Yoga: History & Benefits

Yoga: History & Benefits

As a 200 hour RYT, I felt obligated to share a post on the importance of yoga, in general. It’s been a while since I taught in a studio, but I still feel like a veteran in the practice.

Yoga is something that works through us with our mind, body, and spirit. Even if you are not spiritual, you can still feel the physical benefits of this practice. Here’s a fun fact: it used to be a male dominating practice.

So let’s go back a bit in history. Yoga has been a practice that is well over 5,000 years old, however, that is only as far as evidence shows. It could be about 10,000 years old. Basically, yoga has been around for quite some time. The word ‘yoga’ first came about in the Rig Veda, which is the oldest sacred text, in Northern India over 5,000 years ago. The Vedas contained songs, rituals, and manuals in a collection of texts by the Brahmans, who were the Vedic priests. Eventually, it turned into something called the Upanishads, which contains over 200 scriptures. { via }

So, it was about 3000 BCE when yoga first came into existence. There were scriptures that turned into something known as Bhagavad- Gita, which is one of the most important scriptures that contain 6 of the now 8 sutras. The philosophy is to do ones’ duty and expect nothing in return. Hatha yoga was born around 1100 BC. It wasn’t until 1893 that yoga became known in the USA. { via }

The yoga sutras of Patanjali, also known as the 8 limbs of yoga, include:

  1. Yama (restraints): Ahimsa (Non-Violence), Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (Non-Stealing), Brahmacharya (Celibacy), Aparigraha (Non-Coveting)

  2. Niyama (observances): Saucha (Purification), Santosa (Contentment), Tapas (Asceticism), Svadhyaya (Study), Ishvara Pranidhana (Dedication to God/Master)

  3. Asana (posture)

  4. Pranayama (breath control)

  5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)

  6. Dharana (concentration)

  7. Dhyana (meditation)

  8. Samadhi (pure concentration)

    { via }

NOW let’s get into the benefits:

  1. Physically:

    • increased muscled tone

    • increased flexibility

    • balanced metabolism

    • weight loss

    • injury prevention

    • better performance in sports

  2. Mentally:

    • reduced stress

    • help to reduce insomnia

    • mental clarity

    • body awareness

    • better concentration

    • self soothing

      { via }

Yoga is something that I started when I was around 13 years old and have never really looked back. It’s become a part of my routine to do some sort of stretching after each work out.

Keep in mind that any form of stretching is considered yoga, so even if you’re skeptical and you’ve never taken a class, just know that in order for your body to recover from any work out, your body needs stretching to perform at its best.

Have you taken a yoga class before? What were your thoughts? Let me know :)

Love you,

Ash x

5 Benefits of Strength Training

5 Benefits of Strength Training