All About Yoga and Meditation

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Research on The History and Origin Of Yoga

YOGA is an ancient form of physical movement that has its roots in INDIAN culture and philosophy. The practice of YOGA employs the use of various physical motions that are believed to be essential to achieve a sense of both physical and mental well being. YOGA is not a religion, but rather it has developed over many centuries as a means of strengthening and energizing the physical body. The Indian 'darsana' or "sight; way of seeing" has six fundamental systems - one of them is Yoga.

Yoga Lifestyle

The Yoga path is a precise & accurate method for developing a greater clarity in helping us "see" & "know our inner-selves. The word Yoga means "unite". Yoga includes physical exercises to make you reach the ultimate goal of uniting your soul with the universe. Yoga is regarded as a divine science of life, revealed to enlightened sages in Meditation. Stone seals in the Indus Valley which date back to around 3000BC show Yogic postures and this is the earliest archaeological evidence of Yoga's origin. These Yogic postures, resemble Lord Shiva and Parvathi performing various Asians and practicing meditation. Mythical tradition, suggests that Lord Shiva is said to be the founder of Yoga and Paravathi his first disciple. The Vedas - huge collection of ancient INDIAN scriptures - dating back to 2500 BC first mention Yoga. Yoga was also mentioned in the Upanishads. Infact the Upanishads provide the main foundation of Yoga teachings. Even the 'Mahabharat' - an epic about INDIAN mythology which contains the Bhagwad Gita has instructions from Lord Krishna to Arjuna in Yoga to help him to achieve liberation by fulfilling one's duties in Life. The Yogic science arose at the beginning of human civilization was slowly evolved and developed by ancient sages all over the world. There are some traditions, which believe that Yoga was a divine gift that was given to mankind to help realize it's divine nature.

Now that we know how Yoga originated let's take a look at the various types of Yoga. Medical science has begun to pay attention to the effects of yoga as a therapy in recent times. Studies have shown, the relaxation in the corpse pose effectively relieves high blood pressure and that regular practice of the poses or postures (Asanas) and breathing exercises (Pranayama ) can help such a variety of ailments like arthritis, sclerosis, chronic fatigue, asthma, varicose veins, cardiac conditions, and women's health problems. Laboratory tests have also confirmed yoga's ability to allow one to consciously control autonomic (involuntary) functions of the body such as temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. But before you start the practice of YOGA it is essential to know which type of YOGA would be best suited to you. You should make this decision keeping your own nature in mind. Decide which form appeals to you the most. YOGA can be broadly classified into 8 main categories and there are 40 types.

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