A Long Island Yoga Studio’s Take On The History Of Yoga
Looking into Long Island yoga classes for your exercise needs, but you don’t know more than the name? Read on about Yoga’s rich history and see if what’s worked for thousands of years and millions of people will work for you.
Yoga was first developed thousands of years ago, before written language even came into being. Carved images of figures in Yoga positions were discovered during archeological digs in the Indus Valley. These carvings date back 5,000 years or more! A lot of people make the mistake that Yoga is rooted in Hinduism; in reality, Hinduism came about much later, though it did incorporate some of the traditions of Yoga into its religious structure.
Traditionally, Yoga and its teachings have been passed down from teacher to student solely orally and through demonstration. The many techniques that encompass Yoga are based on the collective knowledge and experience of many, many teachers over the course of several thousand years.
The first book known to have been written on the subject of Yoga is the Yoga Sutras, written by the scholar Patanjali in the late B.C. or early A.D. period. His book incorporated all of the traditions and practices of Yoga as they were known in his time. He wrote about a system called “Astanga Yoga”, literally meaning “the eight limbs of Yoga”. This is what comprises the Classical Yoga system as it is known today. Some variation of the system Patanjali wrote about is what most adherents of Yoga practice today.
As evidenced by the name, Classical Yoga has eight steps to it:
1. yama, the showing of restraint in engaging in such activities as violence, casual sex, the hoarding of possessions, lying, and stealing.
2. niyama, meaning to observe contentment and tolerance, to remember life’s lessons, and to achieve purity.
3. asana, which means the physical exercises you should routinely do.
4. pranayama, the use of breathing techniques.
5. pratyahara, which refers to preparing the mind for meditation.
6. dharana, concentration, being able to hold the mind on one object for a specified time.
7. dhyana, meditation, the ability to focus on one thing (or nothing) indefinitely.
8. samadhi, or absorption. This refers to the realization of the essential nature of yourself.
Steps 3, 4, and 5 are the usual focus of modern western classes.
Yoga probably arrived in the United States in the late 1800s, but it did not become widely known until the 1960s, as part of the youth culture’s growing interest in anything Eastern. Yoga eventually gained acceptance as a great means of reducing stress and improving health as its beneficial effects became widely known.
Ready for Yoga? Make your way to your local Yoga studio and give it a try! And if you want to heat it up, get involved in a Long Island hot yoga class and sweat it off!
Sole Pilates and Yoga is the newest and most popular Long Island yoga studio in Suffolk County. Go to their website and come to one of their Long Island yoga classes today!
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