In the past few years, we have seen yoga develop from an ancient spiritual practice to a popular form of exercise. It aims to unite the mind, body and spirit as one entity. Often considered as therapeutic, yoga offers various health benefits to anyone willing to partake in it.
Yoga is a science that has been practiced for thousands of years and roots back to India. It is based on various ancient theories, observations and principles about how the mind and body are interrelated. It consists of meditation practices, breathing techniques, physical postures and ethical disciplines to aid strengthen the body and calm the mind. It would also be interesting to note that the most common pose associated with yoga is actually just one part of an eight-fold spiritual path whose objective is to create harmony between the mind, body and spirit.
Substantial research has been conducted in recent years to prove the health benefits of yoga. For young and old alike, yoga is a helpful tool to develop self focus, calmness and body awareness. For instance, yoga helps calm the mind and bring harmony in situations that would otherwise provoke anger. Yoga also requires intense concentration on what your body is doing that both large and small problems seem to go away as you practice it. It therefore helps relieve stress as you learn and develop not to dwell on the past or think too much about the future. As you perform yoga on a frequent basis, you also learn to be comfortable and more aware of your body which not only improves your posture but helps you be more confident about yourself.
Performing yoga like other forms of exercise requires a commitment of your time. Some people may feel self-conscious about some of the posses being conducted or may be challenged because of their physical limitations but don’t fret. With the popularity yoga is receiving in the western culture it wouldn’t be hard to find quality instructors that would offer the service for free. This way you can test it out before you completely invest on yoga sessions. Community centres, universities for instance have yoga sessions accessible to anyone interested.
Yoga is not for everyone but the important thing is for you to find an exercise system that works for your lifestyle. Practicing an active lifestyle is essential to live a long and healthy life. That's why finding a physical and mental exercise that you enjoy is crucial.
