Yoga: A Century Old Exercise

What comes into your mind when the word yoga is mentioned? Is it the candles, the humming, the amazing positions or is the cool workout clothes? The humming part is usually the meditation and is optional. This goes the same for candles. The amazing positions are a requirement, as well as the cool looking clothes.

Yoga is the right choice if you are looking to tone your body and strengthen your muscles. It also offers conditioning of the body without the need of lifting weights that may just lead to a bulky built. There is also the relaxing effect that helps in realigning mental muscles. Not known to many people, there are eight main types of yoga:

1. Bhakti 2. Karma 3. Raja 4. Jnana 5. Tantra 6. Hatha 7. Laya 8. Mantra

Each is as unique and different from each other as the people who sweat over the variety of positions. Regardless of which type you take, there are benefits to for your physical and spiritual self. Whether you originally chose yoga as a way to meditate or not, you will feel calmed during one of the breathing exercise. This can calm anxieties and not only that but can also lower blood pressure. Yoga can also help in preventing any chiropractic aggravations.

The Origin of Yoga

Yoga originated from the same country that introduces Kama Sutra to us. India is also the birthplace of yoga. Ancient text and documents depicts pictures and mentions about the stretching and meditating art. You can even find worn out statues of yogis in a yoga position in various places of India. Yogi is the name used for a yoga practitioner and guru is the name for a yoga teacher.

Yoga is definitely a candidate for the title of the world's oldest form exercise. Approximately two thousand years ago, an Indian guru named Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutra, a guidebook and an anthology of the practice. This writing is also known as the eight-limed yoga. The eight limbs are:

1. Niyama (observance) - this involves contentment, purity and submission to God. 2. Yam (abstentions) - this is non-violence, non-possessiveness and non-sensuality. 3. Pranayama (breathing) - interpreted as control of life force. 4. Asana (postures) - this literally means seat. 5. Dharana (concentration) - fixing your attention into an object. 6. Pratyahara (abstraction) - withdrawal of the sense organs to external things. 7. Dhyana (meditation) - intense contemplation on the focus of meditation. 8. Samadhi (liberation) - merging of consciousness with the focus of meditation.

These limbs present a stage of ashtanga, or the path of enlightenment. When these eight limbs are performed and executed correctly, they can function to give you better living. According to this, it is just right to say that yoga is the most convenient way to strengthen one's body, mind and soul. So what are you waiting for grab a mat and start today.

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