“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” – The Bhagavad Gita
From Vinyasa yoga, Iyengar yoga, Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga, Bikram yoga., Ashtanga yoga, Restorative yoga and Yin Yoga; yoga is a physically challenging practice or a meditative and relaxing experience.
Working on the level of one’s body, mind, emotion and energy, yoga is also classified into karma yoga, where we utilise the body; bhakti yoga, where we utilise the emotions; gyana yoga, where we utilise the mind and intellect; and kriya yoga, where we utilise the energy.
Yoga is essentially a branch of religious and spiritual traditions that have been derived from Hinduism. Yoga is also known to be one of the six systems of Vedic philosophy’ the others being Vaishesika, Nyaya, Samkhya, Purva Mimansa and Vedanta or Uttara Mimansa.
Sages such as Konada, Gotama, Kapila, Patanjali, Jaimini and Vyasa, respectively are said to have founded these six systems of philosophy. These sages are believed to have spread yogic science to different parts of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa and South America.
Every year yoga sessions across the world are increasing and parks, yoga studios and fitness centers are seeing more people take an active interest in yoga. In totality, yoga is a combination of physical exercises, breathing techniques and meditation techniques that improve our overall wellbeing. People practising yoga report feeling less stressed and yoga helps to alleviate symptoms of the tug of war of the constant battle between anxiety and depression.
Poses such as Mountain pose (tadasana), Chair pose (Utkatasana), Downward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Uttanasana or Standing Forward Bend, Dhanurasana (back bending), Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II), Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), Tree Pose (Vrksasana), bridge pose ( Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), Shavasana, Corpse Pose, or Mritasana and Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana) are some of the commonly known yoga asanas.
However, pranayama or simply known as controlling your breath in different styles and lengths is the most fundamental form of yoga. Anulom-Vilom is the king of all pranayama, followed by other types such as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, Kapalabhati Pranayama, Bhramari Pranayama, Ujjayi Pranayama, and Bhastrika Pranayama.
Some of the commonly known schools for yoga in India are Kavailyadhama, Isha Yoga, The Yoga Institute (the oldest centre of yoga in the world), The Art of Living, Tapovan- Rishikesh and Inner Engineering.
Besides this, it is important to be aware of the different types of meditation practices such as mindfulness meditation, spiritual meditation, focused meditation, mantra meditation, transcendental meditation, progressive relation, etc.
Some of the most popular yoga teachers include Swami Kuvalyananda, Baba Ramdev, Patanjali (Sage Maharshi Patanjali), B. K. S. Iyengar, Jagdish Vasudev, also known as Sadhguru, Brahma Kumari Shivani (BK Shivani), Mohammed Yusuf and Sri Sri Ravi Shanker.
In yoga, the energy system is focused on and chakras are the seven centres of that system.
A chakra essentially means a disk or wheel that spins energy in the body with each chakra corresponding to certain nerve bundles and major organs. The seven chakra system includes Root Chakra, Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana), Navel Chakra (Manipura), Heart Chakra (Anahata), Throat Chakra (Vishuddha), Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) and Crown Chakra (Sahasrara).
“Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is.” — Richard Freeman
