and improve your mental health. It can also help with physical ailments like back pain, anxiety, heart disease, and more! We hope you found this blog post helpful- please share it on social media or leave me a comment below if there’s anything specific you want to know about yoga that isn’t in the article.
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