3 Things You Might Not Know About the Teachings of Yoga

Yoga is increasingly growing in popularity, with over 55 million people regularly practising Yoga around the world in 2020. Modern Yoga has become its own culture and has given birth to a whole new industry. 

Yoga has never been more popular, especially over lockdown, Yoga was one of the biggest trends that was seen across social media. But Yoga is far more than just a form of exercise or “instagramable posts”. Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and is believed to have started with the dawn of civilisation.

There are so many beautiful things to learn about this ancient practice, including Yoga’s rich history and the development of modern Yoga.

Here are a few things you might not know about the teachings of Yoga:

What actually is Yoga?

Yoga is an ancient practice that involves movement, physical poses, concentration and breath work. The philosophy of yoga aims to bring harmony between mind, body and spirit, so that they are united. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit origin ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. 

But Yoga is also more far reaching than this, it’s not just about oneself it’s also about harmonising with the universe, “It is the technology of aligning individual geometry with the cosmic, to achieve the highest level of perception and harmony.”

Is Yoga a religious practice?

This is one of the most common misconceptions about yoga. Yoga does not adhere to one particular religion or community. Although being a spiritual practice, yoga itself is not a religion. Due to the philosophy that yoga holds, there has always been a close relationship between Hinduism and the Yoga practice as Yoga has always been seen as a technology to achieve a higher inner wellbeing. Anyone who actively practices Yoga can reap the benefits, regardless of ethnicity, faith or culture.

What are the different styles of Yoga?

Modern yoga has given birth to its many different styles. There are so many different styles of yoga allowing you to tailor your yoga practice, to benefit your needs. When looking to start practising yoga it’s important to research what style of yoga you might enjoy the most and what your aims are.  Here are a few of the most common styles of yoga and their main focus:

HATHA YOGA

Hatha yoga is the most popular style. It covers all the traditional aspects of yoga such as body awareness, breathing and meditation. The main aims are to learn how to breath, relax and meditate during the class using very basic postures. 

VINYASA YOGA

Vinyasa Yoga is more dynamic style, Vinyasa connects movement to breath, with consistent flow. One posture after another is joined seamlessly creating a pattern of postures and movements. This style is a bit faster and is better if you’re looking for a higher intensity exercise.  

KUNDALINI YOGA

Kundalini Yoga is a spiritual style that encourages meditation and incorporates simple postures. This is a less physical style of Yoga, but it is all about finding clarity and releasing energy through the spine. 

IYENGAR YOGA

This is a slower form of Yoga where poses are held for 1 minute. The main concentration is having the correct alignment of the spine. This style of Yoga is good for anyone who has suffered an injury or people who don’t engage in much physical exercise. 

There are always more new and exciting things to learn when it comes to Yoga and its history. I hope this gives you a better understanding of what Yoga is really about and helps you on your Yoga journey.