Yoga is an ancient practice that involves the body and mind. It originated in the olden times. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “Yuj”, which means to unite. Yoga means the union of personal consciousness and Universal consciousness. It is the spiritual science that unites the mind and the body. The motive of yoga is the self-realisation that is to attain freedom from all kinds of worldly things and achieve salvation that is Mukti or moksha or nirvana. The one who has attained this is known as a yogi. Practising yoga every day brings tranquillity and serenity to one’s life. Nowadays, Yoga is taught to children in schools. There are even special yoga teaching centres in many cities across the country. There are yoga schools for people who want to learn yoga, for example, there is a yoga school in Rishikesh where there are experienced teachers who offer yoga courses.
In yoga, there are various asanas. Asanas are the different body positions in yoga. Yoga consists of asanas and meditation. Meditation is the traditional form of yoga. There are nearly 84 yogic asanas. Various Asanas in yoga are as follows:
- Tadasana: It is also known as mountain pose. In this asana, you stand with your feet together. Stretch your arms and shoulders. Raise your toes and inhale gently. After few seconds, exhale and return to the normal standing position. The benefits of this asana are that it helps to maintain balance and good posture, strength the legs and muscles.
- Bhujangasana: It is also known as the cobra pose. In this, the body is reclined and then bent backwards with the head facing the ceiling. The benefit of this asana is that it helps to reduce tension and fatigue.
- Paschimottanasana: To do this asana, you have to sit with the legs straight and then bend your upper body and touch your toes with your hands. The benefit of this asana is that it strengthens the spine.
- Utkatasana: To do this asana, you have to pretend to sit on a chair. Bend your knees as you are sitting and then join your hands and stretch your arms upwards. See towards the ceiling. It helps in toning the digestive organs and it also heals the flat foot.
- Shavasana: It is also known as the corpse pose. This is performed at the end of the yoga session. It provides relaxation to the body. In this asana, you have to lie down in a supine position.
These are the most common yoga asanas. These asanas are performed for physical fitness. Besides this, yoga is also performed by meditation. Meditation heals the mind. It helps you connect with your conscience. So, yoga is basically to maintain the harmony between mind and soul. All of this is not attained in a day or two. It takes practice to attain physical and mental wellness. You can perform yoga at your home. Yoga is also taught by experienced teachers at yoga training classes which are being held in some cities. There is a Yoga TTC in Rishikesh which provides the best yoga training with well-trained teachers.
