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| What is Yoga? Yoga is a system of health which originated nearly 5000 years ago in ancient India. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “yug”, which means “to unify” and also can be translated as “discipline”. Therefore yoga was originally conceived of as a “unitive discipline” - a regimen of self-care dedicated to bringing all aspects of the human being - physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual - into harmony toward the goal of peace, vitality and healing. Yoga is truly a process of realizing one’s highest potential by employing a number of specific methods and techniques. Such techniques include physical postures, breath work, meditation (focusing the mind) and self-awareness. Yoga is a vast system which, when practiced, replenishes the body’s energy reserves, restores balance to all systems within the body and strengthens the nervous and immune system. The techniques and methods affect the entire body from joints and muscles to nerves and internal organs. What Yoga is Not. ... Yoga is not a religion. People of the Hindu faith were the developers of yoga, but yoga is not Hindu. It was developed as a scientific regimen of health that would result in well-being. Yoga has no dogma or rules to abide by, only simple observances meant to enhance one’s life. Yoga, in fact, can be a very powerful tool for enhancing one’s own faith by integrating it into breath, movement and thought - essentially, by embodying it. Yoga is not acrobatic nor it is only for flexible people. As we have seen the purpose of yoga is not to contort but rather it is a method of creating and sustaining well-being and vitality. This is regardless of the student’s starting point. Flexibility and physical health are real and attainable by-products of the process of yoga not it’s sole focus. Yoga is not just for women. Yoga in it’s ideal form has an equal balance of masculine and feminine qualities. |
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