Mind and Body Yoga

Yoga was created for the health of mind, body and spirit, as well as balance and harmony. It is a series of physical movements that is complemented by breathing exercises, meditation, healthful eating and positive thinking. This set of techniques can provide dozens of physical, mental and spiritual benefits as well as enhance your body's natural ability to heal and balance itself. Yoga is one practice that fully supports the fact that good health is much more than just physical fitness. For your body to make the most of yoga you also need to be healthy in mind and spirit since it creates and powerful and positive connection between your emotional and physical state. It is a practical holistic science for everyday living with tried and tested techniques which all have as much relevance today as it has during the centuries before. With our frantic lifestyle today, Yoga is an excellent means of relieving the stress and anxiety of modern living since it can help you to thrive in today’s strenuous pace. By strengthening your body, mind and spirit in highly practical ways, you can adapt yoga to suit your needs regardless of your age, physical ability or background.

The Word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root Yuj which means “To Join, to use, to concentrate one's attention on”. It also means to bind, join, attach and the Yoke to direct and concentrate one's attention on to. Yoga is one of the six orthodox systems of Indian Philosophy that was collated, co-ordinate and systematized by Patanjali in his classical work, the Yoga Sutras. Yoga is so called because it teaches you the means by which the individual soul can be united with the God and secure liberation. The Lord Shri Krishna explains to Arjuna the meaning of Yoga as a form of deliverance from contact with pain and sorrow. When the restlessness of the mind, intellect and self is stilled and the Yogi finds fulfillment. When the senses are stilled in yoga, the mind is at rest and the intellect wavers not. Thus, the wise is said to reached the highest stage especially since Yoga has also been described as wisdom in work.

The practice of Yoga uses a primary sense of measure and proportion, that is why Asanas or Postures should never be practiced immediately after Pranayama or Rhythmic control of breath. If Pranayama is done first, then allow at least some hour to elapse before starting Asanas. Bear in mind that each unfulfilled area of tissue and nerve, brain or lung, is a challenge to the will and integrity. Yoga is quite simply, a timeless pragmatic science evolved over thousands of years which deals with the physical, moral, mental and spiritual well being of man as a whole. It is strictly advised that in Yoga it is essential to work under the constant direction of Guru (Master/Teacher).

Yoga stretches and strengthens muscles throughout the body, increases circulation to internal organs and glands, quiets the nervous system, and improves concentration bringing vitality, health, deep relaxation, and peace of mind. To get you started, you need a sticky mat that will provide a barrier between you and the floor and prevent you from slipping. You would also need a blanket as padding to certain poses, along with blocks or a strap which can all help deepen a stretch or bridge a gap. Most importantly, you need to wear
comfortable clothes that move with you so you. You can try cotton and Lycra tops and bottoms which are clingy yet comfy.

More important than the equipment you need to prepare, you need to prep up for the basic principle of nutrition from the yoga perspective. Among these, you need to eat small quantities of high quality foods which promote the life force of the body. The recommended foods are vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts. The yoga advises to be cautious of meat because the meat, being animal flesh, has a low vibration rate. Meat also contains toxins which are a waste product of muscle metabolism, along with fat, cholesterol and other substances. The yogis' favorite food however is fruit which possess the highest life force of all foods. The yogis also consider the green vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli to have the highest life force of all vegetables. Yoga also stresses that food should be fresh than frozen or canned. The canned food has been preheated already which destroys a lot of the vitamins and minerals and the enzymes. Furthermore, the yogis also state that the greater proportion of our food should be eaten raw for cooking of food causes it to lose a lot of its life force, as well as its flavor. Because of this we add salt, spices and sauces, which often create more problems. As for food temperature, the food should neither be too hot nor too cold for this can cause harm to the tissue of the throat. Lastly, yogis place great emphasis on eating slowly more importantly than on the type of food eaten. For even if you eat food which is not very nutritious, if it is eaten slowly and you’re in good health from yoga exercises, your body will extract every last nutrient as well as eliminating all the toxins.

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