Although it has deep roots in India, yoga has become very well know in the Western World. The word 'yoga' translates to mean the union of mind and body, and yoga is exactly that. Yoga uses a different approach to exercise that can benefit almost anyone. With it's low impact on joints and aide in stress reduction, yoga can be found everywhere from large studios to your local YMCA's. Yoga is a blend of stretching poses, breathing patterns and meditation that has found its own place in our world of treadmills and stair-masters.
Yoga is best known for it's vast amounts of stretching techniques. These poses are designed to elongate and work every aspect of the body allowing participants to improve all over flexibility and muscle tone. This type of exercise works contrary to many common workout machines that tend to focus on specific muscles, which can sometimes lead to a thicker, and more bulkier body type.
A yoga class.
This Statue of Shiva is Approximately 65 feet tall...
See: www.falundafa.org/eng/exercises.htmlIn a typical hour lesson an instructor will guide the class through several series and single poses. These poses will vary from stretching muscles to improving joint motion. Yoga puts a lot of emphasis on working the entire back and spine. This focus on improving alignment while also stretching the spine allows yoga to alleviate the majority of aches and pains often caused by a person's poor posture.
The average person breaths in and out everyday with out so much as a single thought about it, but for most part they way this person breaths is found to be improper. Hectic and stressful lives can cause people to hold their breath or breathe shallow and rapid. These breathing habits that have become so common to people today, can have a negative effect on our physical and mental well-being. Practicing yoga teaches a...