Breath to Movement
Journey to Yoga
Originating thousands of years ago in India, yoga is an ancient practice focused on breathing, flexibility and strength. Combined, these ellements have the ability to boost mental and physical wellbeing. The discipline is composed of a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices. The main components of yoga are breathing and postures. The postures, or asanas, are a series of movements designed to increase strength and flexibility.
Since it's origin thousands of years ago, yoga has been adapted in many other countries and in a variety of ways. Yoga's origins can be traced to northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word yoga was first mentioned in The Vedas, in an ancient sacred texts called the Rig Veda. The Vedas are a set of four ancient sacred texts written in Sanskrit.
Yoga is amongst the six schools of philosophy in Hinduism, and is also a major part of Buddhism and its meditation practices. You can find out more about the history of yoga
When starting with yoga, there will be certain postures which become the foundation of your yoga practice. Anchoring your practice with these postures allows you to reap the benefits of yoga - flexibility, improved muscle strength, protection of the spine, increased blood flow, and even improved happiness.
In additon to the postures, you may come accross mantras. Mantras are repetitive sounds used to “penetrate the depths of the unconscious mind” and “adjust the vibration of all aspects of your being”. Mantras can be chanted aloud, delved upon, or listened in to.In yoga, mantras are typically chanted in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit word mantra is derived from the root word “man”, meaning “to think,” and tra (from trai) meaning “to protect or to free from bondage” or “to free from the mind.”
The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit in India, and are at least 3,000 years old. Mantras now exist in various schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. They come in many forms; typically they are melodic, and have mathematically structured meters. The sounds “Aum” or “Om” are some of the most basic of mantras. On more sophisticated levels, mantras are melodic phrases with spiritual interpretations. These can be many things, such as a human longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, or love. Some mantras have no literal meaning, but are meaningful in a spiritual way.