It increases muscular strength. It reduces tension and stress. It has a low potential for injury, and it doesn't even look like exercise.
Why, then, don't more people practice yoga.
People think of yoga as being passive and mystical - an otherworldly activity that doesn't relate to their lives. People are experiencing a vacuum because of all the outward directed activity, and they are going to have to go back to the experience of self.
Although the Indian discipline of yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, in this country there are few followers. Almost half the American adult population swims and close to a quarter runs or jogs, yet only 2 percent practices yoga.
The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to yoke or connect. Through yoga's various techniques, one is said to arrive at mental and physical equilibrium, better health and inner peace. It has been described as providing, in effect, a ''work-in'' rather than a workout.
There are at least eight main branches of yoga and several offshoots of each, but essentially there are only two concerned with exercise: hatha yoga and kundalini yoga.
Hatha is the most popular type of yoga in the Western world. It is a slow-paced discipline that emphasizes controlled breathing and assuming various physical poses. It is said to aid the nervous system, the glands and the vital organs.
Kundalini, which was introduced to this country in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan, is more active, combining various modes of breathing, movement and meditation. It is based on the idea that body energy that is coiled below the base of the spine can be tapped so that it travels upward through different energy centers or chakras until it reaches the head. At this point one arrives at one's highest potential.
Classically, there are 84 basic yoga positions, or asanas, which are coordinated with special breathing techniques. The asanas range from simple bends and twists to pretzel-like contortions reserved for the most advanced practitioners. The various poses elongate the muscles and build flexibility. Along with the proper breathing, they help rid the body of tension. Static holds isolate and strengthen particular muscles.
Asanas have been evolved over the centuries so as to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. They secure a fine physique, which is strong and elastic without being muscle-bound, and they keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. But their real importance lies in the way they train and discipline the mind.
Showing posts with label benefits of yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label benefits of yoga. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Yoga union in Body, Mind, and Spirit
Yoga is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. Hatha Yoga can help you towards better health and calm your mind so that you can solve your personal problems. People start yoga for many reasons. They may want to increase their levels of health, fitness, and flexibility.
Yoga is an ancient art of staying fit, both physically and mentally. The yoga benefits are so enormous that they are still being discovered almost everyday. The benefits of this ancient art include physical, mental, emotional health, spiritual benefits and natural healing.
The art of Yoga has evolved over many centuries in ancient India. The earliest records of this form of art are found in the ancient Hindu texts and mythologies. Yoga keeps the mind and body of a person fit by slowing down the natural aging process. It reduces the amount of toxins absorbed by our body cell and thus slows down its deterioration.
The physical well being of a person is an obvious benefit of Yoga. There are specific yoga poses or asanas that are aimed at increasing height, losing weight from waist or hips, improving blood circulation, solving Gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems, normalizing blood pressure levels and in keeping it under control, improving our cardio-vascular efficiency, improving physical strength and stamina are to name only a few.
Beyond the more obvious physical benefits, there are many spiritual benefits of Yoga. At a basic level Yoga helps by improving our level of concentration and mental clarity. At an advanced level it improves thought control, mind control and is also known to help in developing psychic powers. On a higher level Yoga unites ones self with the environment and the people around us. It helps us realize and experience how we are One with nature. It is a sort of enlightenment that makes us feel at par with the universe. We become more aware of the lives of people around us and how they are intertwined with our own. This makes us feel at peace with ourselves. Purifying, healing and rejuvenating exercises can restore health, force of life, joy and also lengthen life span. Certain exercises, such as Laya Yoga practices serve liberation, salvation of the soul and reinvent our relationship with God. Yoga thus provides mental peace and spiritual harmony. The realization of ones spiritual self makes us a better person.
The three main components to the practice of Yoga are: breathing, concentration and posture also known as asanas. All three components work together for specific objectives.
One of the most commonly practiced asanas is the Sirsha asana or the Headstand Pose. To do this exercise firstly kneel down and place your arms flat on the floor. Interlock fingers of both hands. Place your head between your hands, flat on the floor. Raise your back from the kneeling position so that you are on the tip of your toes, with your head still on the floor. Slowly raise your legs off the floor so that it extends upwards, keeping the body aligned and balanced. Breathing techniques used during the exercise enhance the overall effect.
Breathing techniques, also known a pranayama, is aimed at bringing more oxygen into our blood stream thereby improving the efficiency of our system. Breathing techniques go hand in hand with the various asanas.
Yoga finds immense use in our present day lives. From relieving office work tension to keeping de-stressing ourselves on a long flight to making us a better person in todays outright competitive and religiously divided world. It brings out a harmony in our precariously unbalanced lifestyles and emotional stability to our personal lives. It is surprising that sparing only a few minutes a day to practice this art can bring us enormous benefits.
Kevin Pederson can guide you on the {a href=" http://www.yogawiz.com"} working principles behind Yoga which focuses on the benefits of Yoga techniques intended to produce a positive state of mind in us. This article explores the spiritual benefits of yoga.
Explore The Spiritual Benefits Of Yoga
Yoga is an ancient art of staying fit, both physically and mentally. The yoga benefits are so enormous that they are still being discovered almost everyday. The benefits of this ancient art include physical, mental, emotional health, spiritual benefits and natural healing.
The art of Yoga has evolved over many centuries in ancient India. The earliest records of this form of art are found in the ancient Hindu texts and mythologies. Yoga keeps the mind and body of a person fit by slowing down the natural aging process. It reduces the amount of toxins absorbed by our body cell and thus slows down its deterioration.
The physical well being of a person is an obvious benefit of Yoga. There are specific yoga poses or asanas that are aimed at increasing height, losing weight from waist or hips, improving blood circulation, solving Gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems, normalizing blood pressure levels and in keeping it under control, improving our cardio-vascular efficiency, improving physical strength and stamina are to name only a few.
Beyond the more obvious physical benefits, there are many spiritual benefits of Yoga. At a basic level Yoga helps by improving our level of concentration and mental clarity. At an advanced level it improves thought control, mind control and is also known to help in developing psychic powers. On a higher level Yoga unites ones self with the environment and the people around us. It helps us realize and experience how we are One with nature. It is a sort of enlightenment that makes us feel at par with the universe. We become more aware of the lives of people around us and how they are intertwined with our own. This makes us feel at peace with ourselves. Purifying, healing and rejuvenating exercises can restore health, force of life, joy and also lengthen life span. Certain exercises, such as Laya Yoga practices serve liberation, salvation of the soul and reinvent our relationship with God. Yoga thus provides mental peace and spiritual harmony. The realization of ones spiritual self makes us a better person.
The three main components to the practice of Yoga are: breathing, concentration and posture also known as asanas. All three components work together for specific objectives.
One of the most commonly practiced asanas is the Sirsha asana or the Headstand Pose. To do this exercise firstly kneel down and place your arms flat on the floor. Interlock fingers of both hands. Place your head between your hands, flat on the floor. Raise your back from the kneeling position so that you are on the tip of your toes, with your head still on the floor. Slowly raise your legs off the floor so that it extends upwards, keeping the body aligned and balanced. Breathing techniques used during the exercise enhance the overall effect.
Breathing techniques, also known a pranayama, is aimed at bringing more oxygen into our blood stream thereby improving the efficiency of our system. Breathing techniques go hand in hand with the various asanas.
Yoga finds immense use in our present day lives. From relieving office work tension to keeping de-stressing ourselves on a long flight to making us a better person in todays outright competitive and religiously divided world. It brings out a harmony in our precariously unbalanced lifestyles and emotional stability to our personal lives. It is surprising that sparing only a few minutes a day to practice this art can bring us enormous benefits.
Kevin Pederson can guide you on the {a href=" http://www.yogawiz.com"} working principles behind Yoga which focuses on the benefits of Yoga techniques intended to produce a positive state of mind in us. This article explores the spiritual benefits of yoga.
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