Health Information Blog

Considering Long Island Yoga classes, but not even sure what it’s about? Read on about Yoga’s rich history and see if what’s worked for thousands of years and millions of people will work for you.

Yoga was first developed thousands of years ago, before written language even came into being. Carved images of figures in Yoga positions were discovered during archeological digs in the Indus Valley. These carvings date back 5,000 years or more! A lot of people make the mistake that Yoga is rooted in Hinduism; in actuality, Hinduism was developed later on down the line. The mistake arises because Hinduism incorporated some of Yoga’s traditions and practices into its own teachings.

As Yoga has its roots before the written word, it’s traditional for Yoga teachers to pass their knowledge onto their students through practical application and oral lectures. Because of this Yoga has been enhanced by every teacher to ever pass on its techniques to a student. This has been repeated hundreds upon hundreds of times in its 5,000 year old history.

The first attempt at writing down the traditions of Yoga came in the form of the Yoga Sutras, a book incorporating all of the common theories and practices of the late B.C., early A.D. period. It was written by the scholar Patanjali. The system that he wrote about is known as “Ashtanga Yoga,” or the eight limbs of Yoga, and this is what is generally referred to today as Classical Yoga. Most practitioners of Yoga today use some form of the system Patanjali recorded.

There are eight steps to Classical Yoga. These are:

1. yama, meaning “restraint” - refraining from violence, lying, stealing, casual sex, and hoarding.

2. niyama, which means “observance”. This includes such areas as tolerance, contentment, remembrance, and purity.

3. asana, which refers to exercising the body.

4. pranayama, which has to do with breathing techniques.

5. pratyahara, which refers to the preparation for meditation.

6. dharana, the ability to focus the mind on a particular image or object for a specified time.

7. dhyana, meditation, the ability to focus on one thing (or nothing) indefinitely.

8. samadhi, which means “absorption”. This refers to inner reflection on the soul.

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th steps tend to be the focus of most western Yoga classes.

While Yoga has been practiced in the United States since the late 1800s, it was not until the cultural revolution of the 1960s that it found a place in the mainstream. As more became known about the beneficial effects of Yoga, it gained acceptance and respect as a valuable method for helping in the management of stress and improving health and well-being.

Want to try Yoga? Make your way to your local Yoga studio and give it a try! Want to sweat? Take it a step further and get into a Long Island hot yoga class. You won’t be disappointed!

Located in Suffolk County, Sole Pilates and Yoga provides the hottestNew York yoga classes on Long Island. Check out their calendar to attend one of their Long Island hot yoga classes today! Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service