The Yoga rules

By Paul P Harris

Yoga is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. It has been defined as "technologies or disciplines of asceticism and meditation which are thought to lead to spiritual experience and profound understanding or insight into the nature of existence."

Yoga is a 5000 year old science whose teachings were first imparted not in a classroom but on the war field. In the epic Mahabharata, Lord Krishna is first said to have imparted the teachings of Yoga to his student Arjuna, in order to make him understand life, the body, the mind and the best practices to use them together to lead a better quality of life.

The Sanskrit root for the term Yoga is "Yujir Yogeh" which means to unite, to yoke, to join, to put together. Yoga is not about one facility over another. Yoga is about developing harmony between the body and the mind. In Yoga, you use your mind to understand and heal your body. Though originated in India, yoga is practiced by over 20 million Americans daily. While for Indians, yoga is a route to spirituality and eventually realizing god, Americans have adopted yoga for a completely different purpose, that is, enhanced quality of life and being.

Yoga has a great deal of benefits:

* Reduces stress and enhances relaxation

* Boosts physical strength, stamina and flexibility

* Increases powers of concentration and self control

* Inculcates impulse Control

* Enhances tolerance to pain and enhancing mental clarity

* Better functioning of the immune system

* Enhances posture and muscle tone

* Improves blood circulation

* Results in healthy, glowing skin

* Cleanses and improves overall organ functioning

* Bestows peace of mind and a more positive outlook to life

* Infuses a sense of balance and internal harmony

Yoga is all about feeling good, the energy pulsating through your mind and body and the bliss coursing through the entire being. Yoga is a way of life, it's not just exercise. The grace, poise and malleability of the body that you cultivate, is the natural outcome of regular work out. Yoga does not require bodily exertion. In fact trying hard will turn your work outs into a painful, sometimes even injurious routine. The therapeutic effect of Yoga is the direct result of involving the mind totally into breathing new life into the body.

Contrary to popular belief, Yoga positions are not about how far you can reach to touch your toes or how many repetitions you can perform. It is about realizing how your body feels. Yoga is all about breathing correctly. Yoga enhances your vitality, malleability, strength, energy, levels of endurance and self control. With constant practice your body and mind start to become more balanced until, eventually, you find it takes so much less energy to move through life.