The Holistic Road

The meaning of Yoga is literally the unity of oneself. Your consciousness and universal consciousness.

Ultimately, Yoga is the balance of body, mind and spirit. Some methods of yoga concentrate on more of the physical aspects, and others, more on the mind. However, all have the ability to enhance your spirit, your energy source.

Just so you know, There are more descriptive, definitive overviews of Yoga out there. I am however, giving you my condensed version that I have obtained. So if you have questions, please ask.

There are 4 different Paths of Yoga (Most modern day Yoga encompass these) There are different spellings of these as well. I decided to give you the version that I learned.:

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They have found that Yoga began approximately 3000-15000 BC. Where drawings of yoga poses were found on stone tablets. Somewhat changed into modern art forms, the forms of yoga that we know today continue to follow and channel its original roots.

So based on different ideologies and concentrations, many forms of yoga have evolved.

Hatha – Hathat means “willful”. Also meaning Balance. Utilizing the mind to release as one does poses. Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar and Power Yoga all fall under the umbrella of Hatha Yoga. Hatha yoga prepares the body for a more spiritual practice of meditation. In my opinion, I believe that depending on what type of yoga you are practicing, other types can be considered under this umbrella as well. Control of the Body and Mind in unison.

Iyengar –

Bikram/Hot

Ashtanga

Vinyasa

Slow Flow

Kundalini

Yin

Chair/Wall

Restorative

Prenatal

Anusara

Jivanukti

All forms include postures or asanas, and the concentration of breath.

Im sure that there are probably more. But, these are the different forms of Yoga that would be most commonly heard of.

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The girl in the picture is doing the tree pose, a balancing asana. The Sanskrit name is Vrikshasana.

As for me, I do my own thing. I enjoy taking a Vinyasa, Slow Flow, Chair, Yin, & Restorative class. But, I mainly practice on my own. I never push myself to hard without a concentration of breathe, and balance. And, to be honest, I often choose specific asanas that I can use to physically and mentally relax with (I.e. Childs pose, mountain, downward dog, cat, cow, etc…). The good thing is that I can make it as difficult or as easy as I want during any practice. I am working on becoming more disciplined and practicing more frequently than I do. And I can say that I practice some part of Yoga on a daily basis, but the asana part is where I need more balance. But, I am aware. So the growth continues.

Yoga has literally helped me get out of a dark depression and in that I have found myself and a calling to share it with others. How cool is that!!!! I am grateful for Yoga being a part of my life.

Through Yoga, the benefits out weigh any reason I can think of NOT to make this a part of my life.

It definitely increases flexibility, reduces stress, and anxiety. It helps balance metabolism. Improves respiration and can improve memory, heart health, quality of sleep, and wayyyyy more!

I will continue on tomorrow with some asanas and an easy sequence that I hope will help you start a Yoga journey if you’ve never been here before.

Stay Safe!

Love, Dawn