Yoga

Yoga is a complete science of life that originated in India many thousands of years ago. It is the oldest system of personal development in the world encompassing the entire body, mind and spirit. It is the union between a person's own consciousness and the universal consciousness.

The ancient yoga practitioners had a profound understanding of man's essential nature and of what he needs to live in harmony with himself and his environment. They perceived the physical body as a vehicle, with the mind as driver, the soul as man's true identity, and action, emotion and intelligence as the three forces that pull the body-vehicle. In order to these to be integrated, these three forces must be in balance.

Taking into account the interrelationship between body and mind, the yoga practitioners formulated a unique method for maintaining this balance – a method that combines all the movements you need for physical health with the breathing and meditation techniques that ensure peace of mind.

Yoga is a method of learning that aims to attain the unity of mind, body, and spirit through these three main yoga structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation. The exercises of yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health.

How to Get Started with Yoga
As a beginner, you basically need attitude – a big heart and a small ego – to practice yoga. Some loose fitting clothes or no clothes at all, and a small secluded spot in your house will be enough for you to start with.

Yoga practice is always helped by a well-balanced diet. A four-hour interval between meals is advised. Practicing with a mat, a blanket and a pillow and wearing a stretchable suit or something similar are recommended.

Be kind to yourself when you practice yoga. Go slowly, especially in the beginning, and listen to your body. It knows what it can do. If it says "stop", stop. Don't push it, as it’s not a competitive sport, and the extent of the stretch is less important than the technique.. If you push too hard, you probably won't enjoy it, and you may hurt yourself. Whenever possible, work with a teacher, and use books, and videos to supplement your classroom instruction. Most of all, you need to stick with it. If you practice, you will improve, and feel better.

Basic Yoga Session
A basic yoga session need not take too much time. Read the following to know what basic session is all about

• Warm-up Exercises — As beginners, you may just use the warm-up poses as your entire practice. Warm-up exercises open the shoulder muscles, the spine, the hips, the lower back, and the groin.
• Standing Poses — These are meant for alignment of the feet and the body. They open the hips, stretch the legs, add strength to your back and increase your range of movement. Standing poses facilitate digestion, blood circulation and are good for those who want to lose weight.
• Sitting Poses — These particular poses allow you to infuse with the breath, and to revitalize from a pose by giving you a calm and quiet feeling. These poses greatly contribute in shaping your buttocks and legs, and in adding vitality and suppleness to the spine.
• Twists — Twist exercises release the tension in your spines, relieve backaches and make your shoulders more flexible. They also facilitate in the circulation of blood and nutrients in the body making it necessary for the health of the inter-vertebral discs.
• Supine and Prone Poses — These poses release tension in your abdomen and increase the mobility of your spine. They restore strength in your back, arms and legs, and release your hips and groins.
• Inverted and Balance Poses — These poses defy gravity and develop coordination, increase stamina and strength, and improve grace, agility and poise. As they also improve your concentration, you need to keep quiet to do these poses.
• Backbends — These are the poses that benefit the adrenal glands and the kidney. They also release tension in the front body and in your shoulders and pelvic girdle, and improve the flexibility of your spine.
• Finishing Poses — These are the cooling-down exercises of yoga.

These are just some of the many aspects that you need to know in order to fully understand what yoga is. You will learn other essential principles as you gain experience.