Yoga originated thousand of years ago as a technique to help people achieve spiritual elightement. Yoga literally means union the union of prana (inward moving air) with apana (downward moving air ) in which all the energy currents in the body flow of the spine (sushumna); or the union of individual self with the universal self, to achieve the psycho-spiritualgoal of life i.e. liberation. Classical yoga is divided into eight "limbs" that provide a basis for spiritual, physical and mental health by outlining a means to bring the mind body into harmony, then into deeper stages of meditation. The most widely known yogic practice is asana, or hatha yoga, which include veriety of physical postures that may be devided into to catagories: meditative and therapeutic.
Meditative postures deal with bringing the mind to a state of relaxation through spinal alignment and proper blood flow, while therapeutic postures focus on improving physical health and well-being. In addition to asana, pranayama focususes on regulating breathing to calm the mind and prepare for meditation, a state of concentration that may result in a hightened sense of awareness and relaxation.Yoga is believed to benefit health, vitality and peace of mind as well as treat numerous physical ailments.
Yoga strengthens and tones muscle, improves balance and flexibility and increases blood flow and vitality. It is also a great way to reduce stress. Researchers at Harvard Medical school have found that yoga lowers certain chemicals in the blood stream associate with anxiety and triggers others physiocologicalrelaxation responces, such as reducing muscle tension and lowering heart rate. Practicing two to three times a week for 45 minutes to an hour is good goal to work towards. Another alternative is to practice yoga for 15 minutes every day.
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