Yoga is well-known for its physical movements poses and postures of the body. These days, many are using yoga as a form of exercise for the body. In reality, yoga is much more than a method of physical exercise activity.
The Original
The original yoga is focused on the merging of the body and mind exercises, to help expand on the mental , physical and spiritual focus on overall well-being. Yoga includes physical movements that helps strengthen the physical body, meditation and breathing exercises techniques that help enhance the mind and spirit.
Yoga is a mind, body practice started in ancient India about 5,000 years ago. The “Yoga Sutra,” a phyilosophy by the Indian sage Patanjali, explains yoga as a skill to master the mind, control the emotions, and grow spiritually.
Yoga Today
Today, there are many associations and centers that offer yoga exercises to help improve on your health. Modern yoga focuses on the physical movements and poses of yoga. You can learn yoga in physical classes, have yoga sessions online or learn yoga from home.
There are however, some associations that offer free yoga classes to the public, organised and conducted by volunteers who are trained in yoga sessions. There are also videos on how to do yoga from home, though it is best for one to learn one session of the yoga face to face with a trainer before you start to practise at home.
Types of Yoga
There are supposedly 6 branches of yoga. They are:
Hatha yoga: This is the physical and mental branch designed to enhance the overall well being of the body and mind.
Raja yoga: This yoga involves meditation and strict adherence to a series of disciplinary steps known as the “eight limbs” of yoga.
Karma yoga: This is a path of service that aims to create a future free from negativity and selfishness.
Bhakti yoga: This aims to establish the path of devotion, a positive way to channel emotions and cultivate acceptance and tolerance.
Jnana yoga: This branch of yoga is about wisdom, the path of the scholar, and developing the intellect through study.
Tantra yoga: This is the pathway of ritual, ceremony, or consummation of a relationship.
Yoga is a form of activity that one can follow daily to help improve on one's overall well being.
