Through various sources we do know a bit about yoga, we know it’s a form of exercise and beneficial for health and a lot more. But, we all lack the basic, concrete information about yoga. In this blog, we will talk about all the important and not much talked about things about Yoga.
Interesting much? Let’s begin.
Contents
What Is Yoga?
The literal translation of the word “Yoga” is “Union”. Yoga is basically a Sanskrit word.
“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”
― B.K.S Iyengar
Many people talk and endorse only the physical benefits of yoga, but regular yoga practitioners believe yoga is more than just a form of workout and it benefits you more than just increasing the body’s flexibility, Yoga is literally said to be an entire lifestyle not just an exercise.
Yoga is traditionally a system to foster your overall well-being, which includes your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects too.
So yes, Yoga is more than just a workout.
Let’s know a bit about Yoga’s history.
Yoga’s History
Yoga began in India around 5,000 years ago. The initial mention of the word “Yoga” appeared in “Rig Veda ” which is a collection of ancient texts. Initially, yoga and its knowledge were limited to India. There were only Indian monks who performed yoga and a few of their followers.
But soon things changed from 1970 onwards when modern yoga came into the picture. The western countries learned the benefits of yoga and they added yoga in their lifestyle and soon Yoga became world-famous.
Yoga’s Philosophy
Overall, when we talk about “Yoga’s Philosophy”, the basic yoga philosophy is about connecting the whole human being which includes mind, body, and spirit. There are a total of six branches of and each branch has a different set of focus and characteristics.
Let’s know the Six Philosophical branches of Yoga & their characteristics:
- Bhakti Yoga: Bhakti Yoga aims at the path of devotion, it is a way to positively channelize emotions and gradually cultivate the power of tolerance and acceptance.
- Hatha Yoga: Hatha Yoga primarily focuses on the mind and body, it is the physical and mental branch of yoga.
- Karma Yoga: This is a branch of yoga that focuses on creating a future free from selfishness, and negativity.
- Tantra Yoga: Tantra yoga is basically formed on ritual, the consummation of relationship, or ceremony.
- Raja Yoga: Raja yoga involves strict obedience for a series of disciplinary steps which are popularly known as the eight limbs of Yoga.
- Jnana Yoga: It’s about wisdom, it’s a path of scholars and a way to develop intellect through study.
These are the six philosophical branches of Yoga. Now, let’s know Yoga Types.
Yoga Types
There are many types of yoga in total, but here we will discuss the commonly done yoga. People choose the style which best suits their goals and fitness.
Modern Yoga
Modern yoga is an exercise for gaining strength, breathing, agility, and boosting mental and physical health. It is the most common yoga style which is widely practised.
Bikram Yoga
This form of yoga is popularly known as “Hot Yoga”. It is practised in artificially heated rooms at about 40% humidity with over 105 degrees temperature. It has over 26+ asanas and around two sequences of breathing exercises.
Power Yoga
This segment of yoga was found in the late 1980s, it is basically a quite athletic yoga form. It is based on the traditional Ashtanga system.
Iyengar Yoga
This yoga type requires quite a range of props including blocks, blankets, bolsters, straps, chairs, etc to get the exact pose in the right alignment.
Restorative Yoga
Just as the name suggests, Restorative yoga is basically a relaxing method to calm the body and mind. It includes some basic and simple 5-6 exercises. It requires some basic props.
Prenatal Yoga
Just as the name suggests, Prenatal yoga is basically designed for pregnant women. This yoga supports good health during pregnancy.
- Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini means “Life Force Energy” in Sanskrit. It is thought to be tightly coiled at the base of the spine. These yoga sequences are designed in a way that stimulates or unlocks energy and helps reduce stress, negative energy, and negative thinking. And most importantly to feel great.
Kundali Yoga typically starts with a mantra to set a focus then proceeds with breathing exercises, full-body warm-up and then goes on m=for more challenging poses. It closes with final full-body relaxation and meditation.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa Yoga is also known as Flow Yoga. It includes common style. The word, “Vinyasa” means “Place in a special way”, it is often linked to breathing and movements. Often words like dynamic, mindful, slow, flow, etc are paired with vinyasa. A flow to indicate intensity.
In Vinyasa, poses are synchronized with the breath in a continuous rhythmic pattern. The flow can be calming the mind, nervous system, meditative, etc even though when the person is moving.
Yin Yoga
Yin yoga is the slowest practice of yoga. It starts with holding a pose for a minute and goes up to five minutes or more. It is a form of yoga that has its roots in martial arts and yoga. Yin Yoga is designed to increase circulation in the joints and increase flexibility. It is focused on the Lower back, Hips, thighs. This practice of yoga requires props including blankets, blocks, chairs, blosters, etc. Other forms of yoga mostly focus on major muscle groups, yin yoga focus on connective tissues.
Sivananda Yoga:
Remember one of the yoga philosophies we talked about at the beginning of this blog, Hatha Yoga? Sivananda yoga is a form of yoga that is based on Hatha Yoga. It is generally relaxing, and most of their yoga classes end with savasana. Sivananda starts with a corpse pose and then moves towards breathing exercises, 12 basic asanas, sun salutations (Suryanamaskaar), etc. The ones who want to do yoga for getting energy and increase in spirituality can surely choose to do this form of yoga. Sivananda is designed in a way that supports overall health and wellbeing. It is suitable for all age groups.
Conclusion
Yoga is indeed one of the best forms of exercise. You can choose what fits you right based on your health conditions, age, body type, weight, and considering all the other important factors. One of the most important things is, consider having an expert, a mentor to guide you through the journey of yoga. This will help you to stay safe. You can consider choosing Yoga classes online or yoga classes online live to start your yoga journey. There are many platforms offering yoga online classes for beginners for free. You can do your research and choose the right medium of learning.
About the Author:
This is PiggyRide the one-stop solution of online kids’ activities that are engaging and easy to learn. With PiggyRide you can explore various kids online classes, based on age, level or skill set, and interest of kids. We offer an interactive platform where you can choose from a variety of live online classes including yoga, dance, music, and many other creative activities.
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