Interesting facts about yoga

Things You Didn't Know About Yoga

Yoga appeared several thousand years ago. During its existence, this practice has transformed and improved, new directions have appeared in it , but the essence has not changed. Today, yoga has millions of fans around the world. For those who already practice this teaching or are just planning to try their hand at it, some facts about yoga will certainly be interesting, allowing you to better understand its essence.

How did yoga begin?

It is now extremely difficult to determine when yoga appeared. But scientists have managed to find seals in the Indus River valley that depict people in appropriate poses. Presumably, these seals were made in the 3rd-2nd millennia BC.

In addition, a collection of ancient Sanskrit writings, the Vedas, has survived to this day. It is believed that they were written from about 1500 to 500 BC. The work includes:

Rigveda or Veda of hymns - in this part yoga is spoken of as a set of laws regulating all spheres of life;
Saavedu - Veda of chants;
Yajurveda – the Veda of sacrificial formulas;
Atharvavaedu – Veda of spells.

The first yoga manual is attributed to Patanjali, an Ayurvedic physician. He was the author of the Yoga Sutras. Meanwhile, excavations confirm that practices similar to yoga existed in ancient civilizations in Latin and South America.

Yoga is balance

Later, the philosophy of yoga was described in the treatise ""Bhagavad-gita"", which dates back to about the 3rd-1st millennium BC. It says that the practice of yoga should be part of the life of an ordinary person, not an ascetic hermit. The most difficult thing is to maintain harmony, without breaking away from the surrounding world and without succumbing to temptations, without becoming attached to the material.

The Bhagavad Gita says that the most difficult thing in yoga is to maintain harmony without being separated from the surrounding world and without succumbing to temptations.

By the way, there is an opinion that ancient yogis practiced under the influence of the divine drink of immortality. It was made from the soma plant, which has both an intoxicating and healing effect.

Yoga and mirrors

For beginners in yoga, the lack of mirrors in specialized studios may seem strange. At first glance, it is much easier to achieve the correct execution of asanas by looking at your reflection. But a mirror is always a distraction, a reason to concentrate on the external aspect, and yoga is an internal awareness of everything we do.

It is believed that mirrors prevent one from hearing the teacher and encourage one to admire oneself. Without them, a person listens to his feelings, feels his body and posture, and this is the deep meaning of the practice. Mirrors become an obstacle to establishing internal connections, unity. In other words, the gaze should be directed not outward, but inward.

Yoga every day?

Oddly enough, daily yoga is far from the best option for the human body. For example, in India it is believed that only those who need to be cured of illnesses should practice every day.

Intensive training does not allow the body to recover, contributes to muscle and joint strain, does not leave time for microtraumas to heal and glycogen reserves to replenish. Yoga classes imply pleasure, ease, and not exhaustion and fatigue.

If you have some experience and skills, you can practice twice a week, to strengthen your health and nervous system - 3-4 times. The maximum number of classes is 6 per week, at least 1 day should be left for rest. But even one class with a break of 6 days with a minimum load will not allow you to appreciate all the benefits of yoga.

It is recommended to do no more than 6 workouts per week to ensure that you only enjoy the workout and not become overtired.