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© 2001 Evamarie Pilipuf
Yoga in a Nutshell
Yoga comes from a Sanskrit term that means, among other
interpretations, to "yoke," or unite. In yoga, we unite the breath, mind,
and body. Sometimes, yoga is also used to boost a person's spirituality.
On the other hand, some folks just do yoga because they feel better and notice
positive changes in their body. Your own yoga practice can therefore be
approached from any number of personal goals or intentions. This is one of
the reasons yoga is so uniquely beneficial—it’s completely individualized. Once
you have the foundation principles established (see bullet points below),
there’s a seemingly endless variety of options and interpretations, none of
which is “right” or “wrong,” as long as it answers to your own true individual
needs.
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Yoga's Three Essentials
Yoga—make that hatha yoga, the form of yoga
practiced by most westerners--is comprised of three key essentials: |
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Perhaps the hardest of the three to understand is that of
mindfulness, which is a state of full awareness of the present moment.
In yoga, you must be mindful of how you’re feeling, what muscles are working,
what muscles are relaxed, etc., as opposed to just going through the motions
physically, while mentally, your mind is wandering over to thoughts of work,
problems, etc. Only when you set your focus on the matter at hand do you then
help to interrupt your body’s stress cycle, and pave the way for positive health
benefits to occur. And by holding a stretch for a minimum of 20 seconds and following careful breathing techniques, you help to reduce muscular tension, and promote the best possible benefits from the
posture.
Yoga's Benefits
Some of yoga's benefits include:
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Reduced stress
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Improved flexibility
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Improved muscle strength and/or endurance
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Better posture
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More efficient and effective breathing
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Heightened feeling of well-being
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By far, these are not the only benefits. Research is showing
that yoga can affect positive changes in long-term health, including heart disease,
mild cases of depression, and pain management.
Yoga's History
To summarize yoga’s profound and complicated 5000-year-old history within a mere paragraph would be impossible. For the sake of simplicity, here are some of the more important points for the beginner to become familiar:
The yoga most of us is engaged in—the one in which we combine postures and breath—is called "hatha" yoga. Looking at the bigger picture, however, you will find that Hatha yoga is actually just one of eight limbs of a "ashtanga" yoga, a path originally defined by an Indian sage named Patanjali as the way to achieve a controlled mind and ultimate inner peace. Patanjali's ashtanga yoga system was described in what's called the Yoga Sutras. The other seven limbs address additional steps towards achieving the ultimate sense of peace and well-being, and include such guidelines as actions to avoid (for example, not stealing, not coveting), actions to uphold (for example, contentment, purity, study), control of vital energy, sensory withdrawal, mindful concentration, meditation, and achieving the “superconscious” state.
You can certainly see why there is always something new to be learned when doing
yoga!
Summary
So where does all of this leave you, the hatha yoga practitioner? It leaves you with plenty of options! Hatha yoga can be either a stand-alone practice or the first step towards a more advanced yoga progression. Furthermore, there are many different styles of hatha yoga, some that will be a better match to your needs and preferences than others.
The bottom line is, keep an open mind when pursuing yoga….with patience and persistence, you truly are bound to find the philosophy, style and even instructor that is right for you! -ep
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