Does Long Island Yoga sound interesting, but you're not sure what's involved? It might help if you know a bit of Yoga's rich history.
Yoga was first developed thousands of years ago, before written language even came into being. Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more. The common mistake people make is to assume that Yoga came about because of Hinduism; in truth, Hinduism was developed much, much later. Once it was developed, it went on to incorporate some of Yoga's practices.
The tradition of Yoga has always been passed on individually from teacher to student through oral teaching and practical demonstration. Because of this Yoga has been enhanced by every teacher to ever pass on its techniques to a student. This has been repeated hundreds upon hundreds of times in its 5,000 year old history.
One of the earliest texts having to do with Yoga was compiled by a scholar named Patanjali, who set down the most prevalent Yoga theories and practices of his time in a book he called Yoga Sutras ("Yoga Aphorisms") as early as the 1st or 2nd century B.C. or as late as the 5th century A.D. He wrote about a system known as "Asthanga Yoga", which means "the eight limbs of Yoga". This is what we refer to when we speak of Classical Yoga today. Most current participants in Yoga today practice some form of Patanjali's system.
The eight steps of Classical Yoga are:
1. yama, which means to show restraint and refrain from unnecessary violence, casual sex, theft, lying, and the hoarding of possessions.
2. niyama, meaning "observance" - purity, contentment, tolerance, study, and remembrance.
3. asana, which refers to muscular exercise.
4. pranayama, the use of breathing techniques.
5. pratyahara, which refers to preparing the mind for meditation.
6. dharana, the ability to focus the mind on a particular image or object for a specified time.
7. dhyana, the ability to the mind on one thing for an indefinite amount of time.
8. samadhi, absorption, or realization of the essential nature of the self.
Modern western Yoga classes generally focus on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th steps.
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! Love to sweat? Give Long Island hot yoga a try, and you won't be disappointed!
Yoga was first developed thousands of years ago, before written language even came into being. Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more. The common mistake people make is to assume that Yoga came about because of Hinduism; in truth, Hinduism was developed much, much later. Once it was developed, it went on to incorporate some of Yoga's practices.
The tradition of Yoga has always been passed on individually from teacher to student through oral teaching and practical demonstration. Because of this Yoga has been enhanced by every teacher to ever pass on its techniques to a student. This has been repeated hundreds upon hundreds of times in its 5,000 year old history.
One of the earliest texts having to do with Yoga was compiled by a scholar named Patanjali, who set down the most prevalent Yoga theories and practices of his time in a book he called Yoga Sutras ("Yoga Aphorisms") as early as the 1st or 2nd century B.C. or as late as the 5th century A.D. He wrote about a system known as "Asthanga Yoga", which means "the eight limbs of Yoga". This is what we refer to when we speak of Classical Yoga today. Most current participants in Yoga today practice some form of Patanjali's system.
The eight steps of Classical Yoga are:
1. yama, which means to show restraint and refrain from unnecessary violence, casual sex, theft, lying, and the hoarding of possessions.
2. niyama, meaning "observance" - purity, contentment, tolerance, study, and remembrance.
3. asana, which refers to muscular exercise.
4. pranayama, the use of breathing techniques.
5. pratyahara, which refers to preparing the mind for meditation.
6. dharana, the ability to focus the mind on a particular image or object for a specified time.
7. dhyana, the ability to the mind on one thing for an indefinite amount of time.
8. samadhi, absorption, or realization of the essential nature of the self.
Modern western Yoga classes generally focus on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th steps.
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! Love to sweat? Give Long Island hot yoga a try, and you won't be disappointed!
About the Author:
Sole Pilates and Yoga is one of the newest and most popularLong Island yoga studios in Suffolk County. Attend one of their Long Island yoga classes as soon as you can!
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