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What is Yoga?
Defining Yoga can prove a difficult task since it is a vast subject. But in essence, Yoga is about the union of body and mind.
Most people associate with Yoga a form of movement that is done with bare feet and on a Yoga mat. However, you can do Yoga pretty much everywhere and anyway you like.
The most important thing is to feel comfortable in your clothes and your location so that you can connect to your body in a more meaningful way.
Although many people only know Yoga as this physical practice, there is much more to it.
The practice of Yoga has been around for over 5,000 years. It was developed in India as a practice for physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
One of the oldest and most valuable documents on Yoga is the Yogasutra.
Today millions of people all around the world use Yoga as a way to enhance their life’s quality.
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The Benefits of Yoga
This Enhancement is achieved through different benefits of Yoga. Yoga can …
- lower your blood pressure
- help with depression and anxiety
- teach you focused breathing
- help you center your mind
- make you stronger and more flexible
- make you feel more in tune with your body
- make you sleep better at night
- make you lose weight
- nurture a happier mindset
Yoga Styles
This is only supposed to be a brief description of the different Yoga styles. I do plan on making separate Blog posts on them but for now, here is a quick overview:
Vinyasa Yoga
This style is currently one if not the most popular Yoga style. In Vinyasa you coordinate movements with your breath and flow from one pose into another.
Hatha Yoga
Although Hatha is a term that covers all of the Yoga styles, in recent years, it has become known as a slow-paced and easier practice.
Bikram Yoga
This style is designed to make you sweat! Bikram is all about practicing poses inside a sauna-like room, meaning it´s going to be hot and very humid.
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga practices focus on breathing throughout an intense and fast-paced flow of poses. This style will make you sweat!
Power Yoga
This style is high paced, builds muscles and makes you sweat.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini practice is designed to use breath and physical movement to free energy and let it move through all of the seven chakras.
Iyengar Yoga
The Goal of Iyengar is to bring the body into alignment. To do that, blankets, blocks and other gears will be used. The different poses are being held for long periods.
Anusara Yoga
Anusara is about the philosophy of goodness of all beings. This philosophy is practiced through light Yoga with teachings about the heart chakra.
Restorative Yoga
This Yoga type is focused on relaxing your body and mind. A lot of the poses are slightly modified to be easier and therefore more relaxing.
Yin Yoga
This style is a relaxed and slow-paced practice. The different poses are being held for several minutes, which can help you find your inner peace. The practice is a form of meditation.
This list is not final. There are more Yoga styles out there, and new ones will be developed.
Yoga Equiptment
Although Yoga equipment is not necessary to do Yoga, different styles may encourage the use of some tools.
- Yoga clothes (e. g. by Alo Yoga)
- Yoga Mat (I linked the one I am currently using)
- Yoga blocks
- Blankets
- Balance ball
- Straps
- Bolsters
- Wheels
Is Yoga for you?
If after all of this information you are still not sure if Yoga is for you, let´s break it down.
The probably most common concern most people have before starting Yoga is that they think they need to be flexible.
While being flexible might allow you to do a bit more tricky poses, it really isn´t necessary to begin
At the beginning, I myself had been mediocre flexible. I was able to touch my toes and lay my hands flat on the ground, but I was rather bad at doing a straddle or anything fancy.
When I started doing Yoga consistently, I didn´t stress myself about my flexibility. I just enjoyed the practice for what it was.
Then I remember my excitement when I suddenly, for the first time, was able to touch the ground with my heels in downward dog. It just happened automatically through stretching consistently during Yoga!
So don´t let your flexibility stop you from doing Yoga. If anything let it encourage you! If you stay consistent in your practice, you are definitely going to see some improvements in your flexibility!
Maybe you´d like to do Yoga, but you think it´s all about stretching and that bores you. Now again, you couldn’t be further from the truth!
As mentioned above, there are so many different Yoga types. Some can make you seriously sweat, and are basically a cardio session.
But throughout Yoga in general, I believe muscles are more involved than flexibility.
Especially in the beginning, you can feel yourself shake a lot if you have to hold a pose for more extended periods. Warrior poses for example really need muscular thighs, if you want to keep them for a while.
I personally have been the weakest in my wrists. If I did pushups, I would always feel the pain in my wrists first before I´d feel it in my arms.
And there are a lot of poses in Yoga where you have to put weight on your wrists, downward dog is only one example. What I noticed, however, is that my wrists do get stronger through consistent practice. And I love to feel that development of my body!
When you try out Yoga for the first time, it´s important not to judge hastily. If you did a Vinyasa Yoga class and it was too dull for you, don´t just throw in the towel and think that Yoga isn´t for you.
It´s as if you try to learn French but don´t enjoy it and then just say “Nah, I guess speaking a language isn´t something for me.”
Yoga is an umbrella term. As listed above there are a ton of different Yoga styles, and it´s very likely that you will enjoy one of them.
Please, don´t get discouraged easily! Try out different things and do your research. If you find a Yoga type that you like, it can improve your life a lot!
Yoga Sources
In the end, all that knowledge about Yoga won´t bring you very far. You will only know what it is, once you´ve experienced it.
So, if that should have convinced you and you are now hot to start Yoga, I have some of my favorite Yoga Sources down below.
You can start practicing Yoga comfortably from your home just like I did. But sooner or later I recommend you to participate in a Yoga class with an instructor.
Online Sources
Yoga with Adriene – This YouTube Channel is my personal favorite! It´s how I started practicing Yoga. Adriene is absolutely sweet, and her dog just makes you grin whenever he sits on her Yoga mat. I recommend you to do one of her 30 Days Challenges. Her practices are easy to follow, and after 30 days you already will notice some improvement.
Sjana Elise has her own YouTube Channel with some Yoga practices, but she mainly inspires me through her Instagram. Check it out! It really makes you want to live the happy Yogi lifestyle.
If you are interested in the Yoga vocabulary, check out DoYogaWithMe
Books
- Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
- Awakening the Spine by Vanda Scaravelli
- Living your Yoga by Judith Hanson Lasater
- The Tree of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
Hope you enjoyed this quick Yoga 101!
Now what about you, Felicity Seekers? Do you plan on starting a Yoga practice or have you already got some experience? Comment down below!
If you still have doubts about Yoga comment them as well. Our community might be able to help you.
