Related Terms. Related Articles. The 5 Yamas According to Patanjali. Sri K. Related Questions. What can I do as a yogi to make my yoga class and studio a more approachable place for everyone? I want to get into yoga, but I don't fit the stereotyped yoga body. Do you have any advice to help me get started? What is the significance of in Hinduism? What we do know, from the text he put together, is that he was an ascetic.
Ascetics come from the second period of yoga and approach the world by turning away from it. This is known as Nivrtti yoga or the yoga of renunciation. You can see this language in both of the definitions of yoga above. Merriam-Websters states the first known use of yoga is , but in their help section mentions that:. The first known use of the word yoga anywhere comes from the Rig Veda , dating back to BCE, or about years before it appeared in English. The Oxford Dictionary gives the origin of yoga as:.
This is where the term theistic, relating to god, applies. The Sanskrit word for yoke is yuj , a physical device used to join cattle. They are big, and heavy and strong. What they were yoking long ago, were war horses. Yoga was both the device and technique to calm the horses down so that you could focus them and do the work of war. But why were we at war in the first place? In the Vedic period it was the priestly Brahmans who practiced yoga through ritual and mantra.
But with the advent of the Upanishads , we move to the warrior caste and with that comes warring metaphors. The Katha Upanishad , for example, compares these same high energy horses with our mind. This was a significant change because they took the external act of yoking aggressive out-of-control horses and applied it to the internal act of calming the mind. They recognized how stubborn our minds are and that the salve is to calm.
In both cases, bringing equines or minds into equanimity was for another purpose—to go to war or move through the world with skill. This bodes well for us because if yoga works in such dire circumstances, it can work for us today. In the time of Patanjali , yoga became a noun. But before that yoga was a verb. A pose is held for some time, depending on its level of difficulty and one's strength and stamina, and the instructor cues participants when to inhale and exhale at certain points in each posture, as breathing properly is a fundamental aspect of yoga postures.
Breathing should be deep and through the nose. Mental concentration in each position is also very important, which improves awareness, poise, and posture. During a yoga routine there is often a position in which to perform meditation, called dyana, if deep relaxation is one of the goals of the sequence. Yoga routines can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two or more hours, with one hour being a good time investment to perform a sequence of postures and a meditation.
For children, 30 minutes may be the maximum span of attention for practicing yoga. Some yoga routines, depending on the teacher and school, can be as strenuous as the most difficult workout, especially those called ashtanga, or power, yoga. Other routines merely stretch and align the body while the breath and heart rate are kept slow and steady. Power yoga is only appropriate for children and adolescents who have practiced yoga for some time, or who are engaged in advanced athletic activities.
Yoga achieves its best results when it is practiced as a daily discipline, and yoga can be a life-long exercise routine, offering deeper and more challenging positions as a practitioner becomes more adept. The basic positions can increase a person's strength, flexibility, and sense of well-being almost immediately, but it can take years to perfect and deepen them, which is an appealing and stimulating aspect of yoga for many.
Children and adolescents with injuries, medical conditions, or spinal problems should consult a physician before beginning yoga. For children with special needs, parents should find a yoga teacher who is properly trained and experienced and can give children individual attention. Certain yoga positions should not be performed by a person who has a fever or is menstruating. Children and adolescents who are beginners at yoga should always be properly supervised, since injuries are possible, and some advanced yoga postures, like the headstand and full lotus position, can be difficult and require strength, flexibility, and gradual preparation.
Proper form and alignment should always be maintained during a stretch or posture, and the stretch or posture should be stopped if pain, dizziness , or excessive fatigue occurs. While yoga can be used therapeutically to help alleviate certain symptoms in children with various medical conditions, it is not a cure.
A physician should be consulted for standard medical treatment. Injuries have been reported when yoga postures were performed without proper form or concentration, or by attempting difficult positions without working up to them gradually or having appropriate supervision.
Beginners sometimes report muscle soreness and fatigue after performing yoga, but these side effects diminish with practice. Nglish: Translation of yoga for Spanish Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of yoga. Examples of yoga in a Sentence Recent Examples on the Web The south side of the community center will feature a patio upon which yoga classes and other activities can be held, and a six-foot-high fence will be installed to lend proivacy to residents of neighboring Sunningdale Road, to the west.
Solomon, sun-sentinel. Hagerty, WSJ , 22 Oct. First Known Use of yoga , in the meaning defined at sense 1. History and Etymology for yoga Sanskrit, literally, yoking, from yunakti he yokes; akin to Latin jungere to join — more at yoke.
0コメント