insideKENT Magazine Issue 77 - August 2018 | Page 143

HEALTH+WELLNESS
yoga : A BEGINNER’S GUIDE
THE MYRIAD BENEFITS OF YOGA ARE ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE NUMEROUS THAN THE MYTHS
THAT PERVADE THIS CLASSIC FORM OF FITNESS, NAMELY: IT’S ONLY FOR GIRLS, OR HIPPIES
THAT ARE INTO INCENSE AND CHANTING; IT’S PRACTICED IN EITHER SMELLY, STIFLINGLY
HOT STUDIOS, OR VERY SLOWLY AMONG THE OVER 65S; AND, MOST ILL-INFORMED OF
ALL, IT’S A PURSUIT ONLY FOR THE FLEXIBLE. THE TRUTH IS THERE ARE MORE YOGA STYLES
THAN EVER BEFORE – SOME STEADFASTLY TRUE TO THEIR ANCIENT ROUTES, OTHERS
MODERNISED AND MODIFIED, BUT ALL DEVISED TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE, REDUCE
ANXIETY, AND DEVELOP STRENGTH, BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY.
A brief history… The different styles of yoga…
Yoga’s beginnings were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati
civilisation in northern India over 5,000 years ago. The Vedas
were a collection of texts containing songs, mantras and rituals
to be used by Brahmans, the Vedic priests, and the word ‘yoga’
was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda. Yoga
was slowly refined and developed by the Brahmans and Rishis,
mystic seers who documented their practices and beliefs in the
Upanishads, a massive work containing over 200 scriptures the
most renowned of which is the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, a scripture said
to have been composed around 500 B.C.E. The Upanishads took
the idea of ritual sacrifice from the Vedas and internalised it,
teaching the sacrifice of the ego through self-knowledge, action
(karma yoga) and wisdom (jnana yoga). Before the romanticism of a healthy,
calm and contemplative new hobby
carries you away, have a read
through this beginner’s guide to the
different types of yoga there are out
there to practice; there will be a style
of yoga to suit you whatever your
size, shape, or temperament and it’s
important to remember that
flexibility is a consequence of yoga,
not a precondition.
In the pre-classical stage, yoga was an often contradictory
mishmash of various ideas, beliefs and techniques, but its classical
period is defined by Patanjali’s yoga-sûtras, the first systematic
presentation of yoga written some time in the 2nd century and
describing the path of Raja yoga, often referred to as ‘classical
yoga’. Patanjali organised the practice of yoga into an ‘eight
limbed path’ containing the steps and stages towards obtaining
Samadhi or enlightenment. Patanjali is often considered the
father of yoga and his Yoga-Sûtras still strongly influence most
styles of modern yoga.
IYENGAR
Iyengar and ashtanga yoga come
from the same distinguished
provenance and were both
developed by teachers taught by
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, widely
regarded as the ‘father of modern
yoga’. Iyengar is all about alignment
and though you’ll do fewer poses in
a session, the emphasis falls on
exploring the subtle tweaks and
twists required to grasp each one
perfectly, so it’s brilliant for beginners.
The aim is to get a firm grasp of the
placement and fundamental
structure of each individual pose and
often, props, such as belts, blocks
and pillows are used to help aspiring
yogis find their feet.
HATHA
Hatha is to yoga what beer is to
alcohol: the lighter, less tough one
you try before moving on to the hard
stuff. Which is to take absolutely
nothing away from hatha (or indeed
beer), which remains a very popular
and effective yoga style, it’s just that
what hatha means in yoga speak is
the physical practice of yoga poses
– the asanas – so it’s really an
element of all yoga styles. Today,
hatha refers to a more basic, gentle
class of slow-paced stretching and
simple breathing exercises with no
flow between them.
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