James - The Positive Power Of Yoga: Tips ,Exercises,Equipments and Instruction about Yoga

Yoga originated in the area of today's India and is a kind of philosophical teaching like in Europe, for example, the Stoa. It originated around 3,000 - 4,000 years ago and has been known ever since. The term yoga itself comes from Sanskrit and means something like binding together or tensing, but can also be interpreted as union or integration, which expresses the bringing together of body and soul.

According to philosophy, it is only through this union that one can become one with God. The representatives of Indian philosophy were called yogis and their teachings were not primarily concerned with promoting people's health and growing old. The yogis were much more concerned with meditating in order to be able to sit in the lotus position for as long as possible. This seat and other exercises, which were gradually developed, promoted the suppleness and mobility of the body in such a way that the mind could also be calmed. The lotus position is like a cross-legged position, as one would say in Europe, but the posture of the upper body should be kept as straight as possible.

Yoga is one of the six classical schools of Indian philosophy. These schools are also often called darshanas and there are many different types and forms of yoga, which also teach different practices and philosophies.

The type of yoga that is very popular especially in our climes and in North America is asana, which stands for the physical exercises. Asana is one of the paths taught by Patanjali. Patanjali was an Indian scholar and author of the Yoga Sutra. He probably lived in the 2nd century BC. and wrote this classic guide to yoga, which is why he is often referred to as the founder and father of modern yoga. Even if many people nowadays follow the asana, the other seven of the eight paths are also very relevant, especially if you want to strive for a higher level of serenity with this philosophy of life.

According to Patanjali, the eightfold path consists first of Yama, which requires correct social behavior in society and thus non-violence, non-stealing, sense control, incorruptibility and truthfulness. The second path is Niyama, which articulates personal rules of life. These include contentment, spiritual study, self-discipline, devotion, and purity. The third path is then the already mentioned asana, as far as body control is concerned. Pranayama is the fourth path, which is all about controlling energy through breathing techniques. Not to be confused with the fifth path, pratyahara. The aim is to develop the ability to direct the mind from the outside world inwards. The sixth path is Dharana, which concerns concentration, the seventh Dhyana, which relates to meditation and samadhi the last and eighth path which relates to contemplation. Contemplation in this context means a kind of looking at things in a concentrated attitude, through which one can attain pure cognition.