Many people
are wondering about yoga, which has been widely practiced recently and has a
very old history. With yoga, which can be done at home or in a peaceful
atmosphere in touch with nature, you can both keep your form and relax your
soul and get rid of the stress of daily life. So, what is yoga? How to do
yoga? Yoga guide for beginners…
What is
Yoga?
Yoga appears as a Far Eastern teaching that
supports physical and mental development. It has emerged in the Sarasvati
civilization, which is among the ancient civilizations of India, and has
reached the present day. The main purpose of yoga, which has a history of about
4000 years, is to relax the mind and relax the body.
Yoga is a
teaching practiced for mental and physical healing. It includes exercises
designed to stay healthy, reduce stress, and increase strength and flexibility.
It is to create awareness and harmony in mind and body. In yoga, which is done
in any desired place, regardless of time and place, it is possible to
deactivate the mind that constantly thinks and analyzes by focusing on
breathing. Awareness increases in people who practice yoga.
What are
the 8 Steps of Yoga?
Yoga allows
the mind to reach calmness through poses and meditation. Although yoga is
practiced physically, the benefits it provides have a mental effect. Yoga can
be defined as a journey with the body and mind. There are 8 stages in the
teaching of yoga, which is defined as a journey.
Yama: The first stage of the eight-step
yoga journey, yama includes the basic principles of yoga. At this stage, the
person distances himself from worldly pleasures. It aims to gain a mental
awareness. Since yoga aims to increase one's awareness, there is an increase in
one's awareness at this stage.
Niyama: The second stage of yoga, niyama
emphasizes personal discipline. It enables the person to have self-control and
to stay away from impulsive behaviors. In this way, the person will gain mental
awareness.
Asana: Although yoga looks like sports
movements from the outside, it basically provides control of breathing with the
help of correct positions of the body. In yoga, which provides mental focus,
asana means yoga posture and yoga pose. If the body cannot find the right
positions, the mind will not be in the right position either.
Pranayama: The fourth step, pranayama, focuses
on awareness of the breath, or life energy. Because breathing is critical to
yoga. With the breath, the person controls himself. With the control of the
breath, the person takes control of his spiritual development. Disruption of
breathing in angry situations indicates failure of breathing control.
Pratyahara: Pratyahara, which is the fifth step
of yoga, refers to the withdrawal of emotions and senses. It means being able
to see the senses and the world we perceive with our senses separately from the
senses. It is about being intertwined with life, being one with it.
Dharana: This step of yoga indicates proper
focus. In this step, which is associated with concentration and focus, it is
aimed to leave many bad situations behind and realize the moment thanks to
focus.
Dhyana: This step is defined as mentally
focusing and at the same time breaking one's own mental resistance by applying
certain meditation methods.
Samadhi: This stage is defined as
enlightenment. This stage, called Samadhi, indicates liberation from all mental
and physical attachments. A person gains an awareness of life by integrating
with himself as never before.