Are you interested in learning what yoga is all about? If you are a beginner, this article will give you a basic introduction to yoga.
Yoga is one of the best exercises out there because it benefits the body, mind, and soul. It has evolved into a more mainstream practice. All types of people are into yoga now, not just spiritual hippies!
Yoga is simply a method of strengthening and toning the body while also receiving mental and spiritual benefits.
Yoga, Ayurveda, and meditation go hand in hand, so after you read this article, be sure to check out this article on meditation and this article on Ayurveda so you can really get the full benefit of these incredible spiritual lifestyle practices. In fact, Ayurveda and Yoga are known as the “sister sciences”, they are very complimentary to each other.
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Table of Contents
What Is Yoga?
Yoga is far more than just a series of stretching exercises. Yoga first came to the Western hemisphere in 1893 at the World’s Fair in Chicago. It was brought by Swami Vivekananda who was one of India’s most popular gurus.
The word yoga gets its origins from the Sanskrit word “Yug”. It means to bind or join. Basically it is about unity of the physical body with the mind. It’s about conscious living.
Yoga can work to improve your health in many ways, but it must be practiced regularly (like anything else that contributes to your overall health!)
Yoga allows you to release the tension that can build up in your body. It helps the various parts of your body become lose and limber, from your muscles and joints to your tendons and ligaments. It can help back pain, joint pain, muscle pain, and much more.
People aren’t meant to be stiff and rigid. We were designed to be flexible. Yoga is a great way to achieve such a goal. You don’t even have to bend yourself into a pretzel to get the benefits, but that can be a goal to strive for once you become more flexible.
Here are some of the benefits that have been proven to exist through yoga:
- Improved flexibility
- Better range of motion
- Immune system strengthening
- Reduced joint pain
- Reduced muscular pain
- Better breathing
- Higher lung capacity
- Higher metabolism
- Better sleep quality
- Reduced stress and anxiety
Yoga may have its roots spirituality, but its foundation is based in science. Yoga’s health benefits have been proven time and time again by many sources. Its physical benefits can be paramount to a healthy lifestyle.
But of course there are mental and emotional benefits, as well. Yoga helps you achieve a type of mind/body harmony through the use of postures (called asanas) and breathing (called pranayama).
While yoga isn’t a cure-all and results won’t happen overnight, it can certainly help you make some big changes to your psychological and physiological states. It does take a while to notice these changes, I did yoga on and off for over a year before I really started to feel comfortable with it.
Yoga is also something that is relatively easy on the body. You can tailor a yoga workout to your own fitness level, and increase the difficulty as you progress.
Types of Yoga
There are several different types of yoga. Most people just think of yoga as being one standard set of poses, but each style of yoga has it’s own set of poses. Of course, if you want to create your own unique yoga routine by mixing and matching different poses, you can do that too!
If you are a beginner, you might want to find the type of yoga that sounds good to you and learn the basic poses first. Like anything, it’s best to learn the basic fundamentals before you change anything to suit yourself.
Here is a brief overview of some of the many types of yoga:
Hatha
The teachings of hatha yoga are the type most commonly practiced in the Western hemisphere. The word hatha comes from the Sanskrit term ha (meaning sun). It is based on meditation and improving energy within the body. You will find at least one posture that is especially comfortable to you and that you can sustain for long period of time while you meditate.
Raja
Raja yoga is very similar to hatha yoga. It is considered a bit more difficult than other forms of yoga, because it requires more discipline and control than other forms. Raja yoga focuses on concentration, meditation, and discipline of the mind and body.
Bhakti
Bhatki yoga is a sensual, erotic form of yoga. It’s all about love, divine love, specifically. Love operates on three levels according the principles of bhatki yoga: material love, human love, and spiritual love.
Jnana
Jnana yoga is all about wisdom and enlightenment. It’s about clearing the mind and the soul and releasing negativity. It’s about transformation and taking the path to true enlightenment.
Tantra
Tantra yoga is not about sex exclusively, but that is a part of it. It is about reaching enlightenment and transcending the self through several rituals. Sex is indeed one of those rituals, but it is not the only one by any means. Tantra means “expansion”. The aim of tantra yoga is to expand your mind so that you can reach all levels of consciousness. It uses rituals to bring out the male and female aspects within an individual in order to awake the true spirit within.
Bikram
Bikram yoga is a relatively new form of yoga. It takes place in a hot humid room. It is more about detoxifying the body rather than reaching some sort of spiritual enlightenment. By forcing the body to sweat profusely, toxins are eliminated through the skin. Additionally, the extra warmth makes the body more flexible, which helps prevent injury, relieves stress, and helps aid in deeper stretching.
Vinyasa
Vinyasa yoga is a style of yoga where the poses flow together seamlessly. It’s focuses on a smooth transition from one pose to another.
Ashtanga
This type of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a series of postures, It is physically demanding and can be a great way to lose weight. The moves are done quickly.
Kundalini
The purpose of kundalini yoga is to activate your kundalini energy, and it is done through repetitive poses, singing, chanting, and breathing exercises. This type of yoga has a very spiritual focus.
Iyengar
This type of yoga focuses on alignment of the body. It relies on props more than other types of yoga.
Yin
Yin yoga is a slow, meditative type of yoga. The poses are done very slowly, sometimes holding them for as long as 5 minutes. This type of yoga helps to calm the mind and help you connect more deeply with your body.
Restorative
Restorative yoga is a lot like yin yoga in that the poses are held for a long time. Props are also used quite often in this type of yoga. It helps you get into a meditative state where your body and mind can become one. This (and yin yoga) are great styles of yoga to do before bed.
Tips for Yoga Beginners
You have two options for beginning yoga; find a class to join, or do it at home yourself.
If you join a class, look for one that has an instructor you like and feel comfortable with. The more at ease you are in the class, the more successful it will be for you.
If you choose to practice yoga at home, there are many YouTube channels that are helpful in guiding you along every step of the way. Yoga With Adriene is probably the most popular one, last I checked she had close to 10 million subscribers so definitely check her out if you are looking for video guidance. There is a link to her channel below in the resources section.
Yoga Equipment
There are many items available to help enhance your yoga experience. None of them are truly required, but there are many that would be especially helpful.
If you’re just getting started you really need very little, especially if you’ll be taking a class. Your class may provide the items you need, but not all will. You’ll probably need to bring your own mat at the very least.
Here’s a list of some of the most common yoga accessories:
Mats
Towel
Bags
Straps
Sandbags and Bolsters
Balls
Blocks
Clothing
To make it easy for you to find accessories, I created a link to Amazon for you! This is an affiliate link which just means I get a commission if you buy anything through this link, at no cost to you! This link will take you to Amazon’s Yoga Accessories page.
Yoga Resources
If you want to dive deeper into the world of yoga knowledge before giving it a try, here are some great resources to help:
Yoga With Adriene YouTube Channel
If you want to plan your yoga sessions, journal about your yoga experiences, and learn more about the chakras and different styles of yoga, I have a Printable Yoga Journal for you! The image below will take you to my Etsy shop to check it out!
Leave a comment down below and let me know your personal yoga story, I would love to hear anything you have to add!
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