FEEL & LOOK GOOD: EXPLORING THE MYSTERY OF YOGA
Read up on yoga in David Simon and Deepak Chopra's "Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga" For further information on meditation, you can also read: Read Stephen Bodian's "Meditation For Dummies"
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Exploring the Mystery of Yoga
Yoga is a classic exercise regime that many people say has transformed their lives and their wellbeing. So what does yoga do for you, and what's the evidence? The Best You explores.
Yoga - the history
The term "yoga" fi rst appears in Hindu scripture around 400 BC, where it is defi ned as the steady control of the senses alongside stopping mental activity, aimed at leading to a higher state of consciousness. Yoga fi rst came into being as a
recognisable system in the fi rst centuries of the Christian Era in India. The "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", a collection of writings aimed at spiritual consciousness included a strong element of meditation, breath control and physical exercise. The "Yoga Sutras" pulled together a very long tradition of yogic practice. Patanjali's yoga is about meditation and control of the mind. What we think of as yoga in the West comes from Hatha yoga, fi rst formulated around 900 AD.
It combines meditation, breathing control and the adoption of certain postures that can be strenuous. Yoga fi rst came to the mass Western public
in the 19th Century. In the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda toured Europe and the US teaching his system. In the 1960s, interest in Hindu sprituality
reached a peak, leading to a yoga boom. The second "boom" followed on in the 1980s, in which it was advocated as a form of exercise, and largely separated from its associations with 60s counter-culture spirituality. Today, there are 20 million yoga followers in the US alone.
The translated meaning of the word "yoga" is to "join" or "unite."
Following the translation, the purpose of yoga is to unite the body, mind and spirit.
Yoga originated in India over 5000 years ago.
Approximately 16 million Americans currently practice yoga and the number increases annually.