Yoga, is just not a form of exercise, it is a process of healing, making body powerful and balancing it physically, mentally and spiritually. Yoga is Sanskrit word derived from Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ means “to attach, join, harness”. Person who practice yoga and follows the philosophy with all the commitments is called a yogi (male) or a yogini (female).
As per ancient Indian philosophy, yoga is being practiced since 5000 years and was first mentioned in Rig Veda. It is an art through which we can calm our body and mind by doing physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation.
There are many Holy Scriptures that proves sages and people doing yoga since ages. Lord Shiva is considered as the first yogi and the father of yoga. It is said that he passed his knowledge to sages, goddess, deity, demons and the humans. Lord Shiva meditating in Lotus pose represents that how someone can calm their body by meditating and doing yoga.
The oldest written book about yoga which is still in record is Yoga Sutra. Written by saint Patanjali, the book is nearly 2000 years old, which guides an individual to master the mind, control the emotions and grow spiritually.
Swami Vivekananda had also played a major role in reintroducing Yoga to the people of India and to the western world. He organized various world conferences where he taught people about the importance of Yoga and described Yoga as the Science of mind.
Yoga is practiced by the people of all ages. The techniques that our ancestors and sages used were very harsh and can only be performed by the regular practitioners. Hence, for the modern generation yoga was developed and made easier so that they can experience the taste of bliss while practicing the art.
Few facts about yoga are:
- Individuals practicing yoga lives longer as compared to the general individual.
- Doga a type of yoga started by Suzi Teitelman in New York in 2002, uses dogs as a prop.
- Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are the eight branches of yoga.
- There are 196 Yoga sutras.
- There are 84 classic types of Asana in yoga.
- Paramahansa Yogananda taught Kriya yoga to the millions across the world.
- B K S Iyengar is credited as the first modern yoga teacher in the world.
- Ancient yogis focused slow and deep breath as they believed that an individual have a limited number of breaths in his lifetime.
- The first international yoga day was organized in June 21, 2015.
