Posted by A lot of people have a passing familiarity with yoga. They’ve seen advertisements for a yoga school, or maybe even know a few yoga postures. However, yoga itself is a discipline that goes a bit beyond just simple exercises in a yoga studio.
Isn’t yoga just an exercise method?
Yoga is, above all, a discipline. Though it does rely on yoga exercises, in its purest form it is an ascetic discipline that encompasses the mind, body, and soul.
Derived from the Sanskrit word for “yoke,” yoga embodies a way to join all of the aspects of an individual- physical, mental, and spiritual.
Some people choose to follow every aspect of a yoga lifestyle, while others become interested in learning how to do yoga purely for the physical benefits that it offers.
How can yoga asanas help me?
Yoga asanas, or the poses that practitioners use, are helpful for a variety of reasons. Physically, the poses can be very demanding, and can be used to help build increased strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility.
Because they aren’t the same kind of postures and motions you’re likely to experience in your day-to-day activities, they can help tone, strengthen, and stretch muscles that you don’t often use otherwise.
When it comes to the core muscles in the abdomen and back, in particular, this helps improve posture, reduce pain, and improve your appearance.
However, don’t be fooled- though high level yoga poses can be extraordinarily difficult, basic yoga offers a safe, easy, low-impact way for anyone of any skill level to improve their physical fitness level.
How can yoga help my mind?
Mentally, yoga is an exercise in contemplation, focus, and relaxation. Unlike with other forms of physical activity, yoga practitioners don’t generally move quickly from one posture to the next.
Each one must be held for a period of time, during which yoga students learn how to breathe, center themselves, and focus on what they are doing.
This makes yoga classes an ideal resource for people who want to learn more about relaxation and meditative activities.
In fact, yoga has even been recommended to help people manage the symptoms of things like anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
What can yoga offer me spiritually?
Spiritually, yoga asanas are purported to have effects that extent beyond the mental and physical.
The body is said to have several chakras that lie along the body from the perineum to the top of the head, which either block or allow energy to flow freely through the body.
When this energy flows freely, the body and mind experience a profound state of well-being. When it can’t flow freely, the opposite occurs.
Certain yoga postures can help free this energy and unblock the chakras, which is said to result in improved mood, mental clarity, and even resistance to illness.
What different types of yoga are out there?
There are a number of different branches of yoga, including ashtanga yoga and bikram yoga. All of these are similar, but differ somewhat in which asanas they use, and how these postures are employed.
Most classes offered at a regular yoga school tend to focus on the mental and physical benefits of yoga. There are even some yoga classes offered by regular gyms that cover nothing but the physical aspect of the practice, often blended with other exercise techniques like Pilates.
Serious practitioners often find that they enjoy going on extended yoga retreats, which can help put them in touch with some of the more esoteric aspects of the discipline.
No matter why someone may be drawn to yoga, it has something to offer. Devotees swear by it for improving anything from physical strength, to mental focus, to the symptoms of things like migraines, arthritis, and other illnesses.
Though different branches of yoga might vary, all of them have an abundance of rewards to offer their followers.