Yoga World

The History Of Yoga How It Actually Came About

Your basic yoga equipment Benefits Of Yoga For Maintaining Body Fitness

Yoga Exercises For Fitness 3 Yoga Restoratives That Can Help You Bounce Back

Contents 1.

The History Of Yoga

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2.

Yoga Exercises For Fitness

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3.

Your Basic Yoga Equipment

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4.

3 Yoga Restoratives That Can Help You Bounce Back

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5.

Benefits Of Yoga For Maintaining Body Fitness

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1

The history of yoga

N

o one knows exactly how old yoga is.

Word had it that it originated as long as 10,000 to 5000 years ago. It was passed down orally and has gone through much evolution.

The earliest reference to Yoga was found when archaeological excavations were made in the Indus valley - an amazing powerful and influential civilization in the early antique period.

This sophisticated culture developed around the Indus river and the long gone Sarasvati river in northern India, on the border towards Pakistan and had sewage systems, baths as early as 2,600 BC. 1

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While many religions continue to want to make yoga their own creation, it belongs to all of us.

It has many facets that can be found in the Hindu and Buddhist faith, but the basic principal is universal and based on "the eight limbs of yoga", which can be found in all religions.

The history of Yoga is defined as 4 periods: 1. The Vedic Period The next reference to yoga is found in the Rig Veda, the oldest sacred text in the world.

The Vedas, dating back to 1500 and 1200 BC, are a collection of hymns, mantras and brahmanical rituals that praised a greater being.

Yoga is referred to in the book as yoking or discipline without any mention of a practice or a method to achieve this discipline.

The Atharva Veda too mentions yoga with a reference to controlling the breath.

2. Pre-Classical Period The creation of the Upanishads, between 800 to 500 BC, marks the period called Pre-Classical Yoga.

The word Upanishad means to sit near and implies that the only way a student could learn the truths inscribed in the texts was by sitting close to a guru.

The Maitrayaniya Upanishad outlined a six-fold path to liberation.

This six-fold yoga path included controlling the breath (pranayama), withdrawing the senses (pratyahara), meditation (dhyana), concentration (dharana), contemplation (tarka), and absorption (samadhi).

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra was later to mirror these paths with greater elucidation and a few additions.

2 yoga disciplines gained prominence at this time: karma yoga (path of action or ritual) and jnana yoga (path of knowledge or study of the scriptures).

Both paths led to liberation or enlightenment. The Bhagavad-Gita, composed around 500 BC later added the bhakti yoga (the path of devotion) to this path.

It was at the time of the Upanishads that the idea of ritual sacrifice was internalized and became the idea of sacrifice of the ego through self-knowledge, action and wisdom.

This remains an important part of yoga's philosophy today.

The History Of Yoga

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As with the Vedas, the Upanishads contained nothing of what we would term as yoga asana practice today.

The first and probably most important presentation of yoga came in the next period.

3. Classical Period Written sometime in the second century, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras created a milestone in the history of yoga, defining what is now known as the Classical Period.

This set of 195 sutras (aphorisms) is considered to be the first systematic presentation of yoga, and Patanjali is revered as the father of yoga.

Patanjali defined the eight-limbed path of yoga (ashtanga yoga), which described a practical treatise on living and laid out a path for attaining harmony of the mind, body and soul.

Strict adherence to which would lead one to enlightenment.

The sutras still serve as a guideline for living in the world, although modern yoga no longer sees the need to master the eight limbs in succession.

4. Post-Classical Period It was in this period that the belief of the body as a temple was rekindled and yogis designed a practice to rejuvenate the body and to prolong life.

It was no longer necessary to escape from reality; instead the focus was more living in the moment and on the correct path.

The exploration of the spiritual and the physical halves and the need to harmonize the mind, body and spirit.

These led to the creation of Tantra yoga, to cleanse the body and mind, and to Hatha yoga in the ninth or tenth century.

5. Modern Period Yoga in its present avatar owes a lot to learned gurus who traveled west to spread the benefits of yoga, or researched and created different schools of yoga.

In 1893 Swami Vivekanada addressed the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago and spoke about Raja yoga.

Swami Sivanada wrote several books on yoga and philosophy and introduced the five principles of yoga.

J.Krishnamurti, the prolific Indian philosopher, influenced thousands with his writings and teachings on Jnana yoga.

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The defining epicenter of modern day yoga, as practiced in the west, began with Krishnamacharya, Mysore India in 1931.

T Krishnamacharya opened the first Hatha yoga school in the 1920s.

3 of Krishnamacharya's most famous pupils were-Pattabhi Jois, who developed the school of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga.

Indra Devi who introduced yoga to Hollywood, and B.K.S. Iyengar, who created Iyengar yoga known for its attention to body alignment and for its use of props.

Since then, many more yoga gurus have become pioneers, popularizing yoga and finding new styles in keeping with the changing times.

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Yoga exercise for fitness

Y

oga exercises can be distinguished in many forms.

Such as asanas, warm-up exercises known as jattis, pranayamas, and kriyas along with more advanced forms like mudras and bandhas.

Yoga has so many effects in our body depending on the way we use the exercises.

It has simple yet effective movements that strengthen our body.

These exercises tones body muscles and increase endurance and amplify flexibility through stretching.

The position of asana is one of the best of all applications in lubricating joints, toning the muscles, and massaging the body.

The postures deliver both mental and physical stability and energy.

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The Asanas exercises were developed centuries ago and developed by the yogis for everyday use.

It maintains body balance and keeps it healthy and generates peace of mind.

Asanas exercises the mind, ligaments, glands and muscles.

In short, asana is the practical way of self-care and healthy living.

There are many yoga exercises that we can employ in.

The exercises approached can be practiced and can differ greatly from one yoga routine to the other.

The most vital point to remember from the beginning of exercising is that it is not merely a system of physical exercise.

It is a way of life.

The effect becomes remarkable when they are made in the right way because asana are very powerful.

Both the mind and the body movements must be in harmony.

It makes an essential matter to provide other materials of Integral Yoga.

Yoga is an exercise with something to do with involving and re-organizing your body in every level.

And keeping in all our everyday habits and ventures with knowledge and higher standards of proper living.

Once you are engaged with the yoga exercises, you will notice the remarkable effect in your body almost immediately.

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3

Your basic yoga equipment

T

he good thing about yoga is that it can be practiced

anywhere, without all those yoga equipment and by all people of all ages.

When doing yoga it is best to wear loose and comfortable clothing. Yoga is traditionally done and practiced barefoot, but if this does not suit you, you can just wear socks or soft-shoes.

It is also best to practice yoga on an empty stomach. Empty your stomach, clean your nostril and throat, and consume a glass of warm water 15 minutes before you start.

You may drill on energy bars, fruits or drink a glass of water an hour before class to avoid getting hungry or dehydrated during yoga sessions.

It is said earlier that you basically don’t need anything in order to practice yoga.

All you need is the desire and the attitude to really be into yoga and expand your self-awareness.

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But this does not completely eliminate the need for different yoga equipment. This yoga equipment helps you do your postures properly.

It helps you achieve the proper alignment, balance and makes the pose a little bit easier to do. The use of Yoga equipment also lessens out the stress and strain from doing your yoga positions.

It will also help you support your muscles and refrains you from any muscle injuries. Yoga equipment also helps to save energy by exerting less effort on a pose.

After a thousand of years in existence, Yoga has already been part of everybody’s lifestyle from any part of the world.

From India, yoga has evolved through the years and reaches the United States and other countries.

They extended a different yet proven effective form of achieving self-balance that results to utmost health be it physical, mental or spiritual.

Now millions of people around the world practice Yoga to cope with stress, feel renewed and energized, release tension, achieve a healthier and fitter body and gain a deep sense of self-knowledge.

Doing yoga is not just about postures, there is also one vital part of yoga that we can never live without, and these are yoga equipment.

When starting out yoga you should know the basic yoga equipment that you will need.

1. Yoga Mats Yoga mats provides cushioning on a hard floor.

This is specially needed if your yoga studio floor is made up of cement or hard wood floor.

It is also provide traction for your hand and feet thus preventing you from slipping or sliding on a wrong position when doing your yoga postures

Your Basic Yoga Equipment

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2. Yoga Bolsters

Yoga bolsters provide support for your spine, abdomen and legs in a number of different poses.

It also helps you achieve the utmost result of your practice.

3. Yoga Blankets

Yoga blankets help you feel relaxed and comfortable which is essential in the practice of yoga.

They also provide added warmth and softness to your yoga mat, making you feel more relaxed and comfortable.

4. Yoga Straps Yoga straps are either made out of cotton or nylon.

They allow you to grasp your body part and give you added flexibility and holds your pose a little bit much longer.

Yoga equipment may not be a requirement for doing yoga though at times they have been proven to be helpful in many simple ways.

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Hence they have been useful to yoga practitioners especially to those who are suffering from ailments and the elderly.

Most of them are made to provide support to help you feel relaxed and feel deeper into the pose or do the pose better.

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3 yoga restoratives that can help you bounce back

R

estoratives are yoga poses that help you relax and regain

your energy reserves.

Often you can rejuvenate with these gentle postures and feel refreshed enough to continue your day.

Since many restoratives are reclining yoga poses that last from 4 to 20 minutes you can include them in your daily activities on your lunch break, at the park, or even shut your office door at work and practice 1 or 2 between phone calls.

First let us review Corpse pose (Savasana), a relaxing, restorative pose often used at the end of many yoga classes.

In Corpse posture you are simply and effortlessly laying with your back on your mat.

Allow yourself to sink into the mat relaxing without effort.

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When you realize that you have tension such as tightening your leg or hip set your intention to release it.

Notice your holding patterns then melt into them. Some days it is easier to relax into it than on other days.

A second restorative posture Lying Down Hero (Supta Virasana) can help you lengthen while you renew your energy reserves.

Reclining Hero can lengthen your abdominal muscles.

If you have concerns about your knees this pose may work for you or not.

Test it. Adjust your props. Don't do it if it causes pain. It is your responsibility to trust what yoga poses work best for you and protect yourself.

Leaning back on your elbows may make the pose easier for you to accomplish.

Notice how far you can lay back then use bolsters or build bolsters with folded blankets to achieve this pose.

The goal is to find a level of comfort to ease into the pose for up to 20 minutes.

A third restorative, most often called Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) is simple.

You need a wall.

Or, if you don't have a wall you can put your legs up on a chair.

This restorative can help take pressure off your legs while redirecting the blood flow to help with varicose veins.

Some people like to put a bolster or two parallel to the wall with the short end under their pelvis.

Some people don't. Test it and see what is most comfortable for you.

Corpse Pose, Reclining Hero Pose, and Legs Up the Wall are three restorative poses that can help you relax and recover your energy to get you back on track to achieve your daily goals.

Being a gymnast is not required to do theses poses.

Perhaps, you've naturally been doing legs up the wall throughout your life, not even knowing it was a yoga pose and that you were doing yoga.

It just made you feel better.

Yoga restoratives really make you feel better.

Relax and enjoy while being comforted doing your restoratives.

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Benefits of yoga for maintaining body fitness

Yoga has begun to be considered as one of the greatest boons upon mankind.

It is a very old practice, and still has millions of followers spread out across the whole wide world.

The reason is very simple.

People feel that yoga and body fitness work in tune with each other.

A daily dose of yoga can work wonders for the diseased body and for the troubled mind as well.

There is nothing so good as a session of meditation, which can help ease out the stiffness of the body and the mind.

Even if your body does not suffer from any kind of acute illnesses, it is still worth finding out how yoga and body fitness work in tandem.

Let us take a quick look at the several reasons which make yoga so appealing: 13

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1. All day our mind suffers stress and tension, be it personal or professional.

Yoga helps in clearing out all the clutter from our mind and makes it absolutely clear and calm, ready to take on any challenge!

2. Yoga can help tons to people who are nervous or are vulnerable to panic attacks.

It simplifies breathing and restores normalcy in the body.

3. Obesity is a problem faced by many.

Overweight people can resort to yoga and see how body fitness is not a faraway dream.

It steadily burns excess calories from the body and helps you to regain the lost stamina required for various exercises.

4. Yoga can lead to having a better diet and food habits.

One, who regularly performs yoga, can gradually learn to self control his diet and thereby have a fit body.

5. Our body acts as a machine to the various challenges or tasks that it faces each day.

It needs a certain tonic which can rejuvenate it before the onset of a strenuous day, and yoga has all the qualities in it to become an energy boosting tonic for the body.

In short, yoga and body fitness, are in a way essential for people who need to thrive in a competitive world.

6. To view yoga`s importance from a much broader angle, it can well be said that it helps purify the soul.

It supports a person in achieving contentment and peace within this materialistic world.

Yoga literally means fusion - it is a fusion of our body and mind achieved through various postures.

It is just a regular exercise which needs focus on our part.

Yoga does not take up much time, but requires immense devotion while doing it.

Many of us fail to understand the fact that performing yoga and body fitness are interconnected, but it is true.

A fit body and mind can recognize the worth of a devoted session of yoga done regularly.

The results begin to show very soon but that does not mean that yoga should be discontinued after the problems disappear.

It should be viewed as a habit which needs to inculcate within.

If performed daily, our body shall remain prepared to face any disease/challenge.

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Both yoga and body fitness should be every person`s lifelong partner.

However there are some first time precautions which need to be taken care of before venturing into yoga.

These precautions are very important, if you consider yoga and body fitness to be perpetual: Make sure that you have no injury before starting the yoga sessions; Preferably, Yoga should be done with empty stomach; Perform the yoga postures barefoot.

It yields best results and prevents slipping.

Do stop whenever you feel nauseous.

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