Yoga is an ancient science originated from India around 5,000 years ago. That is an extremely concise way to point out that there is probably something to it.
Yoga has many branches all focusing on enlightenment or union with the creator/earth. Yoga literally means yoking or union with the divine.
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, one of the sacred yoga texts has the Eight Limb Path to Enlightenment. Essentially, this path is a road map, a way to blissful enlightenment.
These eight limbs are:
- Yama – Ethical disciplines
- Niyama – Self-observation
- Asana – Posture
- Pranayama – Breath control
- Pratyahara – Sense withdrawal
- Dharana – Concentration
- Dhyana – Mediation
- Samadhi – State of joy and peace
Asana, the third limb of this eighth limb path, involves physical postures designed to promote strength and flexibility to enable the body to sit peacefully in prolonged meditation.
Have you ever heard the saying ‘your body is your temple’? The idea is that your body is a structure which your spirit resides. The Asana branch of Hatha Yoga focuses on keeping a fresh, healthy temple so your soul can evolve. However, Asana Yoga blends focused breathing and deep concentration with physical poses. It joins breathing, moving, and thinking.
Yoga Benefits
There are a lot of benefits! In fact, lots of books are appropriately devoted. Certainly, that’s the reason why Yoga has been practiced for over 5,000 years and still is in the mainstream of many different cultures.
Although some yoga benefits are extensive and widely supported. In this article, we will focus on those that are physical. We will be concerned with this third limb and will be focusing on one specific type of Asana Yoga practice: Astanga Yoga.
An Astanga Yoga practice has poses dedicated to engage every cell of your body, heart, kidneys, liver, eyes, bones, brain, nervous system. It is the epidemy of the perfect exercise, so essential to complete health.
One of the great benefits of vigorous exercise is to get oxygen into the system with the deep & regular breathing. This strengthens the lungs for instance.
However, Astanga Yoga is the best, most complete form of exercise, and it’s all you need. Your lungs can become stronger with each practice, your body’s muscles and bone fiber become stronger do each pose.
Other health benefits of Ashtanga yoga include:
-Improve mobility, flexibility, and elasticity.
-Increase muscle strength and potency.
-Increase balance and control.
-Better posture and elimination of back pain.
-Multiple benefits for inner organs (we have countless asanas to improve the function of our organs: liver, spleen, and pancreas, and more).
-Boost the immune system.
-Improve mental functions.
People often ask: Yoga sounds like good exercise, but, can I still go to the gym? Right?
In the end, you can do it if you want to. The Astanga Yoga sequence is totally systematic, and it strengthens every muscle in the body, including the heart. Practicing a Power Yoga like Astanga for around an hour every day is enough like doing ‘cardio.’