Yoga 101: Getting to Know More about Yoga Practice

Yoga 101: Getting to Know More about Yoga Practice

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Yoga practice has shifted from merely an exercise into a lifestyle in recent life. More and more people are starting to do yoga. In the United States of America, research revealed that by 2016 there have been more than 36 million Americans who practice yoga. Those people are also calculated to spend around $16 million to purchase yoga gear.

What actually makes yoga in the air? Well, some scientific researches have proved that yoga practice can bring many benefits to its practitioners, yogis and yogini. Health benefits, as well as stress and anxiety releases, are among the positive vibes that yoga offers into people’s life. If you are curious about some other sort of information dealing with yoga, then you might find this tidbit is really for you.

What is Yoga?

The word yoga is derived from Sanskrit word yuj which means ‘to bind’. However, it is also sometimes translated as ‘union’. Yoga can also be summed up as a method of discipline. Due to its various interpretations, yoga can be said as an attempt to bind your body, mind, and soul altogether.

Yoga is not a new thing. It was assumed to be practiced thousands of years ago in India. Maharshi Patanjali, an Indian sage, was known to write a guidebook for yoga 2,000 years ago. The Yoga Sutra consisted of 195 statements dealing with philosophical matters in yoga. The guidebook is believed becoming the foundation of recent yoga practice. 

Patanjali described that there are 8 elements or branches in yoga. Those are yamas (control), niyamas (obedience), asana (posture), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (senses revocation), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation), and samadhi (permeation). Hence, yoga is not limited merely in learning the pose or having a better way of breathing. It is far beyond that. However, nowadays in its practice, most people put their practice focus in asana. It deals with physical exercise aiming to increase the strength through certain physical postures.

Yoga Versus Flexibility

Lots of people being hesitant on their first day joining a yoga class. It has been well-known that yoga is a practice that put highlight on flexibility. Some of them feel inferior to not being capable to cope with the class programs. While some others are worried about getting some injuries during the practice due to their inflexible body.

The thing is yoga helps increase your flexibility. If you feel like you are not flexible, then actually you are on the perfect boat by practicing yoga. Do you make yourself a master at swimming so that you can take swimming lessons? Or, do you take swimming lessons so that you can swim well? The same parable works in yoga practice as well.

Flexibility in yoga, however, varies among people. Some people can reach better flexibility within 2 months of practice. Meanwhile, some others should put more effort to achieve their flexibility goal. The key is a regular practice. A beginner yogi or yogini can practice 2 times a week for 1 hour or 1 hour and a half in each session. 

What does Yoga Offer?

More and more people are getting interested in yoga due to its promising benefits. Some additional pages, however, will be needed to deeply elaborate on what yoga can offer. Health issues, as well as body strength, are two among the abundant benefits of yoga that will be discussed on this page.

The flexibility that you will achieve from regular yoga practices will not only let you take some beautiful yoga poses. It will also give you the ultimate happiness for your future days. Being flexible means you have a massive probability to let yourself free from back pain or thigh and tibia inappropriate alignment. Those pains will be your great obstacle to move freely and happily later in your old days. Regularly practicing yoga will loosen your tight hips and hamstrings that lead to those life obstacles. 

Additionally, yoga also allows your muscles to grow stronger. In yoga, you do not do weight lifting, indeed. However, there are several yoga poses require you to deal with your body weight. That way, your muscles are trained to work as hard as when you are at the gym. Having strong muscles is not always about showing it off to the public. Do you know that strong muscles can protect you from arthritis and back pain? Do you know that they work for fall prevention in the elderly?

Yoga has always had its way to make people roll their eyes into its existence. Many positive issues lie beneath its regular practice. You just have to get your body, your mind, and your curiosity to take over to start your yoga practice. 


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