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Yoga
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The science and practice of yoga began over 6,000 year ago in Southeast Asia, but it was only in the last 50 years that Yoga found its way across the continents to take root in American culture. The practice of Yoga was first introduced by several Yogi Masters around the turn of the last century in India, but Yoga as we know it today has its seed of origin within the Yoga Sutras written by Patanjali around 800 B.C. But the true history of Yoga can be divided into the four categories. The Vedic Yoga, Pre-Classical Yoga, Classical Yoga, and the Post-Classical Yoga are the categories of Yoga that can help define the history of this fitness program that is so popular today. The history that was involved in creating the path for Yoga has been so deep in its roots but there are other interesting things about this very popular fitness program. Not only has Yoga been proven scientifically to be a healthy activity but it has been a great tool in reducing obesity and curing some diseases. Yoga may seem like a very simple physical activity that involves very low athletic skill, but this paper will show that even through these simple physical activities, this popular fitness program has given many Americans a healthier lifestyle and a better sense of their own being. The first of the four categories, Vedic Yoga, was intimately connected with the ritual life of the ancient Indians. It revolved around the idea of sacrifice as a means of joining the material world with the invisible world of the spirit. In order to perform the exacting rituals successfully, the sacrificers had to be able to focus their mind for a prolonged period of time. Such inner focusing for the sake of transcending the limitations of the ordinary mind is the root of Yoga. It was said that when this practice was performed successfully, the person was graced with a vision or experience of the transcendental reality. As great masters of Vedic Yoga were called “seers,” they were able to see the very fabric of existence, and their hymns spoke of their marvelous intuitions, which still inspire yogi practitioners today. The Pre-Classical Yoga covered an extensive period of approximately 2,000 years starting from the first century. Pre-Classical Yoga comes in various forms and guises. The earliest manifestations were still closely associated with the Vedic sacrificial culture.
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