Yoga Basics
Yoga is a huge collection of techniques and practices of a spiritual type all aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit to achieve a state of enlightenment or oneness with the universe. What is normally thought of as "Yoga" in the West is really Hatha Yoga, one of the many paths of Yoga. The different paths of Yoga emphasize different approaches and techniques, but ultimately lead to the same goal of unification and enlightenment.
Hatha Yoga attains the union of mind-body-spirit though a practice of postures, breathing, gestures and internal cleansing. These body centred practices are used to purify the body and cultivate the subtle energies of the body. Modern Hatha Yoga does not emphasize many of the esoteric practices and focuses primarily on the physical Yoga postures.
Contrary to popular belief Yoga is practical and scientific as it emphasizes direct experience and observable results.
Due to its oral transmission of sacred texts and the secretive nature of its teachings Yoga's history has many places of obscurity and uncertainty. The early writings on Yoga were transcribed on fragile palm leaves that were easily damaged, destroyed or lost and the development of Yoga can be traced back to over 5,000 years ago.
Meditation on the core principles of Yoga is a focusing of the mind on a single object, creating the cessation of all thought. The techniques of meditation are simple and easy to learn, but the ability to keep the mind focused takes time, patience and practice. The benefits of a regular meditation practice include reduction of stress, tension, anxiety and frustration, as well as improved memory, concentration, inner peace and whole body well-being.
Yoga posture sequences are a series of postures arranged to flow together one after the next. This is often called vinyasa or a Yoga flow.
You should start with the Basic sequences and gradually proceed to beginning and advanced sequences. Seated and standing sequences can be combined for a longer practice. Home Gymnasium feature a number of books and starting kits which will benefit you as well increasing your knowledge of Yoga further
Certain yogic practices have been shown to have specific healing qualities in addition to Yoga’s inherent ability to create wellness and good health. Yoga Therapy is the use of these Yoga postures and meditation to help the body naturally heal and balance itself and are suitable for almost any age group.
Typical Yoga accessories include Bands, Balls and Mats while there are many books, audio CDs and DVDs to help you get started or teach you more advanced techniques.
Obstacles of Yoga
The path of Yoga can be long and hard, filled with obstacles, pitfalls, and detours.
The nine main obstacles of Yoga are:
Illness, physical or mental - It is difficult to do Yoga if you are physically sick. Thus it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of illness and promotion of optimal health.
Doubt - It is important to have faith in oneself as well as the yogic path.
Carelessness and a lack of persistence - Yoga is both a science and art and approaching it without skill, care, respect and devotion will create erratic and possible negative results.
Sloth - Yoga requires discipline, zeal and will-power to succeed on its path. Laziness will prevent you from attaining your highest potential.
Overindulgence and attachment to pleasurable things. We must learn to let go of our attachments to desire and physical objects if we are to make progress in Yoga.
False Vision - The development of a false notion about the practice of Yoga and its outcome can not only lead one off the path of Yoga, but also create harm and disappointment.
Non-attainment of the next yogic stage - This happens due to faulty or poor practice and creates a feeling of being stuck and leads to discouragement.
You will need to be able to remove all these obstacles at will to be successful in Yoga. They may appear at any time, and if not conquered during their first appearance, they are most likely to return until you learn how to overcome them.
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