A Brief History on Yoga
Yoga was first established in India approximately three thousand years ago, and is designed to use breath control, physical exercise and meditation. There are quite a few things about yoga that make its methods especially appealing, but mostly because it helps to encourage mental and physical well being. The purpose of the technique and philosophy is to help achieve a heightened awareness, and finally, to reach a state of spiritual enlightenment.
But first, there are a number of basic principals of yoga that are an essential component of its teachings. These come primarily from the Bhagavad-Gita, which is one of the main religious texts underlining the ways of obtaining liberation from your worries and desires.
There are many types of yoga, and amongst the most popular types in the West is hatha yoga, which concentrates on strengthening, relaxation and toning. Most yoga exercises concentrate on the proper positioning of your body in the various postures. One of the biggest pluses about yoga is the benefits it has to total body health. Using it daily improves circulation, suppleness, and strength. It also promotes relaxation and increases your range of motion, this all helps to reduce the possibility of muscle strain. A lot of people use it as their main source of exercise, and others use it as additional exercise - like with running, to help you strengthen a number of different muscles.
Yogis believe that the breath is a bridge between the mind and the body. Pranayama are a specific type of exercise where the person breathes deeply, focusing on the breath as it enters and exits the nostrils. This will put the person at ease and lets their muscles warm up gradually. The focusing on breathing allows for deep muscle relaxation, it releases tension, and encourages a state of tranquility.
Yoga can be particularly useful to the not so young and to those with disabilities or recovering from illness. Of course, anyone can get some benefit from the slow, gentle exercise and the positive effects they have on your hormonal balance, while alleviating depression, and increasing flexibility and strength. One of the great things about yoga is it's accessibility to people of all ages and fitness levels.
One of the major differences between yoga and a standard exercise is the emphasis put on the process. A lot of exercise programs encourage you to start pushing and straining every muscle you have, to eliminate 'negative' things you have in your body, while the positive thing where yoga is concerned is that it has a completely different approach. It centers on developing awareness of your body as it is at the moment, and accepting its limits and working within them.
