12 Fascinating Facts About Yoga You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner
1. Yoga is more than just what we do on a slick mat...
The ancient, sacred practice that began thousands of years ago has gradually devolved into something more akin to gymnastics and stretching. Asana (physical postures) are only a small part of what yoga entails. Yoga also includes meditation, pranayama (breathing techniques), chanting, and living a life of meaning, purpose, and kindness.
2. It may help you live a longer life....
Not only do the postures help to strengthen muscles and relieve tension, but the breathing practices encourage us to take in more oxygen, which improves circulation and overall body function. As we begin to slow down our movements and breath, the body's functions such as oxidation, acidity, and cell damage slow down as well, giving it more time to repair and renew itself – essentially preventing and slowing down the aging process!
3. It isn't just for pretty women wearing skimpy leggings!
Yoga has traditionally been a male-dominated practice. Women were only allowed to participate in practices after the revered teacher Krishnamacharya allowed his wife to do so. Soon after, Indra Devi rose to prominence as the first well-known yoga teacher, even teaching Marilyn Monroe. Men were a rare sighting in a yoga class for many years after that.
Broga (Yoga for Bros') founder Matt Miller is a former American footballer, bodybuilder, and personal trainer, and says, “Broga looks at yoga from a male sensibility.” It's powerful, energizing, and challenging.” And it's perfectly fine if you can't touch your toes....
4. There are numerous styles to choose from.
New ‘styles' of yoga are springing up all over the place, and there are now over 100 different Yoga schools. This includes tantra, ashtanga, sivananda, and good old hatha, as well as rocket yoga, laughter yoga, aerial yoga, equine yoga, and paddleboard yoga.
5. Doga, also known as 'Dog-Yoga,' is a thing....
Did you know that dogs can now do yoga? After all, the majority of the postures are named after animals, plants, or natural phenomena, and ‘adho mukha svanasana,' or ‘downward facing dog,' is no exception.
Owners and pets practice side by side in Doga... Suzi Teitelman started yoga for dogs in New York in 2002, and it quickly became popular.
6. So, who is the oldest Yogi?
Tao Porchon-Lynch is a French-Indian yogi who was born on August 13, 1918. She is also a dancer, a former model and actress, and she continues to teach all over the world. Guinness World Records named her the ‘World's Oldest Yoga Instructor' in May 2012, at the age of 93. According to rumor, she enjoys wine as well, so there's still an excuse to drink that glass after class...
7. Do you want better sex? Yoga is an option.
Numerous studies have found that yoga can help improve sex drive. In order to engage ‘mula bandha' or the ‘root lock,' the yogi must lift the perineum (as if trying to hold in an urgent pee), bringing more circulation and awareness to the nether regions. The practitioner is said to be able to greatly increase the feeling of orgasm by practicing this regularly and remembering to ‘switch it on' while having sex.
8. It's a growing phenomenon...
Not simply because everyone is having sex. Yoga makes us feel so good that, in 2012, 10% of adults in the United States practiced it; that's a lot of people when you consider the population was 314.1 million people at the time. Consider this:
9. You are not required to wear socks....
If you want, you can wear anything else you want...
There is such a thing as 'Hot Nude Yoga.' Anyone brave enough to lay it all on the mat is not alone, as the practice is gaining popularity among men and women in both the East and the West. Yoga while naked derives from a very ancient tradition known as Naga Yoga, in which ‘Naga Sadhus' would make being naked a part of their spiritual practice.
Naked yoga is said to deepen a person's practice and to promote appreciation and acceptance of one's own body. If you're not a Sadhu, please put your clothes back on after class....
10. While we're on the subject of nudity....
'Yogabum' is the name of a company. True. In case you were wondering, they sell towels....
11. However, if you do want to wear clothes to practice, you should be aware of....
Lululemon's brand value was approximately $1.69 billion in 2013, and at the time of the last check in 2014, they had 280 stores worldwide. This is enormous in comparison to how ‘big' yoga was in the fashion world a few years ago. Stores such as Gap and H&M have also caught on and have begun to promote more ‘active' style clothing, which combines yoga pants with casual wear. They must be aware that we always wear our Yoga pants.
12. You are not required to be a vegetarian, but it is customary....
Ahimsa's yama (or moral vow) of nonviolence includes not harming or eating other living animals. However, it is also claimed that because meat is dead, it contains no ‘prana' or ‘life force' energy. A yoga practice is intended to improve our prana (life force energy), so eating something that does not benefit this can be detrimental to the practice. Plus, who wants to do handstands and twists after a double cheeseburger?
Related: 9 Benefits of Yoga
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