Yoga For Complete Beginners – 20 Minutes Yoga Class + Video

BY ADMIN · JANUARY 24, 2015

Yoga was first found in India. It was first mentioned in The Vedas – the sacred text dating back to 500 BCE.

What kind of science is yoga?

Yoga is an ancient spiritual science that combines philosophical teaching with mental and physical practices.

It was developed by the Indus – Sarasvati civilization over 5000 years BCE.

An Indian guru from the West brought yoga in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, where it was eagerly embraced for its health, emotional and spiritual benefits.

In the world there are many different styles of yoga. Some of them are more physical than others. The most well known types include Tantric, Kundalini, Hatha, Ashtanga, and Raja yoga. Which exercise people will choose depends on their preferences, physical abilities and needs.

Yoga includes the specific theory about the human physiology, which involves the study of energy centers and energy channels or chakras.
To better understand the psychological and physical benefits it brings, yoga has been studied all over the world and is recognized by many as a form of alternative therapy.
What happens in the body when you do yoga could be describes in the following way (using Western/medical terminology):
We have two types of autonomic nervous system in our bodies:

1. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
2. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS).

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the flight or fight reaction, while the second one deals with the digest and rest setting of the body. In other words, the SNS concerns stress, while the parasympathetic nervous system is all about relaxation. In these alienating, competitive, busy, and times demanding, if we are to have a balanced body and mind, the SNS is the one working overtime, while the PNS doesn’t get activated as often as it should.

When you do yoga, the PNS gets woken up, which results in the blissful feelings of relaxation.

Physiologically speaking, the PNS lowers blood pressure, slows the heart rate and redirects blood toward the digestive system. Basically, it takes care of those parts of the body which are neglected when the SNS is in charge.

When you do yoga practices activate the PNS directly, as it is the case with the deep diaphragmatic breathing (also known as pranayama) and more gentle postures. More physically demanding postures and energetic styles might initially stimulate the SNS, but if the practice finishes off with a meditation, they eventually bring a deep state of relaxation.

What are the effects of yoga? Yoga can:

• Reduce stress
• Build strength and flexibility and improve joint mobility
• Reduce high blood pressure.
• Improve postureand help with some musculoskeletal conditions.
• Help with allergy and asthma
• Reduce anxiety and improve mood.
• Improve symptoms of heart failure and heart health.
• Help with back pain.

In many case, yoga can be applied from people suffering from schizophrenia to cancer patients, mostly to improve their quality of life and help with symptom control.

In order to start doing yoga, you will need some inspiration and discipline, but it is a very rewarding practice, so go for it!