Want to go to some Long Island yoga classes, but you don’t even know what it entails? Read on about Yoga’s rich history and see if what’s worked for thousands of years and millions of people will work for you.
Yoga is so ancient that it was developed well before even the written word. Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more. People tend to make the mistake that Yoga was created as a result of Hindusim; in reality, Hinduism came about much later, though it did incorporate some of the traditions of Yoga into its religious structure.
The tradition of Yoga has always been passed on individually from teacher to student through oral teaching and practical demonstration. Because of this Yoga has been enhanced by every teacher to ever pass on its techniques to a student. This has been repeated hundreds upon hundreds of times in its 5,000 year old history.
The first book known to have been written on the subject of Yoga is the Yoga Sutras, written by the scholar Patanjali in the late B.C. or early A.D. period. His book incorporated all of the traditions and practices of Yoga as they were known in his time. He wrote about a system known as “Asthanga Yoga”, which means “the eight limbs of Yoga”. This is what we refer to when we speak of Classical Yoga today. Some variation of the system Patanjali wrote about is what most adherents of Yoga practice today.
Classical Yoga contains eight critical steps. These are:
1. yama, the showing of restraint in engaging in such activities as violence, casual sex, the hoarding of possessions, lying, and stealing.
2. niyama, meaning to observe contentment and tolerance, to remember life’s lessons, and to achieve purity.
3. asana, meaning “physical exercises”.
4. pranayama, meaning “breathing techniques”.
5. pratyahara, which refers to preparing the mind for meditation.
6. dharana, the ability to concentrate and focus the mind on a specific object for a set amount of time.
7. dhyana, the ability to the mind on one thing for an indefinite amount of time.
8. samadhi, absorption, or realization of the essential nature of the self.
Steps 3, 4, and 5 are the usual focus of modern western classes.
Yoga has been in the United States since the late 1800s, but it did not become popular until the 1960s and the cultural revolution that took place. Yoga eventually gained acceptance as a great means of reducing stress and improving health as its beneficial effects became widely known.
Want to see what Yoga can do for you? Make your way to your local Yoga studio and give it a try! And give Long Island hot yoga a try if you like to sweat during your workout.
Sole Pilates and Yoga is the hottest Long Island yoga studio on Huntington. Visit their site and attend one of their Long Island yoga classes today!
