It’s 21st of June today… International Yoga Day…! Seems like Yoga has been around quite for a while in our lives. Many Yoga events will be organized all over the world also in India. Today you have a great opportunity to practice Yoga outdoors, to attend open Yoga classes organized by Yoga studios in your area. Before start practicing you should know atleast some things about Yoga. Here you go…
What is Yoga?
Guru says the word ‘Yoga’ literally means ‘union’. Today in this scientific fact that whole existence is just one energy manifesting itself in a million different ways. For ages many religions of the world have been saying ‘God is everywhere’. God or energy it is not different. Einstein called it energy, you call it as God. It is the same thing being expressed in two different ways.
However, Yoga is not only twisting and bending your body or holding your breath. It is a mechanism and a technology to get you to that state of experience where you see reality just the way it is.
Yoga History
The origins of Yoga dates back to pre-vedic Indian traditions and it is mentioned in Rigveda, most likely developed around the fifth or sixth century BC.
Therefore Yoga word derived from Sanskrit, Yoga means to yoke or join together. Thus the purpose of Yoga is to unite body, mind and spirit.
‘Patanjali’ is considered as ‘Father of Yoga, because who only made it more accessible through Yoga Sutras.
Also Yoga is mentioned in Bhagavad gita and Mahabharata defines the purpose of Yoga as the experience of uniting the individual atman with universal Brahman that pervades all things.
Types of Yoga
Hatha Yoga (pacticing the asana/positions)
Jnana Yoga(converting intellectual knowledge intopractical wisdom)
Mantra Yoga(state of consciousness in the method of chanting)
Bhakti Yoga( Yoga of devotion or complete faith on God)
Kundalini Yoga(awakening the psychic centres or chakras)
Karma Yoga(path of devotion to the work)
Kriya Yoga(state of consciousness in activity or movement)
Swara Yoga(realization of cosmic consciousness through control and manipulation of breath)
Raja Yoga(Raja Yoga usually refers to the system of yoga that described in the Yoga Sutras of Sage Patanjali)
Benefits of Yoga
Builds muscle strength,
Perfects your posture,
Improves flexibility,
Increases your blood flow,
Ups your heart rate,
Drops your blood pressure,
Gives you peace of mind,
Stress Relief,
Gives you inner stregth,
Relaxes your system
Video on Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is a continuous process, so keep practicing. The deeper you go, more profound will be its benefits.
Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar
Its a perfect yoga workout for who dont have much time. A sequence of 12 yoga asanas(postures) provides a good cardiovascular workout. Sun salutation best done in the morning, with empty stomach. Besides good health, Sun Salutation provides an opportunity to express gratitude to the Sun for sustaining life on the planet. Let’s see those 12 steps below…
On this International day of Yoga start any kind of Yoga, All the best… and Happy Yoga time. 🙂
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