Have you ever heard the word yoga and thought about that woman in white tights on the cereal box? The next thought that comes into your mind is ?Wait, I can't even touch my toes. I would look really silly in a yoga class. Forget it. Chanting is not for me.? Think again. This article will tell you what yoga is. It is not about women in white tights. It is not about auditioning for Cirque du Soleil either. It is not about chanting words you have no idea about.
Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning joining. By doing yoga we are joining together the various facets of a human being. We are made up of body, mind and spirit. By doing yoga we join these three parts together to form an integrated human being. The actual pose or asana part of yoga is only a method by which we can integrate the human being. In essence, yoga means to attain a sense of balance, focus and improved breathing. If we all did a structured breathing exercise which would improve lung capacity and increase circulation, then that would be yoga. In fact, the first step in doing yoga is to understand breathing and its effect on the human body. Physiology tells us that the functioning of the human body is highly dependent on our breathing.
We know that when we are anxious, our breathing is short and fast. When we are relaxed it is long and deep. The latter produces a more efficient human body and cells respond to that efficient infusion of oxygen to perform at their peak level.
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now taken a strong foothold in the fabric of Western society.
But
there are still many of us who would scratch our heads if asked to explain
meditation. What is it exactly? To meditate means to focus your thoughts on
something with the purpose of quieting the incessant chatter of the mind. If
done properly, your brainwaves reach a level of consciousness called alpha
state, and it is in this state that your mind and body begin to heal.
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