“Hatha Yoga is not the ultimate goal. Hatha Yoga makes us aware that the body with its inestimable qualities is everything that we have in life; for we enter this world naked and leave this world naked. For that reason we must get the best out of our body. The more we strive to unfold the perfection’s of the body, the more quickly our mental capacities unfold: power of concentration, memory, will-power and resolution. The blessing of Hatha Yoga is threefold; health, well-being and long life.” Selvarajan Yesudian. The physical techniques of Yoga are the stepping stones to meditation. According toPatanjali, Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind. In the beginning the primary prerequisite to peace of mind is posture. yoga poses are practiced to gain steady posture, health and lightness in the body. All yoga poses are intended to directly or indirectly quiet the mind. The majority of Asana have been devised to build up different parts of the body and to develop the strength required by the more advanced physical disciplines. The purpose of the yoga poses  is to recondition the system, both mind and body, and to develop the nervous and glandular systems. Yoga is a method that aims to achieve the maximum results with the minimum expenditure of energy. The different yoga poses  have been devised to bring a rich supply of blood to the brain and to the various parts of the spinal column. The yoga asana work by stretching,bending and twisting the spinal column in different directions to promote the health of the nerves. When the body is purified, Prana (vital energy) can be conserved and the individual becomes healthy and conscious. Endurance is of the utmost importance in all of the Asana work. All excess moisture needs to be eliminated from the body, especially from the joints. The less moisture present, the easier the postures become and the body is subjected to less pain. Regularity in yoga asana practice is an absolute necessity if one wishes to realise the full potential of the Yoga process. If the foundations of a building are not correctly laid, the superstructure will fall down. So too, if a student of Yoga has not gained a certain degree of mastery over the yoga poses  he/she can not successfully proceed to the advanced disciplines. Yoga is a direct experience of the vast interrelatedness of all life and of all things. You will feel at peace at the end of a yoga asana class because there is a natural realignment of your body which leads to a natural realignment of your perception of life and of who you are.

There is no competition in Yoga, everyone is different.

       

Even though the world population has shifted from mainly rural to mainly urban in the last decade, there are still lots of folks like me who live in the sticks. Doing things like taking a yoga class becomes a different thing in our case from driving to the neighborhood gym. Since He live 40 miles from the nearest town large enough for yoga studios, when He decided to take a class, He was more interested in the schedule than He was the type of yoga. He couldn’t afford to be picky if He preferred not to wait around for a couple hours after getting off work. So He looked in the phone book, and didn’t pay attention to anything but the schedule. There it was: M-W-F at 4:00. Perfect. He don’t know what rock He’d been living under, but the word “Bikram” writ large across the ad in the yellow pages didn’t trigger the term ‘hot yoga’ in my mind, and that left me in for a big surprise.

He showed up with a comfy pair of sweatpants and a long- sleeved t-shirt. As the woman at the desk was giving me a little orientation information - explaining that the room was heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit - He realized that my concept of yoga clothes weren’t going to work here. Apparently, He wasn’t the first to make this error. Susie told me they had loaners. Now, it’s been a while since the last time He wore hot-pants, so when she handed me the little scrap of shorts, He thought, “No way.” She said, “Trust me, you’ll fit right in.”

Susie continued, giving a few more orientation tips, which started to seem like a set of warnings. “Our first-time students are encouraged to rest whenever you feel you should - kind of take it gradually. The instructors just ask that you do your best to stay in the room for the entire time.” What? Were we still talking yoga here? He’d seen pictures. Sure, He might not be able to balance on one leg while holding the other one over my head at my first try, but come on. How hard could it be to stretch as far as He could go and stop there? Why would He get desperate to leave the room?

Her next suggestion: “OK, He see you brought a bottle of water. That’s good, but you’ll be tempted to drink a lot, and He recommend you just drink sips - not too much at a time.” Hmm. What was He getting into here? It sounded like He was facing some kind of ordeal - not what He had in mind at all since He was thinking of yoga as a peaceful, low- impact way just to stretch and keep my aging body flexible and strong.

Once He was dressed in the little bit of shorts, He opened the door to the yoga studio and was met with a rush of hot, stultifying air. Oh goody. He walked to an open space, spread my mat, lay on my back, and understood exactly what she meant by asking me to at least stay in the room. He was already dripping sweat, and we hadn’t even begun the class.

Ninety minutes and twice through the 26 poses later, He was indeed still in the room. In the non-competitive, supportive atmosphere He had been completely guided to go to my edge, but not so far that He would be turned off by struggle. In fact, He was exhilarated. He lay on my back at the end, eyes closed in the peaceful, very hot room, and knew He’d be back for more.

       

Yoga, a physical and spiritual practice which is thousands of years old, has exploded on to the American scene. Every one is doing yoga from Hollywood movie stars to your local fireman. Yoga studios are popping up everywhere. Physical fitness, stamina, strength , flexibility, youthfulness, weight loss, stress reduction are all reasons people are flocking to yoga. Once a student finds a yoga class, there is an overwhelming array of traditions to choose from, including specialized fields of yoga practice- such as yoga for women, and yoga for children.

What is it about yoga that keeps people coming back? The benefits are amazing on many levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. What may have begun as a quest for flexibility turns in to a life transformation with job changes, relationship changes and lifestyle changes.

Yoga is that time to regroup and call your own. And best of all , while you are nurturing all your vital systems of the body and soothing the soul you are getting a great workout. I don’t know about you, but that seems like multi-task heaven!

If time is truly a constraint, why not incorporate yoga in to the family routine? Set aside 15-20 minutes per day to do yoga with your family. Create a sacred space in your home with candles, soft music, soft light and make it your daily yoga space.. Children are equally as stressed these days as adults and many are not nearly as flexible as we think they are. Children are also very open and curious, responding easily to both yogic breathing, yoga postures, and meditation.. Their refreshing perspective can only encourage our own growth and mind/body/spirit awareness. Husbands/fathers, too, may become more open to their own emotions as they honor their inward journey through yoga.

Being present is a gift that you can give yourself and your family at any age. When you are present , you are timeless and ageless. Life is meant to be lived fully .What that means is that we are here with each breath, each moment, BEING ourselves. So why not give yoga a try?