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Although the "YOGA" we know today is
practiced mainly for its health benefits, it is rooted in
Hindu religious principles some 5000 years old. Derived
from Sanskrit word for "Union", the term yoga refers to
far more than exercise. In fact, it encompasses a variety of
desciplines designed to ultimately bring its practitioners
closer to God. "Dhyana Yoga", for instance, seeks union
through mediatation, while "Jnana Yoga" entails the study
of scriptures and "Karma Yoga" calls for selfless service
to God and mankind.
The exercises we now call simply "Yoga" are actually "Hatha Yoga", a discipline intended to prepare the body for the pursuit of union with divine while raising the practitioner's awareness of creation to a higher, keener state. Through controlled breathing, prescribed postures (called "Aasanas") and meditation, "Hatha Yoga" seeks to enhance the "Prana", or life force, that resides in the body and achieve a state of balance and harmony between body and mind. Each of these three disciplines contributes to the search for union in its own unique way.
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Breathing
The life force "Prana" is believed to enter the body through the breath, and much of "Hatha Yoga" is concerned with helping you control your breathing properly. Shallow, hurried breathing is believed to inhibit the life force, and affect mind and body adversely. Deep, slow breathing is encouraged.
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Postures
Some yoga postures are intended to stretch and strengthen muscles, others to improve posture and work the skeletal system, while others aim to compress and relax the organs and nerves. The underlying purpose is to perfect the body, making it a worthy host for the soul.
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Meditation
Meditation supplements and reinforces the disciplines of "Hatha Yoga", focusing the mind and relaxing the body. Closely linked with focused breathing, it aims to produce a quiet, calm frame of mind. Many people findthat it reduces stress and increases energy. The interplay of this and the other two facets of "Hatha Yoga" and the quiet, considered repetitions of each, is considered key to achieving Yoga's benefits.
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Yoga has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, both immediately and over time, and is often recommended to relieve the pain and anxiety of chronic illness. When practiced regularly, it promotes relaxation and enhances the sense of well-being. It also improves physical fitness and circulation, and some advocates say it improves memory. When combined with a low-fat diet and moderate aerobic exercise, it has been found to reverse the build-up of plaque in coronary arteries and the more it's practiced, the greater the improvement.
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