Yoga is not something which has to be done by a specialized group. It is a universal exercise and is practiced by children, the elderly, and everyone in between. So what's the big deal about doing a yoga pose? Simply put, yoga is good for you. Unlike many other forms of exercise, yoga can be done at the pace of the individual involved and targets not only your physical well being but your mental and spiritual as well.
The mental benefits of doing a yoga pose are endless. Have you ever heard the saying that a healthy mind
gives a healthy body? Yoga is an important way of keeping the mind healthy. How does it do this? It does it by training you how to deal with all those thoughts floating around in there. You know the ones that pretty much attack you when you're on the verge of sleep and make you worry incessantly. The very nature of the world today is such that it's virtually impossible to not be concerned about something.
That concern is goodit helps to keep you grounded. However, it's very easy for this to become a serious problem if you find that you can't relax.
What ends up happening is you become stressed and this can have very bad consequences for your health, both mental and physical. Doing an asana helps you to concentrate on something other than whatever you're worrying about. The deep breathing done in conjunction with most of these postures puts the body into a state of relaxation. Often, the teacher will give simple instructions and lead you through mental exercises designed to calm your mind and your emotions. Yoga practitioners have reported a sort of mental rejuvenation after completing a yoga position.
You may ask what about physical rejuvenation for the body? Each asana typically targets a particular region of the body and has its own effects and benefits. As a whole though, yoga positions generally strengthen muscles, increase flexibility and aid in proper alignment. Many people don't view a yoga routine as cardiovascular exercise. Proponents of more strenuous forms of yoga, such as Ashtanga yoga, will beg to differ. In fact, all types of yoga improve the circulation in the body and some postures, such as inverted poses, serve to supply the brain with increased supplies of critical oxygenated blood. This in turn reduces sluggishness and boosts your energy levels.
Doing the body poses is a very spiritual activity. In the beginning many yoga classes neglected the meditation aspect of yoga, but they are now coming to realize what an integral part of the exercise this truly is. Have you ever wondered why so many meditation exercises take place against a background of nature sounds? Through such practices it is possible to transcend the fetters of the physical plane and genuinely begins to see the beauty that we are surrounded by each and every day. Practitioners of the yoga postures are often more attuned to their surroundings and better able to draw solace from it. Some even say that it makes them feel closer to the Supreme Power.
How many different types are there? Personally I've never counted but they number in the hundreds. That's because there are quite a few types of yoga. Those who are new to yoga, or perhaps have not had as much exposure, often think that yoga is practiced in one all-encompassing form. The fact is that there are many 'offshoots' of the original exercise done thousands of years ago. Now it is common to hear terms such as Hatha Yoga, Bikram Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. Still, they do have more than a position or two in common. Postures such as the corpse pose and the mountain pose are typically part of the basics regardless of the type of yoga being practiced.
Sherry Holistan is a Hatha, Vinyasa and Bakti Yoga Practitioner. For reviews of the Best Yoga DVDs please visit http://bestyogadvd.net/
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Originally posted 2011-12-06 15:32:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
