Learn about Yoga

The Meaning of Yoga

Yoga is a popular discipline that originated in ancient India. It is an amalgamation of mental, physical and spiritual disciplines to achieve harmony in all walks of life. The general meaning of yoga is ‘uniting’, and the term ‘Yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Yoke’. This widely practised systematic discipline consists of several techniques. Some of them include breath control, different types of asanas, positive thinking, diet control, and meditation.

Yoga, as a powerful discipline, provides a wide range of benefits. Thus, it is adopted by millions of people across the globe; a half-million Americans regularly practise it. On the other hand, thousands of individuals are signing up for yoga classes every year in India; it is to learn how to channelise this practice correctly under skilful trainers. Due to the growing popularity of this ancient Indian discipline, ‘International Yoga Day’ was incepted and celebrated for the first time on 21st June 2015.

These days, people perform yoga for all kinds of reasons. Be it to heal from an illness, to gain inner peace of mind, to develop strength, to increase flexibility, to reduce stress, to detoxify your organs and more. There are different yoga asanas to heal today’s illnesses, even obesity to an extend. So, click here to know more about the benefits.

For example, if you want to get rid of your obesity, then, here are certain posters that could help you achieve your dream, such as:

• Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
• Bow (Dhanurasana)
• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana B)
• Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
• Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)

A Brief History of Yoga

The history of yoga is genuinely long and rich. Its origins have been speculated to pre-Vedic Indian traditions. Yoga is highly likely to be developed as a systematic study around the 5th and 6th centuries BCE. It is said that yoga is one amongst the Astika schools of Hindu philosophical traditions and was started practising during the Indus valley civilization around 3000 BCE. It is believed that the term ‘Yoga’ was first noticed in the Rig Veda, which is the oldest sacred texts.

The history of yoga can be classified into 4 periods: Pre-Classical, Classical, Post-Classical and Modern period yoga. This discipline, as a whole, was first introduced by Swami Vivekananda to the west. Yoga is mainly a spiritual discipline to bring balance in the body and mind and it follows seven spiritual laws viz.

• Pure Potentiality
• Detachment
• Giving and Receiving
• Least Effort
• Intention and Desire
• Karma and
• Dharma

Different Forms of Yoga

There are many ways to practice yoga because there are various forms with different benefits. However, it is always advisable to seek experts' guidance before practising it as there are poses that are not good for a certain health condition. Amongst all the existing, here is a list of some of the most common yoga types to consider.

• Hatha Yoga
• Vinyasa yoga
• Bikram yoga
• Ashtanga yoga
• Iyengar yoga
• Kundalini yoga
• Yin yoga
• Prenatal yoga
• Kripalu yoga
• Anusara yoga

On the other hand, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras has eight powerful limbs to follow for living a peaceful life. Each limb serves as a code to cultivate something unique in life, leading to liberation. To know more in details, click here. The list of the limbs are:

• Yama (abstinences)
• Niyama (observances)
• Asana (postures)
• Pranayama (breath control)
• Pratyahara (withdrawal sense)
• Dharana (concentration)
• Dhyana (meditation) and
• Samadhi (absorption)

Cost of Yoga Class in Different Cities

There are a countless number of passionate yoga trainers who are ready to offer classes to interested students. According to a study conducted in 2017, it is estimated that there are about 300 million yoga practitioners around the world. You can also find institutes if you’re looking for one to get enrolled. It depends entirely on you to decide whether you choose a personal trainer or an institute, depending on your requirements. But, when it comes to fee, it differs as per several factors, depending on the institute and trainer.

Moreover, the fee structure may vary as per city to city and from locality to locality. So, you can make use of UrbanPro fee calculator to find out the estimated fee in your preferred areas.