The Background of Yoga
So what is Yoga? That is a tough question to answer as yoga can accomplish different goals for each individual. A basic definintion of yoga might be, a system of developing the mind and body using natural methods. Using these natural methods Yoga helps to improve the person's confidence, discipline, and fitness, which will leave them as a more contented individual. There are literaly thousands of different asanas, (positons or techniques) and the proper ones for each person must be determined on an individual basis with the help of a trained instructor. You will find there are yoga positions for beginners, to more advanced techniques for the masters of yoga. Retreats dedicated soley to yoga can be found just about anywhere in the world. As you do your research into yoga you will find information about clothes for yoga, yoga books, yoga mats, yoga videos, and the list goes on.
The Background of YogaHave you heard all the hype about Yoga yet? If you are interested in get fit, reduce stress or reach into your deeper, spiritual side, Yoga could be just right for you. Where did Yoga come from? What are all those strange words and chanting? Let’s look into the history of Yoga and why people practice it. You don’t need to know all the words or their meanings to practice Yoga. It does help to have a little knowledge about the subject. Yoga can give you the sense of satisfaction that only meditation and physical exercise combined can give you. The beauty of that is it can be carried out all in one exercise program! Yoga is a discipline. It offers a chance to have true union between your mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is right in the middle between physical exercise and meditation. In hard physical exercise, the body is physically taxed and is tuned up. It doesn’t take much thinking to go through an exercise routine. Meditation on the other hand, the body does nothing; it is all with stilling your mind and reaching in for your inner spirit. In today’s stressful society, people are looking for a way to become physically as well as spiritually fit. It’s becoming popular because it ties the two, physical and mental, together into a comfortable package in the middle. Yes, it does take physical discipline to sit in one position for long periods. The mental discipline used in quieting your mind and shutting out the world quiets the mind and brings you a serenity that regular physical exercise can’t give you. A good session of Yoga can give you a spirit of calm and serenity that physical exercise can’t. It also brings you a sense of well since meditation on its own can’t give you. It’s in the middle and maybe the practice of Yoga is what you have been looking for to enhance your physical well being and bring serenity to your world. So where did this practice come from? It originated in India over 5,000 years ago. The strange words come from the Sanskrit language. No one knows who invented Yoga; it’s one of those mysteries like who invented the wheel. The facts we do know are that it became a tradition and was practiced regularly around 500 B.C. Hatha Yoga is the style of Yoga that westerners practice today. The slim, serene young lady, leading a class of students through poses is what we think of when we think of Yoga today. When it originated, all students were searching for the divine inside of them. They were all looking for God and the Divine meaning for their life. It’s the same today with students of yoga searching for their spiritual inner self and guidance from the Divine. Most modern forms of Yoga are traced back to the Yoga Sutras. Patanjali wrote them somewhere between 300 B.C. and 100 A.D. No one is certain exactly when they were created, but the practices and philosophy are explained and they are just as valid today as they were then. Yoga is not without it's Christian criticsMany in the Christian circles are dead set against the practice of yoga, citing the Hindu background of yoga and claiming that the practices of yoga are designed to have the practioner become one with other gods. It is considered to be another facet of the new age movement by many Christians. Christians hold to one God in three "persons" (The Trinity) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to give recognition to another so called god is considered to be blasphemy. There have been attempts to create what is being called "Christian Yoga" but even this is being opposed in many circles. Better Your Health will be doing further research into this matter, and by signing up for our newsletter, you will be notified as soon as the material is availiable.
We at Better Your Health hope you have found this article to be very helpful in your research into Yoga. Please feel free to check out the many other articles we have on this site about Yoga. Click here to add this page to your favorites. Be sure to check out Better Your Health for more Health Related Topics. |
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