The practice of yoga originated in India
1,000 years ago and has been adopted throughout the world as a means of
quieting the mind while stretching the body.
Even some doctors in western cultures prescribe yoga to their patients
as a way to get a handle on headaches and other physical complaints. Yoga can help lessen stress and the multitude
of symptoms that come with it. The physical benefits of yoga include better balance, improved
circulation, better breathing process, and improved muscle strength and
flexibility. Students of yoga often
experience a lowering of blood pressure and improved levels of energy. When muscle tension is released during the
myriad of stances and stretches, the mind is freed of tension and stress. Yoga is akin to meditation, with purposeful
physical motions added. In both
meditation and yoga, you free the mind from thought and learn to exist in the
moment. Worries about the past and apprehension about the future fall away. By
concentrating on forming each pose, your mind fully connects with the movement
of your body. You will reach a new level
of body awareness as you continue studying yoga. There are yoga exercises for nearly everyone
regardless of how flexible or toned.
Yoga knows no age limit, and it can also help sculpt your body as you
become more comfortable with the exercises. Beginners wanting to take advantage of yoga’s body toning and
stress reducing benefits may want to start with what’s known as easy yoga.
There are more than 80 poses in yoga, but you don’t need to master that
many to start seeing results. A good web site for easy yoga, called Yoga for Beginners -- a
Practical Guide, walks you through a few standing, sitting and prone positions.
When you click on the name of a pose, it takes you to a picture so you
can see how to do the exercise. You’ll also find poses specifically for
relaxation and stress reduction as well as for meditation. Yin Yoga is aimed at stretching the tissue around joints,
and each pose is held for more than a few minutes. Yin Yoga teachers and practitioners believe
that stretching this tissue can release energy in the body and help prepare a
person for meditation. This type of yoga
is closely aligned with Taoist philosophy, and one of the main symbols of this
philosophy is the Yin-Yang sign. Yin
energy is slow and still while Yang energy is active and constantly moving. The
Yin-Yang symbol shows that these opposites are inextricably related to one
another because both are necessary components of the whole energy picture. Hatha Yoga, the world’s most widely practiced
form of yoga, centers on poses that build strength and flexibility. At the same time practitioners work on
becoming aware and attuned to their breathing.
It takes concentration to become conscious of a function that is as
automatic as breathing, but this focus can improve lung capacity and provide a
feeling of well-being. In order to reach the state of calm and clear thinking that yogis
claim is possible through continued practice, the objective of Hatha Yoga centers around bringing four disparate
elements into harmony. The exercises bring the senses of being, acting,
thinking and willing into balance. When a person is tense, these states
of mind often work against one another. Kundalini Yoga is known for its concentration on various
breathing techniques and secondarily for its poses. Unlike the passive Yin Yoga, Kundalini Yoga
is an active attempt to unlock hidden creativity and awareness so that it can
grow and develop. At the same time,
Kundalini yogis practice to release energies along the six charkas said to
exist along the spine. When combined
with meditation, they aim to ultimately achieve spiritual enlightenment. This form of yoga should be practiced with a
teacher who is knowledgeable about all the breathing methods and poses. If not done properly, some of the breathing
exercises can lead to dizziness or fainting. The Yoga Factor Part I: Stretch to Center Body and Mind
Focus on the Pose
Easy Yoga
Yin Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Kundalini Yoga
From
easy yoga steps to advanced practice with a yogi, there are poses and exercises
for nearly everyone. You can choose to
learn just those easy poses that help relieve stress and tension. Or you may enjoy taking on the more
challenging practices in Hatha or Kundalini Yoga.