Yoga (/ˈjoʊɡə/;Sanskrit, Listen) is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice or discipline which originated in India. There is a broad variety of schools, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Among the most well-known types of yoga are Hatha yoga and Rāja yoga.
The origins of yoga have been speculated to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions, is mentioned in the Rigveda, but most likely developed around the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, in ancient India's ascetic and śramaṇa movements. The chronology of earliest texts describing yoga-practices is unclear, varyingly credited to Hindu Upanishads and Buddhist Pāli Canon, probably of third century BCE or later. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date from the first half of the 1st millennium CE, but only gained prominence in the West in the 20th century. Hatha yoga texts emerged around the 11th century with origins in tantra.
Yoga gurus from India later introduced yoga to the west, following the success of Swami Vivekananda in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of physical exercise across the Western world. 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 closely related to Hindu Samkhya philosophy.
As per Jyotisa a Yoga is given rise to when one planet, sign or house is related to another of the same kind or different kind by way of placement, aspect or conjunction. It is the active consideration of planetary yogas and the active consideration of the planetary Dashas i.e. directional effects, which are the two most important factors that distinguish Hindu astrology from Western astrology.
Laghu Parashari is the concise version of the predictive side of the Hora Shastra, and the Parashari System is most widely followed, having stood the test of time and because it is simple and unambiguous. The ancient Hindu astrologers seem to have confined their exercises to the seven planets – the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; Rahu and Ketu, these two that are mathematical points, are referred to but rarely. Parashara also refers to five more Chayagrahas which are all actually invisible mathematical solar positions but having impact on the life of individuals and nations. The Rigveda does refer to the total of thirty-four, comprising twenty-seven Nakshatra-divisions of the Zodiac and the seven planets which was the general format then in use. However, elsewhere it also refers to the total of forty-nine by adding to the said thirty-four the two Chayagrahas (the lunar nodes), the twelve rasis (signs) and the Ayanamsa. Varahamihira favoured Satyacharya’s Dasha system though he says many had spoiled it by useless multiplications but Satyacharya did not deviate from the basic Parashari principles. Because of there being nine active planets and equally active twelve signs (including their numerous sub-divisions) and twenty seven nakshatra divisions, yoga-formations are unavoidable.
Athens (/ˈæθᵻnz/;Modern Greek: Αθήνα, Athína [[aˈθina]], Ancient Greek: Ἀθῆναι Athēnai), is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning around 3,400 years, and the earliest human presence around the 11th–7th centuries BC.Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent and in particular the Romans. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2015, Athens was ranked the world's 29th richest city by purchasing power and the 67th most expensive in a UBS study.
Athens is the capital city of Greece.
Athens may also refer to:
Athens is a city in Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,710. It is the county seat of Henderson County. The city also calls itself the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World." Athens was selected as one of the first 'Certified Retirement Communities' in Texas. It was named after Athens, Alabama by one of the early residents who came from there.
Athens is located at 32°12′10″N 95°50′57″W / 32.20278°N 95.84917°W / 32.20278; -95.84917 (32.202782, -95.849140).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.0 square miles (44.0 km2), of which 14.6 square miles (37.8 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (13.85%) is water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,710 people, 4,110 households, and 2,807 families residing in the city. The population density was 772.8 people per square mile (298.3/km²). There were 4,549 housing units at an average density of 311.2 per square mile (120.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.14% White, 19.23% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 6.17% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.37% of the population.