Top 4 Yoga Benefits for Mental Health and Anxiety

YOGA AND ITS HISTORY

Yoga is a group of practices,

many of which those beneficial, helpful and mind-enriching practices that originated in India. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’ which means connection or fusion or to join; it simply refers to ‘uniting’ our individual souls to the almighty cosmic soul. It is a very vast term, covering a lot of practices and knowledge. It is the science of inner well being. We can understand more clearly about yoga if we about how it came to be and what is the history of yoga.

HISTORY OF YOGA

VEDIC AND PRE-VEDIC PERIOD: The history and origin of yoga closely relate to the Vedic and pre-Vedic periods, in the Indian subcontinent. The earliest mention of the word yoga is found in “Rig-Veda”, dating back to 1500 BC. However, to determine the exact date and timeline of Vedas is difficult since before being written down, Vedas were orally passed on from one generation to another.

PRE-CLASSICAL PERIOD (UPANISHAD ERA): Roughly between 700 BC and 500 BC Upanishads took birth. Out of the 108 Upanishads, there are 20 Upanishads describing yoga. They talk about different elements of yoga such as pranayama, pratyahara, Yama and dhyana.

CLASSICAL AND POST CLASSICAL PERIODS: Classical period saw many significant developments and additions in the whole philosophy of yoga. Lord Mahavira and Lord Buddha both spoke about meditation as a way toward enlightenment. Lord Krishna also taught about a number of variations of yoga in “Bhagawat Gita”. They were Dhyana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga.

Another notable and significant development that took place during this time was the Patanjali’s ‘Yoga Sutras’. Sage Patanjali was the first to systematize the whole philosophy and practice of yoga. He introduced Ashtanga yoga or the ‘eight limbs of yoga in his Yoga sutras. Later in the classical period, many other sages and yogis contributed to Yoga. Moreover, Hatha yoga, which includes the practice of asana, grew up to be more popular and to…

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