Yoga - Brief History from Yoga Meditation 4221 Holistic Yoga

Yoga Brief History

When you practice yoga, it is, of course, not necessary to have a full understanding of yoga history in order to fully benefit from your practice. A brief understanding of the history behind yoga, however, may increase your desire to take up the spiritual side of yoga practice and inspire you to find out more about the tradition behind the discipline.

Yoga was first passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. The first writings about yoga were written in Sanskrit in early religious manuscripts in India called the Vedas. The word ‘yoga’ has many meanings. The root of the word is ‘yug’ which means ‘to hitch up’, referring to fastening horse bridles to a carriage. But yoga also means ‘to actively put to use’ or ‘yoke’ or ‘join’. Yoga means a method of joining, a vehicle or means of joining or extablishing union with God. Men who practice yoga are even today called yogi or yogin and women who practice yoga are called yogini.

Yoga is not just about stretching and breathing and holding poses. Yoga is a philosophy on how to live life and deal with the physical as well as the spiritual challenges that human beings face daily.

Hatha yoga, or the yoga that you do when you take a yoga class or perform yogic poses, was begun as a physical form of meditation. The physical act of yoga calms your body and allows your mind to become calm. It also gives you the physical strength to sustain long periods of meditation which is why the saints and sages practised physical yoga thousands of years ago in preparation for deep meditation and self-realisation.

When you perform the physical practice of yoga, you are only engaging in part of the discipline as it was originally practiced for thousands of years. Yoga is an incredible form of exercise and is calming for the body and mind, but it can also be used as a spiritual practice and a way to calm the emotions and will.

Here are a few types of yoga being practiced today. Bhakti yoga, Mantra yoga, Mantra Meditation And Yoga, Hatha yoga.

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Yoga has been around for centuries originating in India. Originally including deep spiritual practises and awareness, there are some who have let go of those aspects of the yoga exercise program, but still use it because the physical asanas and techniques offer a lot of benefits. All yoga classes still include various types of meditation including chanting.

You will find that there are ways that you can use the stretches and strength building exercises to work on improving the health of the body. You will be able to burn fat, increase your flexibility, and also build muscle.

Some choose to combine yoga with other exercises, either before or after. If you are a runner or a weight lifter for instance you could use yoga as your warm up or cool down routine. You will want to do this before you start any cardiovascular or any strength training exercises. You will find that a yoga warm up will be a very effective part of any work out.

Yoga is traditionally seen as a routine of stretches and exercises that will rejuvenate the body. That is, although yoga may be a difficult workout, it will energize you as opposed to draining your body and making you feel tired like some other exercises do. You will want to do this before you start any cardiovascular or any strength training exercises. You will find that a yoga warm up will be a very effective part of any work out.

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