What is Yoga?
Mind-Body:by Anton Maartens
Although it has taken several years for this ancient art form to be recognised all over the world, recently much more attention has been given to Yoga for its obvious health and fitness benefits. Today Yoga is believed to be one of the most effective and most gentle forms of exercise, not only for the body, but also for the mind.
Yoga originates from India and is the product of Hindu religious principles dating back thousands of years. It is a diverse and complex tradition and was originally developed as a philosophical and spiritual system of human movement.
Today Yoga is used by people from all walks of life to achieve a state of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Yoga is believed to calm the mind and allow for intense focus, in order to unify and balance the body and mind. Modern Yoga practice is versatile and may focus on the physical, psychological or spiritual, or a combination of all three.
Most modern yoga practices are based on Hatha Yoga, which includes physical postures or poses (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama) and various forms of meditation.
There are many popular styles of Yoga and each has a particular emphasis, such as co-ordination of breath and movement, mental focus and meditation, holding the postures for extended periods of time, powerful movement sequencing, perfect alignment of the body, or the flowing from one pose to another.
All Yoga styles share the same origins and background and no style should be considered better than another. The popularity of a particular style is usually simply based on personal preference or fashion.
Most traditional styles of Yoga have three basic principles in common:
- Controlled, focussed breathing
- Performing a series of postures or poses
- Meditation to focus the mind and relax the body
The practice of Yoga is different from traditional exercise, such as aerobics, weightlifting, body conditioning or stretching.
Many of the conventional benefits of exercise can be achieved though Yoga participation, such as muscular strength, flexibility or cardiorespiratory fitness. However, the main aim is to restore to the mind-body connection to its fundamental state of well-being, ease, and vibrant alertness.