Although it is typically listed as an alternative and complementary health practice, many traditional doctors support it for their patients, and some insurance companies may subsidize any class fees.
There are more than 100 different types of yoga, some fast-paced, others deeply reflective and relaxing.
Among the more common forms of yoga are Hatha, which combines breathing exercises with movements; Vinyasa, a form that uses poses that help alignment of body and soul; Power, a high-intensity workout; Ashtanga, which mixes posing and breathing; Bikram, which is sometimes referred to as hot yoga because it is performed in a room heated to high temperature; and Iyengar, which uses blocks, straps and other tools to manipulate the body.
When performed correctly, yoga can help strengthen and tone the core, arms, legs, glutes, and back, while improving flexibility, aerobic capacity and strength. A good session should leave the practitioner tired but relaxed. While many people practice yoga at home, there are numerous classes in most cities and suburbs, charging fees ranging from $10 to $25 per class, on average.
History of Yoga
The precise origin of yoga is shrouded in mystery, as it springs from mystical teachings that were largely secret and passed along orally. Some of the earliest writings about the practice were transcribed on fragile palm leaves, which are long lost to history. Thus, while most researchers put yoga’s origins at 5,000 years, there are some schools of thought that claim it may be as many as 10,000 years old.
Scholars classify yoga’s history into four general periods. In pre-classical yoga, the form’s beginnings were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India, where the oldest known mention was found in the sacred text Rig Veda. That collection of texts, songs, mantras and rituals were used by Vedic priests known as the Brahmans.
From those beginnings, the practice of yoga was developed by the Brahmins and Rishis, a group of mystic seers who memorialized yoga’s beliefs and practices in the Upanishads, a work that had more than 200 scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita, the most famous scripture, composed around 500 B.C.E. The Upanishads focused yoga on self-knowledge, action and wisdom.
Yoga’s initial practices were refined during its classical period, which was highlighted by the Yoga Sutras, developed by Patanjali. This was the first systematic presentation of what was formerly a bit of a mish-mash of thoughts, beliefs and techniques.
Post-classical yoga arrived a few centuries after Patanjali as a reject of the ancient Vedic system. This reform embraced the physical body as the vehicle to achieve enlightenment, highlighted by the development of Tantra Yoga, which used techniques to cleanse the body and mind. This was the birth of yoga connected to the spiritual and physical, which is the form most practiced in the West today.
Yoga’s modern period marked its first appearances in the West, where it was introduced via religious gatherings as an exotic ancient teaching. The form really took off in the late 1940s with the opening of a yoga studio in Hollywood by Indra Devi.
The Health Benefits of Yoga
Today, yoga is practiced in homes, gyms, exercise studios and general purpose rooms at nursing homes, schools and military bases. It is promoted as a form of exercise and deep relaxation, a great activity for those who have virtually any ailment, ranging from diabetes to high blood pressure, heart disease to arthritis. The students range from young teens to the elderly, professionals to pregnant women, all seeking to gain strength and flexibility.
Some of the acknowledged benefits of yoga may surprise those who feel it is all about sitting and deep breathing. Here are a few:
- Muscle strengthening – Yogis use the body’s weight as the resistance in a lot of yoga exercises. This builds strength without losing flexibility, a key benefit of yoga.
- Helps with posture -- Poor posture can cause problems with the back and neck as well as other muscle and joint issues. Yoga will strengthen those areas and helps align the spine.
- Cartilage and joint benefits -- The range of motion that most yoga classes put practitioners through will help achieve flexibility that helps prevent degenerative arthritis by squeezing joints and allowing areas of cartilage that aren’t normally activated to receive attention.
- Helps protect the spine -- Spinal discs crave movement to get nutrients from the body. By doing forward bends, back bends and twists, the spine stays supple and the discs fresh.
- Bone health -- Weight-bearing exercises have been shown to help shield the body from the effects of osteoporosis. Popular movements like downward and upward-facing dog help strengthen arm bones and increase bone density.
- Increased blood flow - Like any intense exercise, yoga gets the blood flowing, sending more oxygen to the cells and wringing out venous blood from internal organs.
- Lymph system drainage and immunity boosts - Stretching muscles and moving organs around helps drainage of lymph, a fluid found in immune cells. This boosts the lymphatic system and helps fight infection, destroys cancer cells and eliminates toxic wastes.
- Help with blood pressure - In two studies published in the British medical journal The Lancet, two forms of yoga were associated with drops in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- Adrenal glands regulation - Yoga helps lower cortisol levels, which can compromise the immune system.
- Lowers blood sugar - By lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, yoga improves cholesterol and blood sugar levels, often leading to weight loss and decreasing the risk of diabetic complications like heart attacks and kidney failure.