top of page
Anna1 Yoga.jpg

Can i become a Yogini? A practitioner of yoga

Svensk flagga.png

Yoga is a fantastic form of training that you can do in a way that suits you best. As part of your recovery or more athletic building strength and balance. And you don’t need to be agile or do advanced poses to reap the positive effects of yoga. More and more athletes are using yoga as a compliment to their regular training for a more sustainable health and body.

 

When we talk about yoga most people in the western world think of yoga focused on physical exercise through the different poses, called “asanas”. But yoga is actually a group of different physical and meditative techniques with ancient traditions connected to philosophy and different religions.

 

Yoga originates from India and in the eastern part of the world yoga has been performed for thousands of years, while it is relatively new to the western world. Therefore the amount of research is limited but has improved in the last couple of years, and is mostly focused on the physical effects of yoga.

Anna Yoga2.jpg

In today’s digital and connected world a lot of people are interested in yoga as a compliment to other forms of training, where it is more common to push yourself hard to become stronger or run faster. Yoga has another goal and is more about listening to your body and being in the “now” while doing your exercises. Over 1 million people in Sweden do some form of yoga, so it seems like it is here to stay.

 

Research has shown that performing yoga can:

  • Improve your general health: reduce stress, compliment healthy habits, increase mental health, sleep and balance.

  • Reduce pain and increase functionality in your back and neck.

  • Alleviate menopause symptoms.

  • Manage anxiety and depression in combination with tough life situations. However not diagnosed mental issues like post-traumatic stress (PTSD or diagnosed depression.

Anna Yoga3.jpg

Test Challengize own yoga session with coach Anna. It is about 10 minutes ling and all you need is a soft mat and a calm place where you can relax. The session is in Swedish but easy to just follow along in the movements.

 

Yogopedia

  • Asana = – literally translates as ‘seat’ – but the more modern interpretation of the word denotes physical postures or poses.

  • Meditation = Meditation is a collective word for lots of different ways to train your mind

  • Mindfulness = a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

  • Namaste = is a customary Hindu non-contact manner of respectfully greeting and honoring a person or group, used at any time of day. It is found on the Indian subcontinent, and among the Nepalese and Indian diaspora.

  • Yoga = a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind and mundane suffering.

  • Yogi = a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions. 

  • Yogini = refers to a female master of yoga. The male counterpart is called a yogi. In the literature of classical Sanskrit, the term also refers to "enlightened goddess" and "divine mother."

Sources: The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

https://yogobe.com/se/yoga/om-yoga and https://yogaliving.se/yoga-ordlista/

Anna bild.jpg

About the author Anna

Challengize health tips are specially written for you by Anna Tengblad. Anna has a  bachelor's degree in sports science, human biology and sports pedagogy with over 25 years’ experience of working with sports, training and proactive health. She is also author of the book "Girls Night Out - 12 nights outside of Stockholm’s concrete jungle".

bottom of page