Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice. It originated in ancient India, and it includes many asanas and Pranayam. Yoga into words controlling one’s mind and body.
This Sanskrit noun is derived from ‘Yuj,’ which means ‘getting attached.’ Yoga poses are designed to maintain the body from head to toe and inside to outside. People practicing yoga workouts with dedication are called yogis.
For calming your mind, getting the proper vision, relaxing your body, good health, relieving stress, improving focus, and getting rid of all the attachments in the world, the practice of yoga revolves around these goals. It is a path of an individual from unconsciousness to consciousness.
This article will enlighten you with yoga asanas names, their perks, and many other things.
Ancient Yoga
Yoga is a very ancient practice; it was discovered a million years ago in India. It was part of Hindu and Buddhist culture and now is followed by the whole world.
Yoga was founded in India by Patanjali being called the father of yoga. The Vedas-Hindu’s sacred source of literature contains scraps of yoga, plus it is also a part of many Hindu texts.
It had many names earlier depending on its type, like Karma Yoga Bhakti yoga, Jan yoga, nirodh yoga, etc. However, Patanjali Yoga sutras are told to be the most authentic and are described as an act of eternal peace, self-realization, pure love, and liberation.
Patanjali defined ashtang or ‘eight-limbed’ yoga pose to be :
YAMA
NIYAMA
ASANA
PRANAYAMA
PRATYAHARA
DHARANA
DHYANA
SAMADHI
Modern Yoga
These days Asana and Pranayama tend to be more popular than the rest of the others. Individuals follow other practices, but to remember the terms, they include them in either Asana or Pranayama, anyway it looks.
Yoga was popularised in the 19th century in the whole world because of Swami Vivekanand’s contribution. It started from the USA to Europe and then already worldwide. After that, many research Scholars from different parts of the world practice and wrote books on this.
Yoga pose consists mostly of asanas, and then Pranayam followed by meditation. Slowly, the revolution of yoga occurred, ranging from Hatha yoga, power yoga, Iyengar Yoga, and so on.
In terms of the civilizations that inherited contact with India and therefore the practice of yoga, there are:
- The Arabs because of the interpretation of the Yoga Sutras by Al-Biruni who compares it to Sufism;
- The Persians (through Sufis like Bistāmi or Al-Ghazali);
- The Greeks (translating the Bhagavad-Gita, which is one among the essential writings of Hindu culture).
- Marco Polo, within the Book of Wonders, will give an accurate description of yogis.
Nowadays, International yoga day is celebrated on 21st June.
Elements of Yoga Asana
There exist five elements of yoga according to Ayurveda which is said to be:
Agni (Fire)
Jal (Water)
Vayu (Air)
Aakash (Sky)
Prithvi (Earth)
They are told to be the basic element of the human body, and the life cycle runs among them. These elements are the atoms of life, and after a person attains ‘Moksha’ or say when someone dies, they go back and donate themselves to these five elements.
Yoga Asanas Name and Basic Asanas
Let us go through 12 basic Yoga Asanas Name
1. HEADSTAND (SIRSASANA)
Known as the “King of Asanas” for its remarkable benefits, the first yoga asanas name is Sirsasana. Headstand is the first of the 12 asanas. It is excellent for improving concentration, boosting memory, and turning libido into powerful vitality.
Also, people who practice Sirsasana regularly tend to have slower heart and breathing rates. To the surprise of many newcomers, this pose does not require any particular strength or flexibility.
All it takes is practicing and doing it step by step. Still, you may find it difficult to do all of it at once.
Don’t do if-
- Have high or low blood pressure.
- You have glaucoma or had eye surgery.
- You recently had injured your neck.
- You are on your Periods.
2. SHOULDERSTAND (SARVANGASANA)
The second yoga asanas name is Sarvangasana. Sanskrit’s name for shoulder stand, Sarvangasana, comes from “sarvanga,” which means all parts.
This asana strengthens the whole body. It offers many of the benefits of the headstand, but here the circulation is directed to the thyroid gland rather than the head.
Other benefits of this pose include stimulating metabolism, happiness, promoting clear thinking, and helping heal depression.
Don’t do if-
- You have an injured neck.
- If you have high blood pressure, do not hold the pose for more than 30 seconds.
- You are menstruating else, consider holding this pose for 15-30 seconds or skipping it altogether.
3. PLOUGH (HALASANA)
The third yoga asanas name is Halasana, the Sanskrit name for the plow. It helps keep the entire spine young. Stretch your leg, the back of the body completely, invigorating the whole spine. It also loosens tight hamstrings.
Don’t do if-
- You are suffering from Asthama or Kyphosis
- In case of Spine Injury
4. FISH (MATSYASANA)
The fourth yoga asanas name is Matsyasana. It is very effective in correcting any tendency of the shoulders to curve and helps tighten the nerves in the neck and back areas.
On a mental level, with the chest wide open, this asana works wonders to open our hearts to the world.
After practicing Matsyasana, we found that we experienced much deeper relaxation in the resting position of śavāsana. Take care not to stretch your neck too further.
5. SITTING FORWARD BEND (PASCHIMOTHANASANA)
The fifth yoga asanas name is Paschimothanasana. It can be very meditative. It encourages the conscious drift of gravity by pulling the spine into the pose.
As an added benefit, regular Pascimothanasana practice also helps counteract typical posture problems that arise in desk work by keeping the spine flexible, keeping the joints flexible, tightening the internal organs and muscles, and invigorating the nervous system.
6. COBRA (BHUJANGASANA)
The sixth yoga asanas name is Bhujanagasana, and the main advantages are that it works, massages, and tightens the back muscles, especially in the lower back.
The curvature of the spine also increases flexibility, rejuvenates the spinal nerves, and ensures great blood circulation.
7. LOCUST (SALABHASANA)
And the seventh yoga asanas name is Salabhasana. This exercise will make your thoughts pure and powerful. The physical benefit of this pose is that it massages all internal organs, especially the pancreas, liver, and kidneys.
In addition, the spine is bent back, and the chest is open, which means that the neck and throat region is better blood circulation.
8. (DHANURASANA)
The eighth yoga asanas name is Dhanurasana. The yoga pose is so named because when we hold it, our body bends back like a bowstring, and our arms are stretched and taut like a bowstring.
The whole body rests on the stomach, which massages the abdominal region well, especially the digestive organs
9. HALF SPINAL TWIST (ARDHA MATSYENDRASANA)
And the next yoga asanas name is Ardha Matsyendrasana. The Half Spinal Twist has multiple pros on the gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, liver, and intestines.
It provides a lateral stretch that relieves generalized back pain and muscular injury of the back and hips. The abdominal muscles are massaged, and the large intestine is especially stimulated.
10. CROW (KAKASANA)
The tenth yoga asanas name is Kakasana. This exercise makes our arms, wrists, and shoulders strong. The muscles of the fingers, wrists, and forearms are also stretched. Kakasana helps to increase the ability to concentrate and eliminate lethargy.
11. STANDING FORWARD BEND (PADA HASTA ASANA)
The next yoga asanas name is Pada Hastasana. As the name suggests, the hand-to-foot yoga pose, this exercise rapidly lengthens the muscles and ligaments throughout the back of the body, from the heels to the middle of the back.
The standing forward bend stretches our spine and increases blood flow to our brain.
12. TRIANGLE (TRIKONASANA)
The last yoga asanas name is Trikonasana. It offers a very good lateral movement of the spine and simultaneously stretches and strengthens various muscles on the sides of the body. It also helps with balance.
Pranayama
Pranayama means ‘vital life force’ . It is the heart of yoga, which fixates towards immense mental strength and respiration capability.
It can nurture your body and balance your hormones for a better way of life. That can give you a sense of calmness and carries much of a benefit.
There are 10 types of pranayama, each having its own benifit:
1. Nadi Sodhana
2. Ujjayi Pranayama
3. Kapalabhati Pranayama
4. Bhramari Pranayama
5. Sheetli Pranayama
6. Bhastrika Pranayama
7. Viloma Pranayama
8. Dirga Pranayama
9. Chandra Bedha
10. Surya Bedha
Benefits of Yoga
- Yoga pose helps with back pain relief – Downward dog, cow pose, child pose, plow pose, eagle pose.
- Yoga postures improve strength, balance, and flexibility – Warrior, Tree pose, Mountain Pose.
- Yoga reduces symptoms of arthritis- Cobra pose, Butterfly, Cat pose, half plow pose.
- Yoga pose benefits heart health – Up dog, Dancer, Backbend.
- Maintaining good health is also an important pursuit; practice different asanas even if you’re fit and fine.
- Yoga poses can increase your stamina, increase upper body strength, and give you energy – Boat yoga, bridge, wheel pose, warrior pose.
- Yoga helps you manage stress, improve the respiratory system – Corpse pose and all pranayama, Ananda balasana.
- It improves digestion for a good gut – Cow pose, Spine twist, Downward dog.
- Changes in your body- Helps in gaining/ losing weight – Cobra, plank/ side plank, Surya namaskar, fish pose.
- Meditation alongside yoga cures depression, loneliness, and other Mental illnesses.
- Yoga poses can relax the entire body and make you have a sound sleep – Child pose, upward dog, knee-to-chest, Adho Mukha savasana.
Clearing misconceptions
Yoga belongs to one Religion –
Yoga is an independent, unrelated practice and does not endorse any religion, community, or belief. Anyone practicing yoga will gain all the merits.
They will improve their concentration power, gain/ lose weight, improve their digestion, enhance focus, and so on.
It is only Stretching-
Another misconception that follows yoga is, it not being a workout but mere stretching. Since it does not exhaust your body, it doesn’t mean it is not a workout or won’t benefit you in any manner. What yoga looks like may become slightly different when done in real.
It highly improves hormonal imbalances and keeps you maintain from inside to outside.
Yoga is time taking-
A 45-minute yoga workout in any half of the day it’s enough. People find it boring because it looks like “just sitting” and barely moving or changing spots, but trust me, it is beneficial and worth your time.
It is for weak people/beginners/Young and Flexible People-
Yoga is for everyone. People belonging to any gender, age, suffering from any disease won’t be a barrier to practicing yoga.
You can practice yoga anywhere. You can either sit on a chair or mattress or your bed and perform this. Always remember flexibility is not a constraint to yoga but, practicing yoga will surely give you flexibility.
Yoga should be Perfect if you want to gain benefits-
Perfection is an utter myth! No one can be perfect. Achieving some yoga posture may indeed be hard in the first go.
That doesn’t mean you won’t be getting the benefits. Yoga when done with simplicity. Without much pressurizing yourself, you will learn and evolve.
Eating like a Yogi
The yogic diet is a diet that recommends eating unprocessed foods. This diet is particularly based on the principles of balanced living, non-violence, and purity.
It consists of foods with sattvic qualities, increasing energy, and balancing the mind and body. Yogis advocate a vegetarian/vegan diet, together with the essential principles of yoga isn’t to harm any living creature.
This is often a pure diet that, with careful planning, results in optimum health and a peaceful mind on top of things of a fit body.
Do’s and Dont’s of Yoga?
- Asanas should be practiced on an empty stomach. Consume a bit of honey in lukewarm water if you are feeling weak.
- Light and cozy cotton clothes are preferred to facilitate easy movement of the body.
- Yoga should be practiced during a well-ventilated room with a good draft of air.
- People should refrain from regular yoga practice if any physical illness, pregnancy, or menses (if they wish).
- Easy asanas and pranayama are often done instead.
- Use a mat with an honest grip to try to do Yogasanas
- Complete the yoga session with relaxation techniques to chill down
- Please do not hold your breath unless it’s specially mentioned to do so during the practice.
- Breathing should always be through the nostrils unless instructed otherwise.
- Wait until 2 to three hours after an outsized meal.
- Don’t shower or drink water or eat food for a half-hour after doing yoga.
- There are contra-indications/ limitations for every Yoga practice, and such contra-indications should be kept in mind.
- It takes a while to urge good results, so persistent and regular practice is essential.
Conclusion
Nowadays, millions and millions of people across the globe have benefitted from the practice of yoga which has been preserved and promoted by the great eminent Yoga Masters from ancient times to this date.
The method of yoga is popularizing and growing more vibrant every day. I hope something brightened your mind after reading the above-mentioned 12 yoga asanas name and poses. If you have any other yoga asanas name and benefit in mind, do share with us.
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