Yoga
A Practical Yoga Guide for Beginners for Increased Health, Well-Being and Longevity
2015 by Baika Goshin
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Table of Contents
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Introduction
In this book you will find proven steps and strategies on how you can use yoga to enhance your health and spiritual well-being.
Yoga has its beliefs anchored in Hinduism, Brahmanism and Buddhism and was developed in the southern regions of India. Yoga was developed from the observation and emulation of animal postures and habits to develop grace, wisdom and strength. The male yoga practitioner is called a yogini whereas the female practitioner is the yogini.
There are several schools or systems of yoga such as the Bhaktiyoga (yoga through devotion), Dnyanayoga (yoga through knowledge), Hatha yoga (yoga by balancing opposite principles of body), Karmayoga (Yoga through action), and Rajayoga (Royal or supreme yoga). These schools of yoga are not markedly different from each other but are like threads of the same cloth, entangled into each other.
Contemporary western approaches to yoga are not based on any religious belief. Yoga is about leading a disciplined life in which the yoga postures are practiced. These postures are aimed at helping the body to remain lithe and to have the capacity to endure long periods of stillness during meditation.
Yoga is unlike any other form of exercise which starts as a fad and is quickly forgotten. It has endured through many years and in fact it has been around for more than 5,000 years.
Yoga is the ultimate workout since it achieves more than just burning calories and toning body muscles. It is the total mind and body workout which is a combination of strengthening and stretching poses, deep breathing and meditation.
Chapter 1:
The History of Yoga
Yoga is based on Brahmanism which was captured in sacred scriptures called Vedas. Vedas are inscriptions and incantations and some of the oldest texts such as the Rg-Veda dating back 5000 years was the first to explore yoga. The fourth text referred to as the Atharva-Veda, dwells on magical rites and health cures that use medicinal plants.
The two major systems of yoga are Hatha and Raja Yoga. The Raja yoga is based on the "Eight Limbs of Yoga" developed by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. Raja is very much a part of the classical Indian System of Hindu Philosophy.
The Hatha yoga which is also referred to as Hatha vidya was founded by Swatmarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century. Swatmarama compiled the Hatha Yoga Pradipika which was derived from a number of different traditions. It comes from the traditions of Buddhism which include the Hinayana (narrow path) and Mahayana (great path). Hatha yoga works through the physical medium of the body using postures, breathing exercises and cleansing practices. Buddhism also emphasizes the importance of meditation and the practice of physical postures.
Other literature which touches on yoga is the spiritual Bhagavad-Gita where it is used as a spiritual means. It is from this context that Patanjali derived and developed the eight limbs of yoga.
The yoga sutra is a compilation of 195 statements that provide an ethical guide describing a moral life as well as incorporating the science of yoga. The compilation was done over 2000 years ago by an Indian sage called Patanjali and become the cornerstone for the classical yoga philosophy.
Posture and breath control which are the two fundamental practices of yoga are described as the third (asana) and fourth (pranayama) limbs in Patanjali's eight-limbed path to self-realization. The third practice of the postures is essentially what makes up today's modern yoga.
The above mentioned eight limbs of yoga are:
A. The Yamas (the restraints)
They are best described as the moral code of yoga which governs how an individual should live his/her life. They described the social conduct. Examples of the Yamas are:
- Non-violence (ahimsa) do not intentionally hurt a living creature.
- Non-thievery (asteya) do not steal.
- Non-possessiveness (aparigraha) you should not hoard and stay free from greed and material desires.
- Non-lust (brahmacharya) can be interpreted two-fold; avoid meaningless sexual encounters and practice moderation in sex and in all things.
- Truth and honesty (satya) do not lie.
B. The Niyamas (observances)
These deal with how we instill the inner discipline and how to treat ourselves. Some of the observances are:
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