The Evolution of Yoga | Does Yoga Still Have Benefits?

the evolution of yoga practice

Does Yoga Still Have Benefits?

Fitness training is a highly competitive profession. Whether you are new or a professional trainer, clients are always looking for the most effective and innovative programs from you. This keeps you on your toes to provide the most creative and beneficial training programs.

For centuries, yoga has been considered a separate art. But now things are changing. Yoga, because of its innumerable benefits, is becoming an integral part of training programs. And rightly so, once you know the history as well as the benefits of yoga.

Is Yoga A Religious Practice?

Yoga does have spiritual roots, but that doesn’t mean having to chant to spirit gods or anything like that. Most yoga classes in commercial gyms will focus on athletic poses, while yoga studios might offer classes that include meditation. If you want a class that is more (or less) mindful, just ask your gym or yoga studio for details before signing up.

Modern Vs. Ancient Yoga

Yoga today is a mainstream fitness activity, with over 36 million people practicing it in the U.S. alone. According to the International Yoga Federation, about 300 million people practice globally.

What we generally think of as yoga began in late 19th century India when leaders of an anti-colonialism movement sought to rally their countrymen to their cause. Some of these men saw yoga, then more of a philosophy, as a non-sectarian, indigenous symbol of India that transcended divisions of religion and language: a handy tool to have when you’re trying to unify a nation.

These Victorian-era gurus, notably Swami Vivekananda, spread their version of yoga worldwide as a proudly Indian way to achieve a higher level of understanding through contemplation. Modern postural yoga, the practice of actually holding poses, originated with early 20th-century guru Krishnamacharya, who taught a mix of gymnastic and wrestling moves, Western calisthenics, and hatha yoga, a medieval practice all but lost in India for centuries.

There are five main branches of Yoga:

1. Raja yoga

Raja yoga is also known as ‘Classical Yoga’. This path is precise and contemplative. It aims to ‘control’ the intellect and thoughts through meditation. A connection with ‘God’ or ‘consciousness’ is worked towards by un-identifying with the ego-based self and identifying with the universal true Self. As a primarily interior practice with little outward spiritual expression, it is thought that Raja yoga requires much self-discipline.

2. Jnana yoga

Jnana is the yoga of ‘knowing’, of realizing the truth of oneself. First mentioned around 400BC, this is thought of as one of the most direct paths to insight and illumination, but also as one of the most difficult. Priests and scholars are most likely to be considered Jnana yogis through their practice of constant inquiry. The study of philosophical and yogic texts, along with discrimination and inquiry are the ways these practitioners understand the depths of the body, mind, and spirit.

3. Tantra yoga

Tantra explores all aspects, sensations and energies that weave through the body and mind and actually began as a religion around 500BC. For over 1000 years it was the primary belief system of India in its less extreme forms and is the first time the physicality of the human body started to become important within a yogic context. Before this, much of this yoga practice was based upon worship, visualization and meditation.

4. Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga is anything that uses the physical body. It is what you are most likely to practice in class in some form, whether it’s called Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Power yoga or any of the other many styles of physical yoga. First mentioned and practiced around 1100AD, it is the most ‘modern’ branch of yoga. When it comes to Hatha yoga, liberation is attained through cultivating a Yoga-Deha – otherwise known as a ‘Yogic Body’ (probably a little different to what we might consider a ‘yoga body’ to look like nowadays!) – which is immune to disease and free from limitations that ordinarily bind human beings.

5. Bhakti yoga

Devotion. First mentioned in The Bhagavad Gita around 300BC, the word Bhakti comes from the root word ‘Bhaj’, of which the essence is to share. This form of yoga is based upon the heart, love, and devotion toward a chosen deity (Ishta Devata). Much like Karma yoga, dedicating all actions towards a deity or ‘God’ is an intrinsic part of Bhakti yoga. Much like other branches of yoga, Bhakti yoga has limbs (anga) for each practitioner to adhere to and take part in.

6. Karma yoga

Karma yoga is based upon selfless service and acting without the expectation of benefitting. It occupies a large part of Indian thought and through this practice, union with the divine is achieved through making any action an offering to God.

Unexpected Physical Benefits of Yoga

There are many aspects to a workout regimen.  The components many people first think of are strength training, cardio, and nutrition.  What about stretching?  Aside from lengthening the muscles, you are activating during your regular workouts, consider the muscles that can become overactive due to everyday activities.  This is not uncommon for most of America since many of us work at a desk for 8 hours or more per day.

The benefits of yoga develop over a period of time, subtly changing the way we move, think, feel and behave. It helps us recognize our resistances and go beyond them. Without pushing or straining, we breathe and move through a posture, simultaneously watching the mind go beyond its own limitations.

  1. Helps Improve Chronic Back Pain

Yoga promotes low-back pain relief in two ways: First, the meditation techniques used in yoga encourage relaxation from the physical discomfort related to chronic low-back pain. Then there are the poses themselves: The physical practice builds core strength and stability (something important for posture too) which is one of the main lines of treatment for addressing low-back pain.

  1. Fights Fatigue

When you move (like by doing some yoga stretches during the day) your heart pumps more oxygen-rich blood to the muscles and organs in your body. This can help reduce fatigue and tiredness. Inversion poses, where your heart is at a higher level than your head, may be particularly helpful at increasing energy. These include poses like Forward Fold and Downward Facing Dog.

  1. Eases You Into Regular Exercise

If you’re new to exercise or are easing back into a workout routine after a break, vigorous exercise may not seem to be the most appealing. You already know that the benefits of yoga is it is a low-impact workout that’s easy on the joints. It is accessible for most fitness levels, and requires no special equipment. This all makes yoga a type of exercise you’re more likely to stick with and make a regular practice.

  1. Reinforces Better Breathing

Yoga uses a practice called diaphragmatic breathing, where you focus on expanding the diaphragm when breathing. This focus tones the diaphragmatic muscles to become stronger, and thus the lungs are able to take in more capacity and become stronger themselves. This type of breathing can easily be translated to something you use in everyday life during stressful situations or during other forms of exercise.

  1. Helps Your Heart Health

Yoga has shown some promising benefits for improving cardiovascular disease risk, by lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and even cholesterol. It’s likely due to both the physical aspects of yoga as well as the focus on the breath. Yoga trains the vagus nerve, which is the main nerve that directs the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system responsible for lowering heart rate and promoting relaxation) to be more responsive to your breath.

How The Yoga Industry Has Changed

The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdown measures have affected yoga studios across the country — forcing them into shutdown, and in some cases, bankruptcy. Unlike gyms or national chains that rely on monthly fees or pricey memberships, yoga studios are often smaller businesses. Studios offer classes for drop-in or per-class rates, which also creates financial strain amid pandemic-related closures.

As yoga studios shut their doors, yoga and fitness apps have seen a substantial spike and we saw an increase in virtual yoga services as well. Many yoga teachers responded to the shutdown of studios by marketing their own yoga classes online, creating a new source of competition in an already saturated industry. We can see that the low costs of online yoga services, as well as the ease of accessibility, may have transformed the yoga industry forever.

In this day and age, with the internet being such a prevalent resource for people around the world, it is useful to take advantage of the platforms available and build yourself to be the expert that you truly are! Creating a social media presence will not only attract more clients to you, but it will also give you a beautiful space to express your creative content and share your ideas with many.

  • Consistency is key. Keep showing up for yourself and believing in yourself as the expert you are to share the valuable information you know will help others.
  • Post videos, photos, and quotes that are all relevant to your personal message and content you want to bring to your audience.
  • Give enough free content to build a following, and leave the audience with enough questions so they will want to work with you!
  • Share what you are offering on a weekly basis so you can inform people how they can work with you.
  • Follow up with the comments and messages on your page to create those deeper connections with your audience.

A great idea is to focus on the resources of social media that your specific niche of clientele is using. NESTA Sport Yoga instructor Aubrie builds her content, connections, and business on Instagram and Facebook. She also uses YouTube as a video collection site. Posting daily stories and posts 2-3 times a week has been her method of staying consistent and relevant with the information she can bring to her clients. This helps with her referrals, outreach, and overall business success.

best yoga courses for beginners

Learn how to become a Sport Yoga Instructor. This program is a comprehensive online yoga teacher training program for fitness professionals who want to integrate yoga movements into their one-on-one training-group fitness or group exercise programs.  Sport Yoga is a comprehensive online yoga teacher training program for yoga enthusiasts, personal trainers, current yoga instructors, and wellness professionals. Learn how you can quickly and easily add yoga to your fitness business and expand your career now.

Our programs are open to anyone with a desire to learn and help others. There are no prerequisites.

That’s it for now.

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