Hi there, do you like yoga? I love Hatha yoga and Rāja yoga.
I have never done yoga. What are the benefits?
It mostly a physical exercise but also has meditative and spiritual benefits
I've heard people can do it to relax and get rid of stress.
Yes thats a major reason why Yoga gurus from India later introduced yoga to the West!
What does one do during the practice of yoga? Do I need equipment?
Well a yoga mat is preferred but not necessary. Since yoga is just about physical, mental, and spiritual practices
Makes sense. I assume a yoga mat would make it more comfortable.
Yoga mat
Yoga mats are specially fabricated mats used to prevent hands and feet slipping during asana practice in modern yoga. An early variety made of rubber carpet underlay, pioneered by the yoga teacher Angela Farmer, was called a sticky mat.
History.
Ancient yoga practice in India was originally conducted on kusha grass, on hard earth without any cover, or on a rug of deer or tiger skin, as specified in the "Bhagavadgita". Due to the scarcity and cost of such rugs, they are now
gurus from India later introduced yoga to the West, following the success of Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th and early 20th century with his adaptation of yoga tradition, excluding asanas. Outside India, it has developed into a posture-based physical fitness, stress-relief and relaxation technique. Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more than physical exercise; it has a meditative and spiritual core. One of the six major orthodox schools of Hinduism is also called Yoga, which has its own epistemology and metaphysics, and is