What Is Yoga? Importance & Benefits Of Yoga

Table of Contents (TOC):

• Introduction
• What Is Yoga? History Of Yoga
• Types Of Yoga
  • Hatha Yoga
  • Yin Yoga
  • Kundalini Yoga
• Popular Yoga Poses
• How Can Yoga Improve Your Life?
• Conclusion
• Bonus Points

Introduction

Yoga is often considered to be more than just a workout routine. It is a practice that has physical as well as mental and spiritual benefits. If you are a beginner at yoga and have questions like what is yoga, what are the benefits of yoga, and where should one start, then this is the article for you.

What Is Yoga? History Of Yoga

Yoga has its roots in Indian philosophy and spirituality. It started as an ancient practice of connecting your mind, body, and spirit and finding spiritual enlightenment. However, now after many centuries yoga has evolved to meet the modern lifestyles of people and has become more about the physical fitness aspect.

Unlike most other exercises and workouts, yoga is more gentle and focuses on breathing exercises and improving the body’s flexibility and balance. It is closely connected to meditation and helps manage stress and promotes emotional and mental well-being.

Types Of Yoga

If you want to gain the benefits of yoga and are looking for yoga poses for beginners, we will walk you through the basics. Here are some popular types of beginner yoga poses you can start with:

1. Hatha Yoga

For those who are starting yoga for health benefits, Hatha yoga can be a great starting point. This yoga exercise often combines postures for physical wellbeing and breathwork for mental wellbeing.

Some common Hatha yoga poses include:

• Garudasana (Eagle pose)
• Natarajasana (Dancer pose)
• Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose)
• Mandukasana (Frog pose)
• Vakrasana (Twisted pose)

2. Yin Yoga

If you are looking for yoga poses that are more relaxing and less physically demanding, then you can try Yin yoga. What is Yin yoga? This is a type of yoga that is considered to be more slow and meditative than the rest. Your focus will be on the breathing exercises and less on maintaining your balance or stretching your muscles.

Some common Yin yoga poses include:

• Bananasana (Banana pose)
• Savasana (Corpse pose)
• Balasana (Child’s pose)
• Matsyasana (Supported Fish Pose)
• Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-wall pose)

While these beginner yoga poses will help you ease into the routine, you can also start learning some breathing exercises. This Basics of Pranayama course on UniAthena can help you learn the different techniques and types of breathing exercises. You will learn to incorporate this powerful practice into your life and gain the benefits of yoga for mental health.

3. Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini is a yoga fitness exercise that incorporates mantras, chakras, and repetitive poses with the focus of activating the positive energies in our body.

These are the seven chakras, which are the energy centers of our body:

• Root Chakra
• Sacral Chakra
• Solar Plexus Chakra
• Heart Chakra
• Throat Charka
• Third-eye Charka
• Crown Chakra

Kundalini yoga meditation helps you raise these energies and promote spiritual wellness. You can learn about the chakras and mudras in depth with this Basics of Chakras & Mudras course. This course will help you improve your meditation practice and teach you the mantras that can be therapeutic. 

Popular Yoga Poses

Other than these three main types of yoga, there are also other popular yoga asanas you can practice.

Some popular yoga workout poses include:

• Chakrasana (Wheel pose)
• Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
• Matsyasana (Fish pose)
• Sarvangasana (All-limb pose)
• Sirsasana (Headstand pose)
• Trikonasana (Triangle pose)
• Siddhasana (Accomplished pose)
• Gomukhasana (Cow’s face pose)
• Simhasana (Lion pose)

You can learn some of these yoga poses and more with this Basics of Asanas course on our website. You will learn a variety of yoga poses for beginners for free.

How Can Yoga Improve Your Life?

Now that we know what is yoga and what are the various types of yoga, let us understand the benefits of yoga.

• Health Benefits Of Yoga:

Practising regular yoga meditation can improve the health of your heart and keep heart diseases in check. It can help you manage your blood pressure and even keep your weight in check. Your cardiovascular system, digestive system, and your nervous system will all benefit from regular yoga exercise.

• Yoga Boosts Energy:

If you build a routine of practising yoga on a regular basis, you will also start feeling more energetic and fresh. A morning yoga workout can wake your mind and body up and you will be more alert throughout the day.

• It Can Improve Sleep:

Hatha yoga can also improve your sleep cycle. Daily exercise will help your muscles relax and your mind become calm. A less stressed body will be able to fall asleep faster. 

• It Provides Pain Relief:

If you suffer from chronic pain, joint pain, or muscular pain, starting some beginner yoga can help relieve the pain. Yoga can improve your blood circulation and help relieve some of your pain.

• Improves Strength And Flexibility:

While a lot of people do yoga for mental health, it is also a great workout for physical health. It can help you improve your core strength using the balancing poses, and you will improve your muscle flexibility with the stretching poses.

Conclusion

Even if you have never tried any type of workout before, starting with basic yoga poses can help. Yoga can help relieve stress, improve sleep cycle, and become more flexible. Start practicing basic Hatha Yoga now, and you can move onto more complex poses with more practice. Explore the free courses on our website and start your healing journey here!

Bonus Points:

• Hatha yoga is the most popular type of yoga as it helps you work your muscles as well as your lungs.
• Doing just basic Pranayama every day can also help you get the benefits of yoga.