Is Yoga Good For Your Spine?

Here are a few facts regarding yoga:

• The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj” meaning “to yoke or join.” Some folks take this to imply a union of mind and body.
• According to a market study in 2008, there are about 16 million people in the United States that practice yoga and spend at least $5.7 billion on yoga equipment per year.
• Hatha yoga is the sort of yoga most often practiced in Western culture. “Ha” means “sun” and “tha” means “moon.”
• There are lots of styles of yoga. An individual’s fitness level and desirable practice outcome determines the sort of yoga class on which they’re best suited.
• There have been over 7,369 yoga-related accidents treated in doctors’ offices, clinics, and emergency areas in 2010 according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Overstretching the spine, neck, legs, shoulders, and knees, as well as repetitive strain, are just some of the frequent yoga injuries.
• Even the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) believes the rewards of yoga outweigh the potential physical dangers.
• Yoga is described as having eight limbs or branches: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyhara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.
• Practicing yoga has many possible health benefits including relieving low back pain, assisting with anxiety management and increasing flexibility and balance.
• There is some evidence to suggest that pregnant women taking yoga courses are far less likely to experience problems in subsequent pregnancy and labor.

The Background of Yoga

There is not any written document of the inventor of yoga. Yogis (yoga practitioners) practiced yoga long before any written account of this came into existence. Yogis within the millennia handed down the discipline for their students and several distinct schools of yoga developed because the practice widened in international reach and fame.

Different Types of Yoga

Modern forms of yoga have significantly evolved to exercise focusing on strength, flexibility, and breathing to boost physical and mental well-being. There are many types of yoga, and no style is more authentic or superior to another; the secret is to decide on a class suitable for your fitness level.

Types and styles of yoga:

1. Ashtanga yoga: There are ancient yoga teachings found in the 1970s where it indicates that each of the six sequences of postures links every motion of the body rapidly.
2. Bikram yoga: kept in heated rooms at temperatures of nearly 105 degrees and 40% humidity, so Bikram is a collection of 26 poses and chain of two breathing exercises.
3. Hatha yoga: a generic term for any type of yoga which teaches physical postures. When a class is tagged as “hatha,” it is generally a gentle introduction to the fundamental yoga postures.
4. Iyengar yoga: concentrated on locating the appropriate alignment in every pose and utilizing props such as blocks, blankets, straps, chairs and bolsters to achieve that
5. Jivamukti yoga: significance, “liberation when alive,” Jivamukti yoga emerged in 1984, integrating religious teachings and vinyasa design exercise. Each class has a subject, which is explored through yoga scripture, chanting, meditation, asana, pranayama, and songs, and could be physically extreme.
6. Kripalu yoga: teaches practitioners to get to know, accept and learn from your system. In a Kripalu class, each student chooses to find their own level of training on a particular evening by day looking inward. The courses usually begin with breathing exercises and gentle stretches, accompanied by a collection of patient poses and last relaxation.