The practice of yoga was developed by an Indian Hindu by the name of Patanjali way back in the year 300. The word itself means discipline and the whole purpose of yoga is to stretch the muscles, increase the levels of concentration and to strengthen the body in general. It is also a great way to relax and de-stress your body.

There is little wonder that such an ancient form of discipline has turned out to be so popular amongst athletes and modern day entertainers. However, yoga can be practiced by anyone as an occasional simple exercise routine or on a regular basis as a total way of life.

The people who take part in yoga are known as yogis and many of them use this form of discipline to reach a high level of consciousness. They respect the fact that there are certain things they should not be or do such as being greedy, hurting others, lying and stealing and they adhere to things they should do like being clean, feeling content each day, having self control, and leading a studious and devoted lifestyle.

Yogis train themselves how to have physical control over their bodies by taking full and deep breaths. This is considered by them to be a life force and they count their lifespan in the amount of breaths taken and not in the years of their age.

Yoga is different from other exercises as it assists the body to become more flexible as well as improving ones strength. Due to this, some of the yoga exercises and positions known as asanas can look a little strange. You may feel at first that you need to be some kind of contortionist to perform the exercises, but this is not case - you just need to completely relax. Yoga allows you to ease into the stretches gently and you are not required to force yourself into any position. The regularly used expression no pain no gain simply does not apply when practicing yoga. You simply do the best you can at the time and at some point in the future you will find yourself doing more.

Balance is demanded by all yoga positions and as you are unlikely to be able to get this right when thinking about whatever it was you watched on TV last night, you need to learn how to concentrate on what you are doing. Once you have perfected this art, you will discover that you can concentrate on other things much better too.

You will find yoga exercises copy nature and many yoga poses outline the shape of creatures such as the cat, cobra, crab, dog, eagle and tortoise.

For instance, in the cobra pose, you would ask yourself just what it would feel like to actually be a cobra. You lie on flat on your stomach with your forehead resting on the floor and as you breathe in, slowly roll your head backwards whilst supporting your body with your hands. Keep that position and then come back down slowly, all the time moving as a snake would do.

All yoga exercises have been carefully thought out to encourage serenity and strength and every move affects a gland, a muscle or a nerve center.

With yoga you can choose to perform particular exercises to get rid of certain types of back pain or leg pain experienced from jogging. You can also use yoga as preparation for a skiing trip or even to help you overcome your feelings of fear or depression.

The many asanas of yoga, how to do them and the way in which they can work for you can be found in any good yoga book. Do you remember doing handstands and cartwheels in the past? There you go - you may well have already done some yoga without ever even knowing it!
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of  My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Sinclair

       

“Ho ho, ha ha ha,” students in a fitness class at the University of Michigan Health System chant repeatedly while clapping their hands and walking around the room.

They’re just getting warmed up; in the next half-hour, they will stretch their muscles and work on breathing exercises. They’ll also laugh for most of the 30 minutes, from self-conscious giggles to uninhibited belly laughs. All in the name of fitness.

This is a “laughter yoga” course, part of a growing trend in parts of the United States, India and other countries. The students are re-learning something children already know instinctively: that laughter makes you feel better.

“Kids laugh about 400 times a day, and adults only about 15,” notes Barb Fisher, a certified laughter yoga leader and the instructor of this class offered by the U-M Health System’s MFit health promotion division. “Laughter is a gift that has been given to us to make us feel better.”

Fisher teaches her students that not only is it fun to laugh, but that laughter yoga (also known as hasya yoga) can provide many health benefits:

• Help to reduce stress
• Enhance the immune system
• Strengthen cardiovascular functions
• Oxygenate the body by boosting the respiratory system
• Improve circulation
• Tone muscles
• Help with digestion and constipation

Even with all of these health benefits, though, laughter yoga shouldn’t replace other types of aerobic and weight-bearing exercises.

“Studies have shown that 20 seconds of a good, hard belly laugh is worth three minutes on the rowing machine,” Fisher says. “However, that does not mean we want to stop doing all other exercises. It means that incorporating laughter yoga can add to the benefits we see from our regular exercise routine.”

Like more traditional fitness classes, laughter yoga requires a warm-up period. Since students can’t necessarily start a class prepared to break out into deep laughter, they begin with the clapping and chanting mentioned above. Then they perform breathing exercises, followed by stretches and laughing games.

As developed by laughter yoga creator Madan Kataria, a family physician from India,

these laughing exercises can include many varieties, such as:

• Hearty laughter: Laughter by raising both the arms in the sky with the head tilted a little backwards.
• Greeting laughter: Joining both the hands and shaking hands with at least four or five people in the group.
• Appreciation laughter: Join your pointing finger with the thumb to make a small circle while making gestures as if you are appreciating your group members and laughing simultaneously.
• Milk shake laughter: Hold and mix two imaginary glasses of milk or coffee and pour the milk from one glass into the other by chanting “Aeee….,” and then pour it back into the first glass by chanting “Aeee…” Then, everyone laughs while making a gesture as if they are drinking milk.

The students in Fisher’s class have discovered the mental and physical benefits of these and other laughter exercises.

“The biggest effect that I’ve gotten from laughter yoga is what it’s done for me mentally, and that it has lightened up my day and my week,” says Deborah Slosberg. “I also think it has improved my breathing.”

“It gives me a relaxed feeling, and yet I actually feel like I worked out,” says Ann Twork. “You get back some of the child in you.”

       

Yoga for Stress Relief:

Dating back over 5000 years, yoga is the oldest defined practice of self development. The methods of classical yoga include ethical disciplines, physical postures, breathing control and meditation. Traditionally an Eastern practice, it’s now becoming popular in the West. In fact, many companies, especially in Britain, are seeing the benefit of yoga, recognizing that relaxed workers are healthier and more creative, and are sponsoring yoga fitness programs.

Overview of Yoga:

Many of the popular techniques found to reduce stress derive from yoga:

• controlled breathing
• meditation
• physical movement
• mental imagery
• stretching

Yoga, which derives its name from the word, “yoke”—to bring together—does just that, bringing together the mind, body and spirit. But whether you use yoga for spiritual transformation or for stress management and physical well-being, the benefits are numerous.

Yoga’s Effects On the Body:

The following is only a partial list of yoga’s benefits:

• reduced stress
• sound sleep
• reduced cortisol levels
• improvement of many medical conditions
• allergy and asthma symptom relief
• lower blood pressure
• smoking cessation help
• lower heart rate
• spiritual growth
• sense of well-being
• reduced anxiety and muscle tension
• increased strength and flexibility
• slowed aging process

Yoga’s benefits are so numerous, it gives a high payoff for the amount of effort involved.

What’s Involved With Yoga?:

The practice of yoga involves stretching the body and forming different poses, while keeping breathing slow and controlled. The body becomes relaxed and energized at the same time. There are various styles of yoga, some moving through the poses more quickly, almost like an aerobic workout, and other styles relaxing deeply into each pose. Some have a more spiritual angle, while others are used purely as a form of exercise.

What Are The Benefits Of Yoga?:

Virtually everyone can see physical benefits from yoga, and its practice can also give psychological benefits, such as stress reduction and a sense of well-being, and spiritual benefits, such as a feeling of connectedness with God or Spirit, or a feeling of transcendence. Certain poses can be done just about anywhere and a yoga program can go for hours or minutes, depending on one’s schedule.

What Are the Drawbacks of Yoga?:

Yoga does require some commitment of time and is more difficult for people with certain physical limitations. Some people feel self-conscious doing some of the poses. Also, yoga classes can be expensive, although it is possible, albeit perhaps more challenging, to learn from a book or video.

How Does It Compare To Other Stress Reduction Methods?:

As yoga combines several techniques used for stress reduction, it can be said to provide the combined benefits of breathing exercises, stretching exercises, fitness programs, meditation practice, and guided imagery, in one technique. However, for those with great physical limitations, simple breathing exercises, meditation or guided imagery might be a preferable option and provide similar benefits. Yoga also requires more effort and commitment than taking pills or herbs for stress reduction