For five years now, the world has come together on June 21 to celebrate the wonder that is Yoga. Although coming together this year looks more like staying apart, the celebrations will commence all the same. In the spirit of International Yoga Day, here are a few fun facts about this ancient, mystical, magical discipline.
Did you know that…
- Yoga is over 5000 years old and is one of the oldest known physical disciplines in the world.
- A practice of both physical, mental and spiritual nature, there are an estimated 300 million people partaking in Yoga as of today.
- There is research suggesting Yoga, along with meditation, can help delay ageing.
- In Sanskrit, the word ‘Yoga’, means ‘union’ or ‘to unite’.
- Today in the West, Yoga is largely dominated by women. However, up until 1937 it was a male-only practice.
- Plenty of research suggest that practicing yoga on a regular basis increases your immune system.
- There are now over a 100 different styles of Yoga, including goat yoga, nude yoga and ‘broga’ – yoga for bros…
- All postures (asanas) are originally practiced to enable the yogi to sit in a cross-legged position on the floor and meditate for hours without feeling his/her body stiffen or hurt.
- The practice of chanting ‘Om’ at the beginning and end of a session constitutes the sound of the universe, as the syllables A-U-M represents the past, present, and future respectively. It is meant to evoke a connection with the ‘bigger picture’, everything that goes on within and around us.
- The swastika was originally a yoga symbol that came from the word ‘Svastik’, meaning “that which is associated with well-being.”
With such a rich history this list could go on forever. The same goes for the amount of online-forums, live-streams and virtual-channels available to connect with the yogic world. Hence there are plenty of ways to join in on the global festivities today. Here’s but a few. Enjoy!
108 Sun Salutations Live-Stream Event 9:30AM UK time
International Day of Yoga *Special*
Featured image credit: Pixabay
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