CONTENTS

Types of YOGA and its benifits...................................................... 3

Meaning......................................................................................... 3
History of Yoga................................................................................... 4
Types of Yoga..................................................................................... 5
Hatha Yoga................................................................................... 6
lyengar Yoga................................................................................. 6
Ashtanga Yoga............................................................................. 7
Kundalini Yoga............................................................................ 7
Vinyasa Yoga................................................................................ 8
Bikram Yoga................................................................................. 8
Yin Yoga........................................................................................ 9
Restirative Yoga........................................................................... 9
Parental Yoga.............................................................................. 10
Anusara Yoga.............................................................................. 10
Jivanmukti Yoga......................................................................... 10
Aerial Yoga.................................................................................. 11
Acro Yoga.................................................................................... 11
Benifits of Yoga............................................................................... 12
Calms the Nervous System..................................................... 12
Lowers stress and builds resilience....................................... 13
Helps in anxiety........................................................................ 13
Boost mood................................................................................. 13
Contributes to healthy aging.................................................. 14
Helps with focus and cognition............................................... 14
Boosts memory........................................................................ 14
Hepls with energy.................................................................... 15
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 Helps you sleep better............................................................. 15
Increases flexibility and functional fitness............................ 15
Helps in weight loss................................................................. 16
Helps build strength................................................................ 16
Promotes bone health............................................................. 16
Keeps joints and connectives tissues healthy........................ 17
Helps with balance................................................................. 17
Support back and spine health............................................. 17
Helps with pain....................................................................... 18
Support healthy blood pressure
and Cardiovascular health..................................................... 18
Can help improve fertility success......................................... 19
Yoga can help in depression...................................................... 19
Conclusion.......................................................................................... 20

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 Types of YOGA and its benefits.

Meaning Of Yoga
Yoga Day is celebrated on 21st June.
Yoga is a physical, mental and practice that originated in
ancient India. First codified by the sage Patanjali in his Yoga
Sutras around 400 C.E, the practice was in fact handed down
from teacher to student long before this text arose. Traditionaly,
this was a one-to-one transmission, but since yoga became
popular in the West in the 20th century, group classes have
become the norm.

The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to
yoke," or "to unite". The practice aims to create union between
body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and
universal consciousness. Such a union tends to neutralize ego
driven thoughts and behaviors, creating a sense of spiritual
awakening.

Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, and whilst many
different interpretations and styles have been developed, most
tend to agree that the ultimate goal of yoga is to achieve liberation
from suffering. Although each school or tradition of yoga has its
own emphasis and practices, most focus on bringing together
body, mind and breath as a means of altering energy or shifting
consciousness.

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 HISTORY OF YOGA

Yoga is a spiritual practice that was developed in India about

5,000 years ago. In ancient times, the desire for greater personal
freedom, health, long life, and heightened self-understanding gave
birth to this system of physical and mental exercise which has
since spread throughout the world. The early writings on yoga
were inscribed on the fragile palm leaves that can be easily
damaged, destroyed or lost. The Yoga also finds its place in the
scriptures of the Vedas and Upanishads. The ancient yogis or
saints originally performed the India's ancient Vedic religion,
which emphasized mainly on rituals. But as the time approaches,
these yogis want a direct spiritual experience and not symbolic
ritual. So they developed yoga. Taking into account the
interrelationship between body and mind, the yogis formulated a
unique method for maintaining this balance. This method
combines all the movements with various breathing and
meditation techniques that ensure peace of mind and physical
health. Historical evidences of the existence of Yoga were seen in
the pre-Vedic period (2700 B.C.), and thereafter till Patanjali’s
period. The main sources, from which we get the information
about Yoga practices and the related literature during this period,
are available in Vedas (4), Upanishads(108), Smritis, teachings of
Buddhism, Jainism, Panini, Epics (2), Puranas (18) etc.

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 TYPES OF YOGA

The tradition of yoga practice is thousands of years old, so no one

can technically copyright any yogic posture. However, the
methods and techniques of practicing are as numerous as the
personalities of those who practice yoga. Here we've put together
the 13 most popular yoga types for you to help you decide which
ones may be best for you:

 Hatha Yoga
 lyengar Yoga
 Kundalini Yoga
 Ashtanga Yoga
 Kundalini yoga
 Vinyasa Yoga
 Bikram Yoga
 Yin Yoga
 Restorative Yoga
 Prenatal Yoga
 Anusara Yoga
 Jivanmukti Yoga
 Aerial Yoga
 Acro Yoga

Be adventurous and try a few different yoga styles to see what

you like. Even the most experienced yogi can always use a
different perspective now and then to enhance their practice.

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  Hatha Yoga

The term Hatha Yoga originally refers to every kind of physical

yoga posture, and the term is thousands of years old. Today in the
United States, however, many people seek to develop their own
personal styles of practicing these postures and copyright these
styles. When you hear a class described as Hatha Yoga style
today, it often refers to practicing yoga postures slowly with
careful awareness of the movements. There are no fixed sequences
or specific breathing patterns typically associated with a modern
Hatha Yoga class. Some teachers will focus on breathing, and
some will focus only on workings the muscles in the postures.
Students describe these classes as excellent for beginners and
slower-paced than Vinyasa and Ashtanga Yoga classes.

 lyengar Yoga

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. lyengar were both yoga students of
the same yoga teacher: Krishnamacharya in Mysore, India.
However, they both created different styles of practicing yoga
based on their personalities and individual experiences. Sri K.
Pattabhi Jois developed schools of Ashtanga Yoga, described
further below B.K.S. lyengar went on to develop a yoga style that
could help everyone, especially people with illnesses and injuries
because he learned how to recover from many health problems of
his own through yoga. B.K.S. lyengar began teaching yoga in
1936, and he founded his first Ramamani lyengar Memorial Yoga
Institute in Pune, India in 1975. Now lyengar institutes have come
up all over the world. The lyengar style has become famous for its
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creative use of yoga props to help students of every level achieve
some variation of virtually every yoga posture.

 Ashtanga Yoga

The literal term Ashtanga Yoga means the eight limbs of yoga
elaborated in Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras," written thousands of years
ago. Therefore, almost every yoga teacher in every yoga school
hassome connection to this tradition. In the United States,
however, thosewho mention Ashtanga Yoga are often referring to
the school created by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who studied under
lyengar's teacher in Mysore. The first school of Sri K. Pattabhi
Jois was the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, or "AYRI,"
founded in Mysore, India around 1948. His schools have spread
out internationally as well. Ashtanga Yoga follows a strict format
of six different sequences of asanas that have their basis on the
Sun Salutation Sequence. The sequences originally were the
subject of study for young boys in an old gymnastics school. You
have to master each sequence before moving on to the next one.
Ashtanga Yoga focuses on physically challenging you to push
past your limits in every class.

 Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is practiced around the world, its origin is

unknown. The concept of Kundalini energy has been around for
centuries and was mentioned in ancient Vedic texts from 1,000
B.C.

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The term “Kundalini” comes from the Sanskrit word “kundal,”
which means “circular.” It also refers to a coiled snake. And
according to practitioners, Kundalini energy is like that coiled
snake: It sits at the base of your spine, sleeping and unaroused.
Kundalini yoga is practiced to activate this energy, which allows it
to move up and through the chakras along your spine.

 Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa Yoga describes many variations of "yoga-flow sequences

inspired by the series of postures taught in Ashtanga Yoga by Shri
K. Pattabhi Jois as well as the personalized Viniyoga approach of
Krishnamacharya's son T.K.V. Desikachar. The main focus of
Vinyasa Yoga is linking breathing to each movement while
practicing the postures. General Vinyasa Yoga classes often add
additional postures to the standard Sun Salutation sequence. They
can practice postures slowly or quickly depending on the needs of
the students. You wil find many different varieties of Vinyasa
Yoga, including some that use more music, meditational aids and
chanting in their classes.

 Bikram Yoga

Bikram Choudhury created this "hot yoga" style, basically

recreating the environment of his hometown in Calcutta, India. He
later founded Bikram's Yoga College of India. While to the
Western world it seems like doing yoga inside of a sauna,
classroom temperatures of up to 100 degrees and 40 percent
humidity or more are everyday living conditions in most of India.

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By heating his classrooms, he gave students the advantage of
loosening up their muscles a little faster and sweating much more.
As a result, students often leave class experiencing something akin
to a "runner's high." Bikram classes traditionally last for 90
minutes during which you focus on 26 fixed postures that you
perform twice. It also includes breathing sequences. For those who
are stiff, classes in the afternoon are often ideal.

 Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga came from Paulie Zink's studies with a Martial Arts and
Chi Kung Master Cho Chat Ling in China. Paulie studied Taoist
Chi Kung with his master privately for 10 years. Using what he
learned and combining it with yogic postures, he created what he
called "Taoist yoga." Paul Grilley then learned this yoga style
from Zink in the 1980s. Paul Grilley went on to teach Sarah
Powers, and she later changed name to Yin Yoga since it uses the
principles of Yin and Yang from the philosophies of Traditional
Chinese Medicine.

 Restorative Yoga

Since B.K.S. lyengar did the most work of popularizing the use of
props in yoga - especially for yoga-therapy sessions most people
credit him as the founder of what has become Restorative Yoga.
A key feature in restorative yoga is the use of props such as
blocks, bolsters, or blankets. The props help you hold
passive poses for longer without exerting or tiring out your
muscles.

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  Prenatal Yoga

Prenatal Yoga is a special exercise and stretching program for

pregnant women of all trimesters. All pregnant women should go
to Prenatal Yoga rather than other yoga classes because not every
yoga posture is safe for women to practice while pregnant.

 Anusara Yoga

Founded in 1997 by a Senior-level lyengar teacher, Anusara Yoga

became most popular in California where it started. These classes
combine the use of yoga props just like lyengar classes. However,
they focus more on creating flow sequences and promoting a
lighthearted atmosphere in the classroom.

 Jivanmukti Yoga

Sharon Ganon and David Life founded the style of Jivanmukti

Yoga in New York by 1984, and it draws inspiration from other
yoga teachers of Swami Nirmalananda, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and
Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. The Sanskrit word
Jivanmuktiliterally means "the freedom of the individual soul,"
although it has many other deeper meanings as well. This style
falls mostly under the umbrella of Vinyasa flow-style yoga.
However, they also incorporate elements of Ashtanga/Mysore,
Prenatal, Restorative and Hatha Yoga in their wide variety of
classes.

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  Aerial Yoga

Christopher Harrison is a Broadway performer who brought his

training in acrobatics and gymnastics to yoga in the 1990s,
officially creating the woridwide fitness chain known as the
AntiGravity Yoga program by 2007. Many other variations of this
style have come into popularity, including Air Yoga, Unnata
Aerial Yoga and other mobile systems from OmGym and Gorilla
Gym.

 Acro Yoga

Jenny Sauer-Klein and Jason Nemer founded Acro Yoga in 2003.

They used their experience in gymnastics and circus training to
develop the program that has now become an
internationalmovement. In Acro Yoga, the practice focuses on
doing more inversions and preparing your body for inversions by
working with a partner to go deeper into the postures. Partners
take turns seving as the base" to support their partner while the
other becomes the "flyer" who often rests their weight on the feet
of their partner while practicing variations of inversions. Classes
also include spotters to help ensure the safety of everyone.

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 Benefits of Yoga
More people take up yoga for wellness than for a specific health
reason, though health-care providers are increasingly
"prescribing" yoga. There's no "one size fits all" practice for all
the health benefits of yoga. "The benefits are immense and varied
and differ from person to person," says Lafon.
"Everybody comes to yoga with their own unique set of
circumstances, and part of the beauty of yoga is that it helps each
individual learn how to address his or her own situation."
At the outset, yoga practiced for a stiff neck might look different
than yoga practiced for strength or stress relief, but there's more
overlap than you might expect.
"Yoga doesn't need to be intense to help the body, nor does it have
to be gentle to help the mind," says Duran.
And while you might be drawn to yoga for abs or core strength, it
might be the mental benefits of yoga that keep you practicing.
"If you can breathe, you can do yoga and experience its profound
benefits," says Swanson. In short, yoga is good for life. Here’s a
rundown of the benefits of yoga.

 Calms The Nervous System

Yoga's focus on breathing is the key to this benefit. "Yoga directly

influences your autonomic nervous system, which is your body's
master control system," says Swanson. "By calming the nervous
system, going into 'rest and digest' more often, your body can
function optimally and have a greater capacity to heal."

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  Lowers stress and builds resilience

There's been significant research into yoga for stress relief. Yoga
may be more effective than walking for stress management, and,
if you stick with it, you may be able to recover from stress faster.
Yoga can help build resilience, our defense against stress. "The
more we practice, the more we learn to do things simply for the
love and joy of doing them, and not for a specific outcome, which
often creates stress, discouragement, frustration, anger, even
heartbreak," says Laffoon.

 Helps in anxiety

In research on yoga for anxiety, many studies have shown a

significant decrease in symptoms and measurable biomarkers.
When we practice, "the nervous system has the potential to move
from 'fight or flight' to a more calm 'rest and digest response,"
says Sherrell Moore-Tucker, RYT 200. Yoga has also shown
promise for performance anxiety.

 Boosts mood

As with any form of exercise, yoga "releases feel-good chemicals

like adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine," says Moore-Tucker.
YOga may also help shift your perspective, which can in turn
boost mood. Indeed, research shows that the majority of yoga
practitioners believe that yoga has a positive impact on their lives.
That's something to feel good about.

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  Contributes to healthy aging

While yoga isn't a fountain of youth, it can help you age more
gracefully. That same survey that observed the mood-boosting
effects of yoga saw those benefits extend to those as old a 87
years of age. And the collective physical and mental benefits
of yoga can also help improve quality of life in older adults.

 Helps with focus and cognition

Yoga teaches you to focus on your form and breath,

improve attention and concentration. A 2015 research
review found that yoga improves cognitive function, including
focus and processing speed.
helping to
"One of the ways that yoga works is by teaching people to slow
down and pay closer attention to their bodies and minds,"
explains Laffoon. " The combined effect is that people become
much more in tune with themselves on all levels -mental,
physical, emotional, and spiritual."

 Boosts memory

In addition to focus, yoga has been shown to increase "gray

matter in key areas of the brain, counteracting the natural effects
of aging," says Swanson, the author of Science of Yoga. The

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brains of yogis and meditators also show less of the natural
agerelated decline in intellectual capacity, and both yoga and
meditation have been shown to help lessen cognitive decline to a
greater extent than memory training exercises.

 Helps with energy

Those same chemicals that give you a mood boost also help with
energy. Even two minutes of yoga can give you a boost of energy
and self-esteem.

 Helps you sleep better

One in three adults don't get enough sleep. In research on yoga

for sleep, the practice has been shown to help both men and
women catch more Zs. Indeed, more than half (55 percent) of
yoga practitioners report improved sleep (and there is not counting
the naps they take during savasana).

 Increases flexibility and functional

fitness

Just 10 weeks of yoga can significantly improve flexibility.

according to a study in the International Journal of Yoga. The
benefits of yoga extend far beyond the mat. A 2016 study found
that yoga is just as effective as stretching and strengthening
exercises at improving functional (real world) fitness, improving
balance, strength, mobility, and flexibility.
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  Help in weight loss

Yoga may help with weight loss, and a 2016 research

review found it to be safe and effective for doing so.
Yoga can count as cardio especially if you do vinyasa yogabut
the research on yoga for weight loss shows positive
effects even with restorative yoga.

 Helps build strength

Yoga is a weight-bearing practice thae's low-impact, and its ability

to build strength is among its most important benefits. Research
on yoga for strength shows it can help maintain and build muscle
mass.

 Promotes bone health

The weight-bearing aspects of yoga also help maintain and build

bone density. Research by Dr. Loren Fishman, a physician and
yogi, found that even 10 minutes of daily yoga improved bone
density in the spine and hip bones. Another decade-long
study showed 12 minutes of yoga a day bolstered bone quality.

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  Keeps joints and connective tissues
healthy

Yoga can help with the alignment, flexibility, mobility, and

overall health of joints and connective tissues. "Yoga can help
increase the range of motion in all of your joints, as well as create
strength around them, so you feel better supported, says Grujicic-
Delage. And studies specifically on yoga for knee pain show an
improvement in both pain and stiffness.

 Helps with balance

A well-rounded yoga practice can help "improve strength,

flexibility, agility, balance, and fall prevention," says Swanson.
Working on balance throughout your lifetime can help prevent
dangerous falls as you age. Yoga can significantly improve
balance by increasing proprioception (awareness of your body's
position in space) and by building strength in your ankles and
legs.

 Supports back and spine health

Yoga's benefits for your bones and muscles also apply to your
back. The practice works your entire core, the primary job of
which is to support your spine. "As you start your practice, your
muscles will strengthen and activate, and your spine will be better
Supported-you'll have better posture as wel," says Grujicic
Delage.
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One study scanned the spines of longtime yoga teachers and
found that, when compared to non-yogis, their spines showed
less degeneration of the discs.

 Helps with pain

Numerous studies suggest that yoga be effective for reducing

acute neck and back pain. "Back pain is one of the areas where
yoga shows the most promise," says Swanson. "Research
suggests that yoga is not only effective, but also cost-effective
when it comes to back pain."
For pain in the lower back, yoga has been found to help even
severe, chronic pain.

 Supports healthy blood pressure and

Cardiovascular health.

The benefits of yoga extend to the heart, too. The practice may
help manage blood pressure and improve heart function
"including heart rate variability, which may be a measure for
cardiovascular and nervous system resilience," says Swanson.

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  Can help improve fertility success

"Yoga can help with fertility," says Duran, and a 2017 review of
studies found that the stress-relieving benefits of yoga might be to
thank. While there's no magic "fertility yoga pose," the practice
"produces clarity of mind, a more positive outlook, and more
patience," which can help couples improve their chances of
conceivingand of the success of fertility treatments in particular,
says Moore-Tucker.

 Yoga can help in depression

Yoga helps you to lead a stress-free life as it is considered as a

therapeutic activity that has benefits for both the mind as well as
the body. Find a few minutes every day for some meditation or
pranayama. Even techniques like Tratak on a flame and Chandra
Namaskar can be done to help you ease depression. When you
practise this form of introspection through yoga, it will help you
clear your mind for solutions says Grand Master Akshar.

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 Conclusion
Yoga is a systematic practice of physical exercise, breath control,
relaxation, diet control, and positive thinking and meditation
aimed at developing harmony in the body, mind, and environment.
The practice entails low-impact physical activity, postures (called
asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), relaxation, and
meditation. Most people are familiar with the physical poses or
yoga positions but don't know that yoga involves so much more.
The health benefits presented by yoga have attracted many people
to adopt it to enable them to lead healthy lifestyles. Notably, the
exercise combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and
relaxation episodes to tune the mind and body of a person. As a
result, people practicing yoga are likely to enjoy various physical
and mental health benefits. For example, the exercise can lower
their blood sugar and pressure levels and also enable them to
attain inner peace. Therefore, when practiced consistently and
carefully, yoga can impact the body and soul of individuals
positively. Hence, people should use its techniques to improve
their lifestyles.

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