
Many styles practiced today have evolved from these three students, including Vinyasa yoga, where poses are linked with breathing to create a flowing, dynamic, and creative sequence. Then, three of his most well-known students further developed particular styles of yoga, each with something different and beneficial to offer. These were developed in the early 20th century by Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Today, we practice asana, the physical postures, the most. The eight-limb system is an integral and highly regarded part of yoga. In the second verse of the first book, yoga is defined as the “cessation of mind wandering.” The sutras also provide an eight-limb system that guides the practitioner to transcend beyond the mind and attain yogic freedom. One prevalent definition comes from “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,” compiled before 400 A.D. Today, many agree that the word yuj - which yoga derives from - refers to greater internal states, such as clarity, peace, and happiness. This exercise is also a pathway to empower you to make conscious choices to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Practicing yoga helps provide a foundation and tools to building good habits, such as discipline, self-inquiry, and nonattachment. But regardless of your approach, yoga can help reshape and unravel your habitual or unconscious patterns. For others, it’s a spiritual practice, and for many, a way of life. For some, it’s a way to feel good in their bodies. Īsk any yoga practitioner to define yoga, and you’re likely to get a myriad of answers. The history of yoga and how its developed into the practice you know todayīy Dana Diament, a Yoga Medicine instructor based in Byron Bay, Australia.
