Yoga 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 simple yoga?
Those who don’t know a lot about the practice of yoga might think that it’s a spiritual, New Age activity that doesn’t speak to daily life. Yet frequently these days, people experience emptiness in their lives because most of their activity is directed externally. And just as frequently, to return to optimal health and balance in their lives, they’re going to have to redirect their awareness inwardly, and return to the experience of self.
Yoga is an Indian discipline that has been practiced for more than 5000 years. Yet in most western societies, it still has relatively few followers. About half of the American adult population swims, while about 25% run or jog, but only 2% practice yoga.
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit “yuj,” which means to yoke or connect. With yoga’s various techniques, you can achieve mental and physical equilibrium, inner peace, and improved health. Indeed, yoga is commonly said to provide not just a workout, but a “work-in”.
There are at least eight main branches of yoga, with several variations of each. Essentially, though, only two are concerned with exercise. Those are kundalini yoga and hatha yoga.
Hatha yoga is most properly practiced in the Western world. Slow paced, it emphasizes control breathing and has practitioners assume a variety of physical poses. Proponents say that it helps the vital organs, glands, and nervous system.
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.
There are 84 basic yoga positions, classically speaking, also called asanas. These are done in tandem with special breathing techniques. The asanas or yoga positions can be simple twists and bends, or can be as complicated as pretzel-like contortions that only the most advanced practitioners are capable of. These various positions help build flexibility and make muscles longer. When used with proper breathing, they can help you rid your body of tension. The utilization of static holds helps isolate and strength in particular muscles.
Asanas have 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.
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