Yoga! History Vs Modern Day

For a while, yoga was a loose conception and was difficult to pin down the actual meaning. It was more a notion of meditation and a religious practice than it was exercise as we know today.

Yoga, which originated in India, is an activity that has been practiced for thousands of years and since its conception, there have been different factions that developed over time. Yoga originally focused on applying and understanding the world. Later its focus changed to the self. Self-enlightenment and well-being became the ultimate goal. It is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline and is more than just mastering postures and increasing your strength and flexibility.

People often associate yoga with the stances and postures which make up the physical activity of the exercise; however, it has become clear that there are so many more aspects of yoga. In Hinduism and Buddhism the word yoga means "spiritual discipline."

In the 3rd century B.C., references to the term "yoga" became more common in Hindu and Buddhist writings as a meditative and spiritual practice as we know now was referred to as Yogachara which involved eight steps of meditation that was known as "calmness" or "insight."

Around the 5th century, it became more of an established core idea among Hindus and Buddhists. In the earlier stages, these ancient versions of yoga were mostly spiritual practices, revolving around several core values.

It was not until the sixth century B.C. that the poses and meditation became a critical element. The Buddhist teachings are where the meditation and poses were implemented.

The term "yoga," however, is found in ancient India's earliest known scripts - the Vedas. During this period the Vedic priests who completely avoided any forms of indulgence and were extremely self-disciplined, carried on sacrifices in poses that some researchers believe set the precedence to the yoga poses we see today.

Yoga Today

By the 20th Century many classes in the U.S. were taught by numerous Indian teachers and in the 1980's is where yoga became more popular due to the first health benefits being reported. Yoga was seen as a practice that can improve your health and fitness rather than bring you to a place of virtue.

Since then, many scientific studies have found that yoga comes with a vast variety of health benefits: It reduces anxiety, depression, chronic pain and high blood pressure. Its ability to decrease stress as well as reduce the risk for chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are other known benefits. On top of that, it also improves circulation, muscle strength and cardiac function. It has also been implemented within some weight loss programs.

There are five basic principles created in modern yoga

• Proper relaxation

• Proper diet

• Proper exercise

• Proper breathing

• Positive thinking and meditation

Perhaps knowing a little bit more about yoga's ancient spiritual origins as well as its modern day health benefits will help you gain more out of the activity and not just see it as another exercise class at the gym or something that makes your muscles sore. Having the knowledge will give you a much better experience when you implement this into your daily life not only to promote better health but also your overall well-being.