The balance in body, mind and spirit is the main goal to achieve when doing Yoga. Unlike other rigorous forms of exercise like running, aerobics and weight training Yoga connects the mind, body and spirit through a deep form of meditation, stretching exercises and breathing.
Yoga is slowly gaining popularity in the turn of the 90’s as people yearn for a healthier lifestyle focusing on natural resources that rekindles the mind which in turn feeds the body and uplifts the spirit.
The benefits of yoga are both physical and mental in nature. Physically it revives the body by its exercises that strengthen and tones the muscles through poses and stretching activities. It uses the body’s weight against gravity to form resistance. There are different forms of yoga and they are listed as follows.
- Hatha Yoga – the common type of yoga wherein physical purification and training is promoted. It is composed of posture and breathing exercises.
- Kundalini – regarded as the relaxing type of yoga that focuses on meditation and breathing techniques. This relieves stress and tension from the muscles.
- Ashtanga – known as the powerful type of yoga because of its physical demands. It quickly changes postures which can be a good cardiovascular workout.
- Iyengar – the most common type that promote proper body alignment through correct posture.
- Power yoga – is the most popular type of yoga for Hollywood celebrities with complex poses and harder weight bearing stances.
Yoga brings many health benefits as it promotes increase flexibility of the body avoiding tears and inflamed joints by lubricating the joints. It promotes blood circulation in the body thus preventing various health conditions such as heart diseases. Aside from the physical benefits that yoga gives the most significant reason why many people are getting hooked to this way of life is the peacefulness it brings to our minds. It is believed that if you are mentally stressed your body will not be in sync thus physically feeling the pains and tension from the pressures of life. When you are doing yoga all these interference are cleared and there is inner peace felt which transcends to the body and spirit. After a yoga session you will notice that you’ll feel refreshed, energized and motivated.
Some people sign up for yoga for the mere purpose of trying to lose weight. Yoga instructors discourage yoga enthusiasts to make weight loss their main goal for adapting yoga into their lifestyle. Removing stress from the body through yoga will promote a healthy outlook in life which can change a person’s lifestyle which includes diet, exercise and mental state.
Each yoga session begins with a starting pose each with breathing techniques of inhaling through the nose and exhaling from the mouth. It usually takes 10 minutes of warm up stretching exercises then another 20 minutes of proper yoga followed by cooling down stage and ends with meditation. Doing yoga everyday will definitely bring a dramatic change in your life as it will relieve stress and promote a positive outlook in life.
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