Origins of Yoga
Today’s society is much faster paced that ever before. People have more stress problems which lead to more health problems, mental and physical. There are more concerns with toxicity in the food we eat and the air we breathe. Millions of people today live a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity. The body, the cavities of our soul, was not meant to deteriorate in such a way that leads to disease. Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India and it included spiritual beliefs, physical techniques, and scholarly philosophy.
There is a growing trend to practicing Yoga for many different reasons, which include attaining the yoga body or physique, relaxation and peace of mind, or to prevent injury and ailments. People mainly practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and stretching the body.
Yoga, which is derived from the sacred Sanskrit language of India, meaning *union* or *to yoke or harness*. Yoga is a way or path to transcendence and liberation from the self and the ego by purifying the mind and body. Practicing yoga leads to a union with the mind and body or the individual and universal consciousness. In other words, yoga is the union with the Individual Self and the Universal Self. Yoga predates all other religions and has influenced and inspired many other traditions and philosophies. Yoga is better understood as a union of the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual bodies, which leads to a purposeful and balanced life.
There is simply no other discipline quite like yoga because it utilized the body, mind and spirit, all in one practice. Yoga is indeed a spiritual path that is based on ancient sacred philosophy, but one does not need to make an ethical decision when practicing yoga, rather finding your own path is wholly accepted. The holistic benefits of yoga are suitable for the young or old, sick or well, with any religious background. The secrets of yoga are inwardness, concentration, and purification of mind and body with cleansing thoughts and food. Indian philosophy states that within man is the spirit that is the center of everything. *Internal equilibrium is the basis and the ground for the higher illumination,* The cultural Heritage of India (Vol. I) – published by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India
More information on the Origins of Yoga….
The Origins of Yoga in the Vedic Age | Babeled – A brief but thorough exploration of how the Vedas, the Upanishads, and Vedantic philosophy influenced the development of Yogic thought and practice.
The origins of yoga – Pantanjali, an Indian philosopher, wrote what is thought of as the “bible of yoga” approximately two thousand five hundred years ago. While certain aspects of yoga were being done well before Pantanjali, his writing “encouraged” the …
Origins of Yoga – Even today in India it is a vibrant living tradition, it is also seen as a means to attain enlightenment. In other parts of the world especially the west, where yoga is popular it is seen as a [...]
Tags: Balanced Life, Body Mind And Spirit, Cavities, Language Of India, Many Different Reasons, Mind And Body, Mind And Spirit, Peace Of Mind, Postures, Practice Yoga, Religious Background, Sanskrit Language, Scholarly Philosophy, Sedentary Lifestyle, Spiritual Beliefs, Spiritual Path, Stress Problems, Transcendence, Universal Consciousness, Yoke
March 16th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Thanks for linking to my post at Babeled! I like your site alot, and I think the internet needs more sites dedicated to spreading yoga to the masses.
More people need to learn the benefits of yoga!
March 18th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Thanks for your comment Andrew, glad you like the site. I will keep adding what I think is good quality info so keep checking back.
Take care and good luck,
Mike
August 21st, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I actually just started doing Yoga and absolutely love it. I have used it in order to relieve some stress and also keep a nice looking body. These benefits are awesome and I look forward to learning more from your site! Thanks a million!
September 25th, 2009 at 1:04 am
I used to regularly practice Ashtanga and the impact it had on my life wa shuge. It makes you more aware of your body and connects you to it. I had to stop though die to work slowly consuming my life. Since losing it I\’ve felt a lot more down.
It\’s something I\’ll start up again though. I\’ve found doing some yoga at least once a day is the best. Any less and it seems to take forever to make anything happen.
November 1st, 2009 at 9:14 am
yoga really makes our body stress free, we all should spend everyday some time with our body, this is really blissful to experience all those things.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
My wife’s friend is trying to get her into it. Claims that it has helped her deal with stress at home and work.
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December 15th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Yoga is considered to be originated from India before 8000 years ago and it is still prevailing, it is the path to attain the bliss and peace.
May 30th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
I used to practice some basic yoga moves,it is the most direct expression is look awfully,increase the body’ s flexibility,also good on the Body slimming,these benefits are worth learning, I am looking forward to learning from your site more conducive to physical and mental health movements