Some Basics About Yoga

Yoga refers to an ancient group of spiritual practices which originated in India. In Hinduism, the term generally refers to disciplines of meditation and asceticism which lead to spiritual insights. Yoga is intimately connected to the religious beliefs of almost all religions in India, and dates back as much as five thousand years. However, you've probably heard of yoga in relation to exercise.

Outside of India, yoga is mostly associated with a series of stretching and balancing postures, and the spiritual side is largely less important. Yoga poses vary in degrees of difficulty, based on the experience of the practitioner. In the West, yoga is frequently practiced wholly as a form of physical exercise, and has little or nothing to do with Hinduism.

Yoga was first introduced to America at the end of the nineteenth century, by Swami Vivekananda. He felt that India's abundance of spiritual wealth should be shared with the West through the medium of yoga. Now, it's practiced by as many as thirty million Americans, around sixteen million of whom are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. As much as three million dollars is spent in the United States every year on yoga classes and on products related to practicing this ancient art.

Yoga, when practiced as exercise, has evolved into a number of different types. The closest to the original is hatha yoga. However, others, such as Bikram yoga or hot yoga, naked yoga, chair yoga, and even hip-hop yoga have also developed. Some consider that commercialism and the process of spreading yoga throughout the world are in danger of debasing the spiritual side of this practice. There are many different products available for yoga practice. Some, like yoga pants, have even spread to casual wear!

There's also been some interest in yoga from the medical community. Since most yoga classes are made up of physical exercises, meditation, and breathing exercises, they can help with stress, high blood pressure and heart disease, asthma, and problems with back pain. However, many of the physical mechanisms of yoga have not yet been fully studied. We know that it can help improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, as well as state of mind, but not how it allows some people to control their breathing rate, heartbeat, and body temperature to extremes.

If you're interested in taking up yoga, either as a spiritual practice, or a purely physical form of exercise, many health clubs offer classes. There are also private yoga studios that will provide lessons for a fee. One of the most appealing things about yoga is that, while there are many different types of clothing and supplies available for practitioners, no supplies are actually necessary. All you need is a comfortable place, enough space, and clothing that breathes well and is easy to move in.

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