Yog Yoga And The Practice Of Yoga

Yoga is the practice of active stretching and also involves the art of meditation. No one knows when this practice started, but it predates written history. Various stone carvings have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley depicting figures in Yoga positions. These carvings are thought to be dating back to at least 5,000 years or more. The most common mistake people make is associating Hinduism with Yoga; Yoga, however, came along way before Hinduism evolved into a religion and incorporated the practices and ideas of Yoga into its religion. Yoga as a tradition has always been passed down from teacher to student through word of mouth and practical demonstration. Therefore, the practice of Yoga and its techniques are based solely on the combined experiences of individual spanning over thousands of years. One of the earliest documents about Yoga was written by a scholar named Patanjali; He established the most widely recognized theories and practices used in Yoga called Yoga Sutras dating between the 1st or 2nd century BC or as late as the 5th century AD. The method he compiled is known as “Ashtanga Yoga,” or the eight limbs of Yoga. This practice is what is commonly known today as Classical Yoga. The eight steps are:

1) yama, meaning “restraint” — refraining from violence, lying, stealing, casual sex, and hoarding;

2) niyama, meaning “observance” — purity, contentment, tolerance, study, and remembrance;

3) asana, physical exercises;

4) pranayama, breathing techniques;

5) pratyahara, preparation for meditation, described as “withdrawal of the mind from the senses”;

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 t...

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...ind, and increases your energy level. What you eat can immensely affect your mind. Improper diet results in mental inefficiency and blocking of spiritual awareness. A proper diet is one that sustains both mind and body. It should be well balanced and based on natural foods. Proper diet in yoga also means eating in moderation and eating only when you are hungry. We sometimes tend to eat when we are upset, using food to fill the gap or the emptiness that we feel. Food should nourish our body. It should keep the body light and flexible, the mind calm, and it should also help in keeping an indestructible immune system. The way we think can also highly affect our way of life. By practicing keeping a positive outlook on life, this will help enable having a peaceful mind. Positive thinking and meditation also help to you remove negative thoughts and put your mind at ease.