There is no better country than India to visit if you like yoga and want to learn more about this age-old practice.
You will grow from the experience and be able to take your practice to new levels.
Reasons to practice yoga in India
Yoga has expanded from South Asia to the world over the past 20 years and has become a well-liked form of exercise in almost every nation. Why should you travel to India to practice yoga if it is practiced everywhere?
The answer is that yoga in India is just different. It is difficult to explain how, but in the nation where yoga originated, people practice and teach it in a more authentic, natural, and spiritual way.
1. Indian yoga is distinct from western yoga
There is a gulf between yoga practice and its real meaning and purpose in the west. When yoga was introduced to the western world, it changed to better suit western culture, which yearned for an exercise technique that produced results quickly and had precise results.
Yoga is now widely regarded as a great form of exercise in the west, where it is frequently performed using quick flows akin to workouts designed to make you sweat.
Yoga is not practiced in India in this manner, and Indians do not regard yoga as a physical exercise with a defined end in mind.
Yoga in India has a physical component, but it is only one facet of a much larger ideology.
Indian yoga is a complete lifestyle component that also includes how you behave toward other people, what you eat, and how you treat the environment.
Indian yoga asanas, or poses, are designed to calm the mind and manage it for meditation, when you can find inner tranquility and happiness.
2. Discover historical methods to achieve contentment and spiritual equilibrium
India has been known to practice yoga since the seventh century BCE.
The fact that yoga’s techniques genuinely aid people in removing emotional and physical blockages is the reason for its long-term success.
Yoga improves the connection between your mind and body by bringing calmness and contentment.
Despite this, learning the complex process of yoga requires a person to travel through their life.
It is best to have a qualified teacher to acquire the tools to achieve this spiritual balance, which is why many yoga practitioners are migrating to India now.
You can learn about the eight different components, or steps, of yoga in India, including its ethical precepts and principles, physical postures and movements, breathing techniques, capacity for introspection, concentration, and meditation, as well as its ultimate aim: fulfillment.
3. Whether an experienced yoga practitioner or a beginner, India is a great destination
The goal of Indian yoga is to advance personally and spiritually, not to see who can perform the best headstand or tree pose.
India is a fantastic place to practice yoga, regardless of your skill level.
There are numerous yoga retreats and ashrams in India with special beginner courses, so there is no need to be concerned about being judged as “not good enough.”
Sincerity and a desire to improve are the only requirements for practicing yoga in India.
India is also ideal for advanced yoga practitioners who are proficient in postures and mindfulness but need extra support and focus on advancing their practice. Advanced practitioners will gain a lot from gurus who have spent years perfecting the craft.
Yoga: The Practice of Spirituality
Yoga is a spiritual practice rather than a physical one. Your proficiency in it is determined by how it enhances your life and relationships with others, not by the quantity and complexity of your asanas.
Most gurus characterize yoga as a spiritual science that aims to calm your mind and strengthen its connection to your body.
You can fully explore your inner self and learn more about what your body needs once your mind and body are in sync.
Yoga has been practiced for over a thousand years in India, which has led to the development of numerous schools of thought and types of yoga.
Here, we’ll go over the different traditional yoga styles frequently taught in India.
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- Hatha
All forms of yoga instructing physical postures, asanas, breathing techniques, or pranayama are collectively called hatha yoga. Hatha yoga aims to calm the body and mind to prepare the body and mind for other spiritual practices, such as meditation.
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- Vinyasa
Vinyasa is another umbrella term for all yoga styles that involve quick transitions and continuous movement from one pose to the next.
In vinyasa yoga, coordinated breathing is yet another crucial component.
New students often find it easier to be mindful and focus on the practice rather than allowing their thoughts to wander due to the continuous flow of poses, inhales, and exhales.
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- Ashtanga
Ashtanga yoga is based on classical teachings and entails a series of vinyasa-style poses. Although each pose in Ashtanga yoga progresses in difficulty, it is always performed in the same order.
The internal heat created by this yoga style helps detoxify your muscles and internal organs, even though it is frequently physically taxing.
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- Iyengar
B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the most well-known yoga masters of the modern era, founded Iyengar yoga. The main distinction between Iyengar and other styles of yoga is that Iyengar emphasizes the minute particulars of each posture.
Iyengar yoga participants need to pay attention to the alignment of the muscles in each pose, and poses are frequently held for longer than in other styles of yoga.
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- Sivananda
Sivananda yoga is a variety of hatha yoga developed by Swami Sivananda. Sun salutations and relaxation poses are frequent openings for Sivananda yoga classes, progressing through Sivananda’s 12 postures.
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- Kundalini
Numerous aspects of yoga, such as repetitive postures and movements, breathing exercises, chanting, mantras, and meditation, are all incorporated into kundalini yoga. Kundalini yoga aims to awaken energy at the base of the spine and draw it through the seven chakras, which sets it apart from other forms of yoga.
This yoga style circulates body energy through repetitive breathing and movement.
Call it the soul, the life force, or whatever you want to call it, but every mortal has a creative spark within them.
The foundation of human consciousness is this spark.
Every person has a special combination of forces that revolve around a spiritual core, making them each unique in their own right.
Yoga aids in the connection between our spiritual core and the all-pervasive cosmic source.
