Yoga
Yoga comes from Sankrit which means to connect and unite. It is about any kind of connection between body and mind. It was Patanjali, the founder of yoga, who wrote the yoga Sutras around 200 BC in India. In them he described yoga as ‘Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha’, translated as: "Yoga is the stilling of the vortices of the mind".
In the Sutras, Patanjali describes the eightfold path in the second part. This consists of eight branches that you walk through in a meaningful life full of spiritual growth on your way to a state of unity and enlightenment, a state where the whirling of the mind has been brought to silence. The practice of asanas, physical yoga postures, is the third branch of this path.
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In India, the practice of yoga is an essential part of the culture. In the West, the practice of yoga has only received significant attention since the second half of the 20th century. During this time, more and more westerners travelled to India to get acquainted with and learn from Indian wisdom and culture. The experiences gained in India were then shared in Europe and America.
The most common yoga classes taught today can be divided into the mobile, dynamic forms and the more static forms.
The best known dynamic forms are: hatha yoga, ashtanga yoga and vinyasa yoga. The best known static forms are: yin yoga and yoga nidra.
Traditionally, there have been seven main streams of yoga, each of which aims to live in freedom, in a state of enlightenment:
- Karma yoga is about an active self-transcending attitude to life characterised by selfless action and charity;
- Bhakti yoga is about complete surrender, love and devotion to the greater whole, the Divine;
- Raja yoga is about meditation and full control of the mind;
- Hatha yoga is about full control of the body and the breath;
- Tantra yoga involving visualisations, energy work and rituals;
- Jnana yoga is about true wisdom, knowledge and philosophy and assumes that enlightenment is already within us all;
- Kundalini yoga is about awakening the Kundalini energy, the life energy that is stored at the beginning of your spine and from which spiritual growth can arise.
Beyond the physical
Yoga practices have a holistic effect. They have a positive effect on the energetic, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.
Age-old yoga tools such as postures, breathing, meditations, cleansing exercises and mantras support you to get more in touch with your true self, your essence, and to let go of feelings, thoughts and beliefs that do not serve you. Yoga helps to purify your body, nervous system, energy and emotions. In this way, you are more in balance with yourself and ultimately experience deep relaxation and peace, oversee matters with a calm mind and feel connected to yourself and the world around you.
Effects
- Physical and mental relaxation;
- Experiencing well-being and balance;
- Improved ability to concentrate;
- Cleansing the energy system;
- Harmonising emotions;
- Mental rest;
- Inner strength;
- Balance;
- More self-confidence;
- Spiritual connection with your own essence;
- Access your intuition;
- Connection with compassion, forgiveness, unconditionality and self-love;
- Sleep better;
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga is the basis of all forms of yoga, which is why people often mean hatha yoga when they speak of yoga. Hatha yoga is a physical form of yoga that consists mainly of the practice of body postures (asanas). Hatha yoga consists mainly of static asanas where you briefly feel after each asana. Yoga asana is an important experience to feel the unity of body and mind.
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Yin yoga
Yin yoga is a slow form of yoga for gentle postures, and the asanas are held for a short period of time; three to five minutes. In this way, the connective tissue is slowly stretched and hydrated and the joints remain supple. In this way, space is created in the connective tissue and the joints. Connective tissue supports, connects, protects our organs and gives our body structure. Yin yoga teaching began in the Western world in the late 1970s, and was founded by martial arts expert and Taoist yoga teacher Paulie Zink. Yin yoga is now taught in North America and in Europe, largely due to the teaching activities of Yin yoga teachers Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. It is often taught. Want to know more?
Ashtanga yoga
The yoga styles such as Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga or Bikram yoga are quite popular among yoga lovers all over the world. Ashtanga yoga is generally avoided because people perceive it as a very intensive form of yoga practice. In reality, it is a life-transforming art form with its roots in traditional Vedic Wisdom. Ashtanga means 'eight limbs' in Sanskrit, and refers to the eight steps of Pantanjali's eightfold path. These eight steps are described by Pantanjali in the Yoga Sutras and form the basis of Ashtanga Yoga. A true Ashtanga yogi appears on the mat six days a week, resting on Saturdays and abstaining from practice on the days of the new moon and full moon. An Ashtangi enjoys mystical benefits that extend to physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
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Vinyasa Yoga
Let's start at the beginning and look at what vinyasa yoga is. Vinyasa yoga is one of the most common styles of yoga and is also called Flow Yoga. It is a dynamic form combined with your breathing. You do 'a flow' of yoga postures one after the other, following the movement of your breath. The exercises flow into each other, as it were. Vinyasa literally means 'putting things in the right order' and 'connecting movement and breathing'. Vinyasa yoga is an active form of yoga and therefore falls under yang yoga. Vinyasa yoga descends from Ashtanga yoga. Where Ashtanga yoga has a fixed series of yoga postures and you can't deviate from this, vinyasa yoga is freer and there's more room for creativity.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is an awakening of the deep stillness of that is asleep within you.
Through the practice of Yoga Nidra, you free your entire system from deep-seated impressions that may have caused stress in all layers of your body for years. Yoga Nidra is more than a relaxation exercise, it is a stand-alone movement within yoga philosophy. The ancient practice of Yoga Nidra can help you relax deeply, reduce and overcome stress and anxiety, sleep more peacefully and grow spiritually. It is a process of relaxation (savasana) and meditation. You go through all the basic steps of Yoga Nidra, including; physical awareness, breathing, energy, feelings, emotions, thoughts, wishes and happiness. Ultimately this leads to liberation and happiness.