Many different ideas related to Yoga practice. Also, there are many different ideas about the origins of Yoga, what it is about besides how to practice the various techniques inherent in each type of Yoga.
Traditionally, Yoga is recognized as an ancient philosophical system as well as principles and practices derived from the Indian and Himalayan Vedic traditions. It is estimated that Yoga was developed more than 2500 years ago.
Yoga is a system of flowing movements that recognizes the multidimensional nature of human beings. This mainly has to do with the nature and workings of the mind. It is based on experiential training and investigation.
Mind-body connection
Body, breath and mind are seen as a melting pot of the multidimensional aspects of each person. Methods and various yoga techniques foster that connection experience. This leads to the union of higher beings, internal peace and clarity of mind.
It is a practice designed to foster health and happiness, including greater awareness and higher awareness.
Health and wellness
Yoga promotes health and wellbeing fitness, in other words physical, emotional, mental and social. It accomplishes this through regular practice of a variety of different techniques.
These include postures (asanas) and movement, breath awareness and breathing exercises (pranayama), relaxation and concentration in addition to self-inquiry and – most importantly – meditation.
What are ‘asanas’?
An ‘asana’ is a posture in Yoga. Originally, it was a seated pose for meditation but later – in Hatha Yoga and modern Yoga – ‘asanas’ came to be referred to as exercises. Lying, standing, inverted, twisted, and balancing poses are added to the meditation chair.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali defines the term “asana” as follows: “[a position that] stable and comfortable”. Patanjali includes the ability to sit for long periods of time as a limb of his system.
It is said – in medieval Hatha texts – that asanas provide both spiritual and physical benefits. More recent studies have provided evidence that Yoga poses improve flexibility, strength, and balance. In addition, they reduce the stress and conditions associated with this modern pandemic. Yoga has been noted to relieve several ailments such as asthma and diabetes.
What is ‘pranayama’?
The word ‘pranayama’ is a compound noun consisting of two separate Sanskrit terms: ‘prana’ and ‘yama’. The Atharvaveda, which is one of the earliest Vedic texts on Indian medicine, suggests that ‘prana’ is the underlying basis of whatever is, was, and will be. Other books on this topic often translate ‘prana’ as follows: “life force” or “vital energy”. The term ‘yama’ is often translated as “restraint” or “control”.
So, to combine the two, ‘pranayama’ is usually defined as a set of practices designed to regulate prana in the human body. This setting is accomplished by various breathing techniques, meditative visualizations and physical locking (which is known in Sanskrit as ‘kumbhaka’).
What are the benefits of ‘pranayama’?
Prana is the driving force behind all bodily functions. These various functions – for example, swallowing, digestion and physical movement – all depend on the effective working of prana in the body.
The origins of all disease and mental imbalance can be traced back to the irregularity and insufficient flow of the body’s energy. The practice of pranayama serves as a very interesting way to cure ailments and correct mental imbalances. This was because breath control was the most direct method of influencing life force.
Yoga is about an approach to life that rewards proper effort. It is based on balance and harmony, within everyone and with one another.
