When one mentions “yoga”, many images may be conjured up. Perhaps you get an image of flower children from the 60′s sitting in a circle with their legs in impossible positions chanting “ohm” around a huge candle in a poor lit room. Yoga is an ancient art that has been practiced for centuries. Over the years, it has risen in popularity as a way to stay fit, get in touch with one’s inner self and keep a balance of sanity in a sometimes insane world.
While yoga did come to popularity in the 60′s with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who popularized Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the 60′s, because he was associated with the Beatles, yoga practioners have brought the ancient practice to the forefront of wellness in recent years.
Many scholars believe that yoga dates back over 5,000 years to the beginning of human civilization. Scholars believe that yoga grew out of Stone Age Shamanism, because of the cultural similarities in a neolithic settlement (in what is now Afghanistan). In fact, much of the ideas, ritual and symbols of today appear to have their roots in his Shamanistic culture of Mehrgahr.
Early yoga and archaic shamanism had much in common as both sought to transcend the human condition. The primary goal of shamanism was to head members of the community and act as religious mediators. Archaic Yoga was also community oriented, as it attempted to discern the cosmic order through inner vision, then to apply that order to daily living. Later, Yoga elvolved into into a more inward experience and Yogis focused on their individual enlightenment and salvation.
Yoga is the most diversifield spiritual practice in the world. Crossing over many cultures, Yoga also extends over multiple languages such as Hindi, Tibetan, Bengali, Sanskrit, Tamil, Prakit, Marathi and Mali. The Yogic tradition continues to proliferate and spread its message of peace to this very day.
As studies continue to reveal yoga’s many health benefits, this centuries-old Eastern Philosophy is fast becoming the new fitness soul mate for workout enthusiasts. Contemporary devotees range from high-powered execs trying to keep hearts beating on a healthy note to image-conscious Hollywood stars striving for sleek physiques. Even prominent athletes are adding yoga to their training regime to develop balanced, injury-free muscles and spines.
Yet to applaud yoga for its physical benefits alone would only diminish what this entire system has to offer as a whole. By practising yoga a regular basis, you may be surprised to find that you’re building much more than a strong, flexible body.
Initially, the sole purpose of practising yoga was to experience spiritual enlightenment. In Sanskrit (the ancient language of India), yoga translates as “yoke” or “union”, describing the intergration of mind and body to create a greater connection with one’s own pure, essential nature.
Classes that have gained popularity usually teach one of the many types of hatha yoga, a physical discipline which focuses mainly on ananas (postures) and breath work in order to prepared the body for spiritual pursuits.
We will attempt to simplify the ancient practice of yoga by showing some basic yoga positions, giving us tips on performing yoga exercise and inducting meditation practices into our everyday life. Through yoga and meditation, we could come to new level of enlightenment with our personal life and enhance the quality of our existence.
No longer is yoga a mysterious phenomenon. It is now simply a way to keep our life healthy and aligned.
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