The whole system of Yoga is built on three main structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation. The exercises of Yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health.
The body is looked upon as the primary instrument that enables us to work and evolve in the world, and so a Yoga student treats it with great care and respect. Breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body. The Yoga
Yoga as we all know it is aimed to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. Yogis view that the mind and the body are one and that if it is given the right tools and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself.
Yoga therefore is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of your body\’s posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It makes the body more flexible and helps you relax even in the midst of a stress stricken environment. This is one of the
Are you like me and really haven\’t given aerobic activity a second thought? Does the sound of working out just not give you a great feeling? Relax, you\’re not alone, though it doesn\’t need to be that way.
I have been involved in different exercise classes and have purchased videos and tapes. I have joined different health clubs and other organized activities through community education, but I have never stuck with one program. I know that aerobic activity is needed to mainta
You may be one of the many people who have heard about the benefits of Pilates excercise, but just really don\’t know what it\’s all about. If that describes you then this article will help you better understand this fantastic exercise program.
The Pilates Method was developed by German-born Joseph Pilates in the 1920s by combining mind and body work through a controlled sequence of movement. Joseph Pilates developed these movements based on his experiences with yoga, Zen meditation,
It seems that every time you turn on the TV you see some kind of infomercial for a different ab exercise machine. They all tell you about the same things; you can have perfect abs in only 5 minutes a day, etc. Of course, we sit there and think to ourselves how great that would be because let\’s face it, we all want those nice tight abs. I dare say that our abs are the biggest area of concern on our body. We look in the mirror and sometimes don\’t like what is looking back at us. So,
Vitamin C, vitamin E (tocopherols), and some precursors to vitamin A (the carotenoids) exhibit antioxidant activity. Each of these vitamins has independently been shown to alter immunity. The antioxidant function of these vitamins is of interest to some athletes primarily because exercise increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which have been associated with muscular fatigue and muscular damage. In addition, neutrophils and macro phages produce ROS. The ROS produced by the imm
Human mind has ever been a thing of great concern to the philosophers, thinkers, and masters of yoga. Guided by the maxim \”healthy mind in a healthy body\”, we have tried to show in the earlier chapters how yoga practices involving control of muscles and breath can help to make the mind healthy and peacefu1. In the present chapter we shall inquire into those yoga techniques which are useful in tackling the mind in a direct manner. A questions that we must answer at the outset would
It is the experience of almost everyone of us that whenever we try to concentrate the mind on an object or an idea, the mind immediately starts wandering. It is very difficult to keep the mind steadily concerned about a single thought. This difficulty has been expressed even by such a superior disciple as Arjuna, even when there was such a highly capable guru as Lord Krishna to instruct him. After hearing carefully the description of yoga from the mouth of Lord Krishna (Gita), Arjuna had to conf
The mind of such a person stops running about, and becomes steady and still very easily. The process of steadying the mind is called abhyasa in yoga terminology. It is made of three stages respectively called dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. Dharana is a state of mental concentration in which the mind, which has stopped running after the objects of enjoyment (due to vairagya) gets associated with a restricted area of operation, which may be an idol or a picture. or any symbol like a cross, or dot,
For smooth respiration, it is necessary that both the nostrils should be clear, with the passage inside them fully open for the movement of air. This is usually not the case with many people. It is found that one nostril works more freely than the other, sometimes the left, at other times the right. It therefore becomes necessary often to clear the nasal passage through me means. Some people habitually have one nostril partially choked. There is a kriya called Neti, which is very useful for maki