There is a specific type of yoga that suits your needs and interests whether you are looking for a fitness workout, healing therapy, relaxation time, or restoring your body and mind.
At A Glance
Yoga, a 5,000 year old practice, is considered as a holistic approach to health and is even classified as a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by the National Institutes of Health.
The word 'yoga' comes from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj', meaning 'to join' or 'to yoke' or 'to unite'. Modern scientists conclude that everything in the universe is just a manifestation of the same quantum firmament. Therefore, one who is 'in yug' or 'harmoniously united' is believed to have attained the highest peak of wellness.
What Does It Involve?
Yoga is a form of mind-body fitness that involves a combination of muscular activity and an internally directed mindful focus on awareness of the self, the breath, and energy.[4]
Regular practice of yoga promotes flexibility, core strength, physical as well as mental endurance and facilitates characteristics of cheerfulness, compassion, and greater self-control, while cultivating a sense of calmness and well-being.[4,5]
Four basic principles underlie
the teachings and practices of yoga's healing system.[6]
1. The
human body is a holistic entity comprised of various interrelated dimensions
inseparable from one another and the health or illness of any one dimension
affects the other dimensions.
2. Individuals and their needs are unique and therefore must be approached in a
way that acknowledges this individuality and their practice must be tailored
accordingly.
3. Yoga is
self-empowering; the student is his or her own healer. Yoga engages the student
in the healing process; by playing an active role in their journey toward
health, the healing comes from within, instead of from an outside source and a
greater sense of autonomy is achieved.
4. The quality and state of an individuals mind is crucial to healing. When the individual has a positive mind-state healing happens more quickly, whereas if the mind-state is negative, healing may be prolonged.
Practice
Yoga philosophy and practice
were first described by Patanjali in the classic text, Yoga Sutras.[2,6] The tradition of the Patanjali in the oral and textual tradition of the Yoga Sutras is accepted by traditional and modern (actual) Vedic schools as the authoritative source on Yoga.
Today, many people identify
yoga only with asana, the physical practice of yoga, but asana is just one of
the many tools used for healing the individual; only three of the 196 sutras mention
asana and the remainder of the text discusses the other components of yoga
including conscious breathing, meditation, lifestyle and diet changes,
visualization and the use of sound, among many others.[6]
What Is There For You?
In Yoga Sutras,
Patanjali outlines an eightfold path to awareness and enlightenment
called ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs”.[2,10]
The eight limbs are comprised of
ethical principles for living a meaningful and purposeful life; serving as a
prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline, they direct
attention towards one's health while acknowledging the spiritual aspects of
one's nature. Any of the eight limbs may be used separately, but within yoga
philosophy the physical postures and breathing exercises prepare the mind and
body for meditation and spiritual development.[4,10]
Based on Patanjali's eight
limbs, many different yogic disciplines have been developed. Each has its own
technique for preventing and treating disease.[1]
Hatha Yoga
In our Western world, the most
common aspects of yoga practiced are the physical postures and breathing
practices of Hatha yoga and meditation.[4]
Hatha yoga enhances the
capacity of the physical body through the use of a series of body postures, movements
(asanas), and breathing techniques (pranayama). The breathing techniques of
Hatha yoga focus on conscious prolongation of inhalation, breath retention, and
exhalation. It is through the unification of the physical body, breath, and
concentration, while performing the postures and movements that blockages in
the energy channels of the body are cleared and the body energy system becomes
more balanced.
There exists an
indisputable connection between a person's physiological health
and the inner peace yoga is designed to achieve. Yoga suspends
the fluctuations of the mind and by acting consciously, you live better, adding quality to your life.
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