Yoga is a practice of Hindu philosophy, involving the withdrawal of the physical senses from eternal objects. Its origins are unclear, but it is known it was practiced in India at least 5000 years ago.
The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj" meaning "devotion" or "union" and uses physical, mental and spiritual elements.
The practice of yoga is taught in ancient Indian texts, and three major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism) stemmed from those texts.
When Alexander the Great reached India in the 4th century BC he encountered "Yogins." One of Alexander's companions, Onesicritus, claimed in Strabo's Geography that these Indian yogins practiced aloofness and "different postures – standing or sitting or lying naked – and motionless".
The discipline of yoga was first laid out in writing in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The author, who lived about 150 BC at Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, India, preached mystical union with a personal deity by the practise of hypnosis. In addition, Patanjali espoused a rising above the senses by abstract meditation, adoption of special postures and ascetic practices.
From a Hindu perspective, yoga consists of four types, translated to: devotion, knowledge, action, or concentration. These types of yoga is an important part of achieving their ultimate goal, moksha, which is unity with God and freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
A Yogi is a person who has mastered yoga or has achieved great success in the practice.
While Yoga in Indian traditions has a meditative and spiritual core, outside India, it has developed into a posture-based relaxation technique. The history of Yoga in the western world is widely thought to begin with the Parliament of Religions, which opened on September 11, 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the World's Columbian Exposition. It was at that congress that the young Swami Vivekananda made a big and lasting impression on the American public when he gave a brief speech representing India and Hinduism. Vivekananda spent the following two years lecturing in the eastern and central United States before changing his mission to the establishment of Vedanta centers in the West.
An important element in Vivekananda's adaptation of Hindu religiosity was the introduction of his "four yogas" model. This includes Raja yoga, his interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga sutras, which offered a practical means to realise the divine force within which is central to modern western esotericism.
Vivekananda's 1896 book Raja Yoga was his interpretation of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali adapted for a Western audience. It became an instant success and was highly influential in the Western understanding of yoga.
Until modern times, the overwhelming majority of Yoga practitioners have been men, yogins. But there have also always been female adepts, yoginis. Hatha-Yoga, a system of physical techniques supplementary to a broad conception of yoga, entered mainstream America with Indra Devi. The Russian-born yogini, who has been called the “First Lady of Yoga,” opened her Yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947.
Today many people just enjoy yoga's unique stretches. Hatha-Yoga is the most widely practised in the West. Slow paced classes combine physical exercises and postures, with meditation. Some Christians even meditate on spiritual matters while doing these stretches. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) explains that this practice is not truly yoga; it is asana where one person simply moves from one posture to another. Modern Americans have turned the ancient Indian philosophy into an exercise ritual, a means of focusing attention, and an avenue to longer life and greater health.
Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional hatha yoga techniques, was popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Popular with male celebrities such as George Clooney and David Beckham as well as females including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga and Madonna, Bikram Yoga is done in 40°C (104°F) heat to cleanse the body of toxins and loosen muscles.
Ashtanga Yoga is fast paced and physically demanding. It involves constantly moving from the set sequence of poses while synchronising breathing.
In 2008, there were 818 registered yoga schools in the U.S. By 2012, the number grew to 2,500, and by late 2015 there were 3,900.
15 million Americans practice yoga; 72% of them are female.
Around half a million Britons spend more than £750 million a year on pilates and yoga studio fees.
The actress Emma Watson is a certified yoga instructor as is Doria Loyce Ragland the mother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Sources Daily Mail, Crosswalk, Healthyconscience
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| Pixabay |
The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj" meaning "devotion" or "union" and uses physical, mental and spiritual elements.
The practice of yoga is taught in ancient Indian texts, and three major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism) stemmed from those texts.
When Alexander the Great reached India in the 4th century BC he encountered "Yogins." One of Alexander's companions, Onesicritus, claimed in Strabo's Geography that these Indian yogins practiced aloofness and "different postures – standing or sitting or lying naked – and motionless".
The discipline of yoga was first laid out in writing in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The author, who lived about 150 BC at Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, India, preached mystical union with a personal deity by the practise of hypnosis. In addition, Patanjali espoused a rising above the senses by abstract meditation, adoption of special postures and ascetic practices.
 |
| A statue of Patañjali, By User:Alokprasad |
From a Hindu perspective, yoga consists of four types, translated to: devotion, knowledge, action, or concentration. These types of yoga is an important part of achieving their ultimate goal, moksha, which is unity with God and freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
A Yogi is a person who has mastered yoga or has achieved great success in the practice.
While Yoga in Indian traditions has a meditative and spiritual core, outside India, it has developed into a posture-based relaxation technique. The history of Yoga in the western world is widely thought to begin with the Parliament of Religions, which opened on September 11, 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the World's Columbian Exposition. It was at that congress that the young Swami Vivekananda made a big and lasting impression on the American public when he gave a brief speech representing India and Hinduism. Vivekananda spent the following two years lecturing in the eastern and central United States before changing his mission to the establishment of Vedanta centers in the West.
 |
| Vivekananda in Chicago, September 1893. |
An important element in Vivekananda's adaptation of Hindu religiosity was the introduction of his "four yogas" model. This includes Raja yoga, his interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga sutras, which offered a practical means to realise the divine force within which is central to modern western esotericism.
Vivekananda's 1896 book Raja Yoga was his interpretation of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali adapted for a Western audience. It became an instant success and was highly influential in the Western understanding of yoga.
Until modern times, the overwhelming majority of Yoga practitioners have been men, yogins. But there have also always been female adepts, yoginis. Hatha-Yoga, a system of physical techniques supplementary to a broad conception of yoga, entered mainstream America with Indra Devi. The Russian-born yogini, who has been called the “First Lady of Yoga,” opened her Yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947.
Today many people just enjoy yoga's unique stretches. Hatha-Yoga is the most widely practised in the West. Slow paced classes combine physical exercises and postures, with meditation. Some Christians even meditate on spiritual matters while doing these stretches. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) explains that this practice is not truly yoga; it is asana where one person simply moves from one posture to another. Modern Americans have turned the ancient Indian philosophy into an exercise ritual, a means of focusing attention, and an avenue to longer life and greater health.
 |
| Pixabay |
Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional hatha yoga techniques, was popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Popular with male celebrities such as George Clooney and David Beckham as well as females including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga and Madonna, Bikram Yoga is done in 40°C (104°F) heat to cleanse the body of toxins and loosen muscles.
Ashtanga Yoga is fast paced and physically demanding. It involves constantly moving from the set sequence of poses while synchronising breathing.
In 2008, there were 818 registered yoga schools in the U.S. By 2012, the number grew to 2,500, and by late 2015 there were 3,900.
15 million Americans practice yoga; 72% of them are female.
Around half a million Britons spend more than £750 million a year on pilates and yoga studio fees.
The actress Emma Watson is a certified yoga instructor as is Doria Loyce Ragland the mother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Sources Daily Mail, Crosswalk, Healthyconscience
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