Yoga is a spiritual practice that aims to form a union between the body and the mind. This science of healthy living helps to ensure the physical, mental and spiritual well being. Yoga is said to have begun with the advent of human civilisation that originated thousands of years ago. Also, some scriptures portray that lord ‘Shiva’ was the first yogi or Adi guru.
This practice that originated in India, has gradually spread throughout the world. Yoga comprises various postures, breathing exercises, asana, Hatha yoga and meditation. It involves the mind, soul, breath and the inner self for self-realisation. Yoga can be addressed as a therapy, exercise or fitness activity. Interestingly, yoga is not particular to any religion or community that can be practised by people from any belief system.
In this blog, we will tell you about the different kinds of yoga and 6 reasons why you should begin doing it now.
What are the different kinds of yoga?
Since that year, yoga has undergone various interpretations and modifications. So, different kinds of yoga have increased their popularity and cater to different needs. Let’s tell you about the different kinds of yoga:
● Ashtanga yoga- It is an athletic kind of yoga that can be difficult. Ashtanga yoga was popular in the 1900s where one form is linked to the other. It needs synchronisation and careful breathwork for more flexibility.
● Iyengar Yoga- Iyengar yoga was founded by B.K.S Iyengar in India in the 1970s. This yoga involves a great deal of precision and alignment. At the same, it includes props like yoga blocks, bands, blankets and cushions for making correct postures.
● Kundalini Yoga- Kundalini yoga is as old as 1000 BC. But, its origin was unknown and it involves movement, breath and sound in the form of chanting.
● Restorative yoga- Was developed by Judith Hanson to calm and rest the body. Every yoga pose in restorative yoga needs to be held for 20 minutes to increase the flexibility of yoga.
6 Reasons why you should start Yoga.
Yoga has multiple benefits and kinds to cater to everybody’s needs. So, let’s tell you why you need to start yoga now:
● To Relieve daily stress- Yoga helps to relax the body and calm the mind. It gets rid of the physical impact of stress on the Body and declutters the mind from daily tensions. It is a self-care exercise to lower blood pressure and ensure a normal heart rate. Along with that, it ensures proper functioning of body organs like anxiety, depression, fatigue and insomnia.
● To enhance the body flexibility- Daily work and no form of warmup or exercise can impact the flexibility of the human body. But, yoga helps to enhance the flexibility and range of Body movements. This helps to relieve body aches and increases the elasticity of the muscles. Gradually, you will be able to perform exercises more precisely due to increased flexibility.
● To improve concentration- Regular medication and a calm mind can help to focus directly without any distractions. Gradually, you will be able to better focus on one thing with the help of yoga without wavering your mind. Many people perform yoga to develop their concentration for more productivity. You can train your mind with yoga and channel the mental resources to better understand things and learn new things in life.
● To improve your decision-making- Yoga will help you become more healthy and mentally relaxed to become more aware. It will make you choose things more easily in life and improve your decision-making. You will find yourself, spending more time on positive things like spending time with your family, enjoying yourself with friends and moving away from negative things.
● To increase your self-awareness- Yoga helps to form a union between the body and mind for a better emotional balance. Also, this helps for better functioning of the body and becoming aware of the body’s functioning and needs. Yoga offers a great deal of help for introspection and understanding the limitations of the body. It helps to become active and more attentive in life.
● To get better sleep- When you are stressed or have body ache, it becomes difficult to sleep. For this reason, it is important to get physical and mental relaxation to get better and adequate sleep. Along with that, yoga can help you improve your sleep quality and helps to treat insomnia in people.
These above-mentioned reasons tell us that yoga has multiple benefits and it’s important to start doing yoga. Do you want to teach these benefits of yoga to the community?
Drishti Yoga School in Rishikesh is a prominent yoga school in India to become a certified yoga teacher. It offers a comprehensive yoga teacher training course, with alliances and certification. You will get to learn from expert educators and spread the knowledge of yoga in the community for the well-being of people.
