Category: Audio

In the episode by Bodyposiyogi, The History of Yoga-Overview, Jill and Jordan give the general history of yoga dating all the way back to 5000 B.C. They educate how yoga was more of a philosophy than a physical practice. The philosophy of yoga originally focused on breath control and being able to control the mind. It wasn’t until Britain invaded India that yoga began to incorporate the physical aspect. At that time, body building and gymnastics was popular in Europe which is what gave influence to the physically demanding yoga poses that we know know as head stands and inversions. Jill and Jordan then give context of when yoga came to the United States and how it ended up being so popular on the West Coast. 

I learned that yoga actually dates back farther than most people think. Since the actual written philosophy of yoga was not written till 500 B.C. most people consider that is the time frame that yoga was born. Yoga was actually created much earlier than 500 B.C. In places such as South Asia and India, there are ancient sculptures that suggest that yoga was created as early as 2000 B.C. I also learned that yoga was first brought to the United States in the mid 1920’s to Los Angeles California. It was Hollywood that ended up making yoga so popular. Celebrities began practicing yoga and raving about it which made it popular. A fun fact I learned is that Marilyn Monroe was one of the celebrities that did yoga and there are many pictures of her practicing the asanas of yoga. 

Fagan, J., & Jordan, E. (2017, May 16). Bodyposiyogi Podcast: History of Yoga- Overview [Audio blog post]. Retrieved July 12, 2019.

In Jill and Jordan’s podcast, Bodyposiyoga, they educate about the different types yoga and how they are very much different from the “physical” types of yoga that are so popular in modern culture today. The podcast begins with defining the words yoga and asana. Yoga is defined as union of the body, mind and spirit. Asana is defined as the physical practice of yoga. They go into great detail about the five branches of yoga and what the intentions are of each branch. 

I learned what yoga and asana mean and realized that yoga is the umbrella over mindfulness and meditation. I also learned that there are five branches of yoga which is much different from what I had initial thought. The five branches are yoga are defined as: Bhaki meaning devotion, Karma meaning selfless actions, Jnana meaning the path of wisdom and knowledge, Hatha meaning the actual postures and Raja also known as King yoga which focuses on meditation. This podcast helped answer my content questions and showed me how my questions are linked.

Fagan, J., & Jordan, E. (2018, June 4). Bodyposiyogi Podcast: History of Yoga- The Types of Yoga [Audio blog post]. Retrieved July 12, 2019.

During Oprah’s interview with Deepak Chopra, he talked about the power of belief. He explained that our mind is so powerful that what we believe becomes our reality. This means that whatever we are thinking will happen, will be what shows up in life because we are looking for it. If we begin to change our belief’s, our life can drastically begin to change in negative or positive ways. Deepak speaks about how, as we begin to grow up, we begin to think of ourselves as separate from ourselves. This divide makes us become imprisoned from our beliefs and stops us from becoming our true selves.

I learned that if we can see everything around us as merely arising and subsiding and not react, we can begin to enjoy the roller coaster of life. I also learned that a way to check if you are being present in the moment is by saying to yourself, “Are you aware?”. This is a great self check-in to help you be mindful in moments when things are stressful or overwhelming. This podcast helped answer my question around what mindfulness is by Chopra explanation of mindfulness.

Deepak Chopra Session: Belief Created Reality- Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday [Audio blog interview]. (2019, June 25). Retrieved July 6, 2019.