Yoga and Healthy Lifestyle
May 14, 2009
The practice of Yoga started in India some 500 years ago. Some think it’s the oldest self-development practice in existence. By encouraging its students to focus on their self-awareness and capabilities, Yoga enhances physical, spiritual, emotional and mental well-being.
Several Yoga methods have developed over the centuries, but all center on controlled breathing aligned with physical poses known as asanas. The alignment of breathing with body stance is intended to foster meditation, which in turn clears the mind and calms the spirit.
Yoga has spread throughout the world from its home in India. Some estimate that millions of people worldwide now practice yoga, whether for its physical results or for its deeper spiritual benefits. Longtime Yoga practitioners, especially instructors, liken Yoga to more of an evolutionary process than a series of exercises.
The longer one practices Yoga, the more one becomes aware of being physically, mentally and spiritually cleansed and self-aware. However, one must be patient and dedicated to achieve these benefits.
In general, all Yoga styles aim at improving strength, flexibility and vitality. For example, Hatha Yoga centers on aligning breathing with physical exercise. Bikram Yoga is performed in a heated environment, leading to profuse perspiration to detoxify the body.
Ashtanga Yoga is a highly intense form whose challenging poses can be nearly acrobatic in nature. Other styles are like aerobic workouts, while some styles are more gentle and focus on healing body, mind and spirit.
One of the greatest benefits to Yoga is its openness to all people. Practitioners can be any age, either gender or of any faith or lifestyle. Although the more challenging Yoga methods usually work best with a live instructor, Yoga can also be self-taught through books, videos, and DVDs.
Beyond beginner instruction, there are references geared specifically toward athletes, couples and those seeking a particular attribute such as strength or flexibility.
To get started with Yoga it’s important to think about your own personal qualities, needs and circumstances.
If you’re living on a tight budget, you can try Yoga on your own using books, DVDs or videos from a used bookstore. Or you might look for Yoga classes at local public recreation centers, where fees are low. Perhaps you already attend a gym or health club that offers a yoga class you can try out.
Many American students start with a Hatha Yoga class to learn basic techniques, and then branch out to more challenging or complex Yoga methods.
What’s most important is to think about you’re trying to achieve through Yoga. Do you desire a stronger, more flexible body? Are you an athlete who needs a new challenge? Are you seeking to integrate body, mind and spirit through Yoga’s combination of physical postures and meditation? Once you decide what you want to achieve, your choice of a Yoga method will be clearer, and you can proceed down the path of self-improvement.
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Great post! The benefits of yoga are still unknown to many people. Different types of yoga have different effect on our health. However, it is important to understand the yoga basics so that the practitioner can perform the asanas perfectly and experience the benefits of yoga.