Yoga is a mind-body exercise with historical origins in ancient Indian philosophy. Different styles of yoga unite body postures, breathing methods, and relaxation or meditation.

In 5,000 years of yoga history, the term “yoga” has experienced a renaissance in today’s society, swapping the loincloth for a leotard and leggings.

Yoga is now popular as a type of physical exercise based on asanas (physical assessments) to encourage greater control of the body and mind and improve well-being, helping to avoid many spinal problems and back pain.

Here are some facts about yoga:

• The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj” which means “to unite or unite.” Some people take this to mean a union of mind and body.

• According to a 2008 market study, there are about 16 million people in the United States who practice yoga and spend at least $5.7 billion on yoga equipment per year.

• Hatha yoga is the most commonly practiced type of yoga in Western culture. “Ha” means “sun” and “tha” means “moon”.

• There are many styles of yoga. An individual’s fitness level and desirable practice outcome determine the type of yoga class they are best suited to.

• There have been more than 7,369 yoga-related accidents treated in doctors’ offices, clinics and emergency areas in 2010 according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

• Overstretching the spine, neck, legs, shoulders, and knees, as well as repetitive strain, are just a few common yoga injuries.

• Even the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) believes that the rewards of yoga outweigh the potential physical dangers.

• Yoga is described as having eight limbs or branches: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyhara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.

• Practicing yoga has many potential health benefits, including relieving lower back pain, helping to control anxiety, and increasing flexibility and balance.

• There is some evidence to suggest that pregnant women who take yoga courses are much less likely to experience problems in later pregnancy and childbirth.

The background of yoga

There is no written document of the inventor of yoga. Yogis (yoga practitioners) practiced yoga long before there was any written account of it. Yogis over the millennia passed the discipline on to their students, and several distinct schools of yoga developed as the practice expanded in scope and international fame.

Sanskrit, the Indo-European terminology for the Vedas, India’s earliest spiritual texts, also gave rise to the literature and method of yoga. The “Yoga Sutra,” a 2,000-year-old treatise on the yogic doctrine of the Indian sage Patanjali, is a type of guidebook that provides guidance on how best to gain control over the mind and emotions and advice on spiritual development, providing the framework on which the yoga practiced today is based.

The Yoga Sutra is the oldest written record of yoga and also one of the oldest texts on life.

The Sanskrit word “yoga” has many translations and can be translated in various ways. Many translations point to translations of “to unite”, “to unite” or “to focus” – essentially a form of unity or a process of discipline. A man who practices this subject is known as a yogi or yogin and a professional woman is known as a yogini.

The positions that are now an integral component of health and fitness in many facilities around the world were not initially a dominant part of yoga traditions in India. Fitness was not a primary training goal; the focus has been placed on other practices such as pranayama (expansion of very important energy through breathing), Dharana (concentration or location of the emotional faculty), also nothing (sound).

Yoga began to gain recognition in the West in the late 19th century, with an explosion of interest in Pilates in the 1920s and 1930s, first in India and then in the West.

different types of yoga

Modern forms of yoga have evolved significantly to exercise with a focus on strength, flexibility, and breathing to improve physical and mental well-being. There are many types of yoga, and no style is more authentic or superior to another; the secret is to choose a class that is right for your fitness level.

Types and styles of yoga:

1. Ashtanga-yoga: There are ancient yoga teachings dating back to the 1970s that state that each of the six sequences of poses links each movement of the body rapidly.
2. Bikram yoga: kept in air-conditioned rooms at temperatures of almost 105 degrees and 40% humidity, so Bikram is a collection of 26 poses and a chain of two breathing exercises.
3. Hatha Yoga: a generic term for any type of yoga that teaches physical postures. When a class is labeled “hatha,” it’s usually a gentle introduction to the fundamental yoga poses.
4. Iyengar Yoga: he focused on placing proper alignment in each pose and using props such as blocks, blankets, straps, chairs, and cushions to achieve this
5. Jivamukti yoga: Meaning “liberation in life,” Jivamukti yoga emerged in 1984, integrating religious teachings and design vinyasa exercises. Each class has a theme, which is explored through yoga scripture, chanting, meditation, asana, pranayama, and song, and can be physically extreme.
6. kripalu yoga: teaches practitioners to know, accept and learn from his system. In a Kripalu class, each student chooses to find their own level of training on a particular night of the day looking ahead. Courses usually begin with breathing exercises and gentle stretching, accompanied by a collection of patient poses and final relaxation.
7. Kundalini Yoga: The Sanskrit word kundalini means coiled up, like a snake. Kundalini Yoga is a meditation system aimed at the discharge of kundalini energy. A class usually starts with rebounding and ends with chanting, also between asana attributes, pranayama and meditation aimed at achieving a specific result.
8. power-yoga: an energetic and athletic type of yoga accommodated in the traditional Ashtanga method in the late 1980s.
9. Sivananda: a system based on a five point philosophy which holds that proper breathing, relaxation, diet, exercise and positive thinking work together to produce a healthy yogic way of life. He commonly uses the same 12 basic asanas, backed up by sun salutations and savasana gifts.
10. Vinyoga: Designed to fit anyone regardless of physical ability, viniyoga educators must be trained and tend to be experts in anatomy and treatment.
11. yin: a calm and meditative yoga exercise, also known as Taoist yoga. Yin yoga allows you to release tension in the joints: ankles, knees, buttocks, the entire back, neck and shoulders. Yin gifts are passive, which means that the muscles must be relaxed while gravity does the work.
12. Prenatal Yoga: Yoga postures carefully adapted for pregnant people. Prenatal yoga is made to help people through all phases of pregnancy and can help people get back into shape after pregnancy.
13. Restorative Yoga: a relaxing form of yoga, reversing a course in four or five simple poses using props such as blankets and braces to sink into deep relaxation without exerting any effort to carry out the pose.

Benefits of doing yoga

1. Improve your flexibility

Increased flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. Throughout your first class, you probably won’t have the ability to touch your toes, let alone do a backbend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually the seemingly impossible poses will become potential. You will probably also notice that the aches and pains begin to disappear. That’s not a coincidence. Tight shoulders can spawn knee joint as a result of improper alignment of the thigh and shin bones. Tight hamstrings can result in a part of the lumbar spine, which can lead to back pain. And a lack of flexibility in muscles and connective tissues, such as fascia and ligaments, can lead to poor posture.

2. Build muscle strength

Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain and help prevent falls in older men and women. When you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you were to simply move to the gym and lift weights, you could build strength at the cost of flexibility.

3. Perfect your posture

Your head is like a bowling ball: big, round, and strong. When your head is perfectly balanced on an upright column, there’s less work for your back and neck muscles to help support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you’ll start to tighten those muscles, too. Imagine holding a bowling ball while leaning forward for eight to 12 hours each day—no wonder you’re tired! And fatigue might not be your only problem. Poor posture can cause neck, back, and other joint and muscle problems. As you slump, your body can compensate for the flattening of the standard inner curves in your neck and lower back. This can result in pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

4. Prevents the breakdown of joints and cartilage

Every time you practice yoga, you simply take your muscles through their entire range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by “squeezing and soaking” regions of cartilage that are not normally used. Articular cartilage is like a sponge; it receives new nutrients only if its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be absorbed. Without proper support, damaged regions of cartilage can eventually wear away, exposing worn brake pads similar to underlying bone.

5. Protect your spine

Spinal discs, the shock absorbers between vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves, crave movement. That is the only way they receive their food. Once you practice doing a well-balanced asana pose with lots of forward bends, backbends, and twists, you’ll be able to keep your spinal discs flexible.

6. It helps you focus

An important component of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores. Those who practice Transcendental Meditation demonstrate and gain the ability to better recall information and solve problems because their concentration is better. They are less distracted by their thoughts, which can sometimes play over and over like an endless loop.