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The term yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means
to 'bind together' or 'union'. In yoga this refers both to finding
union between mind and body and to the experience of oneness that
lies beyond the dualistic nature of the material world and
the mind. Yoga was developed in India some four thousand
years ago. The basic philosophies and practice of yoga were first
written about in the second century BC by Patanjali in his Yoga
Sutras, which summarise the eight limbs of yoga - yamma:
moral codes of a universal nature; niyama: personal conduct;
asanas: the practice of postures; pranayama: breath
control; pratyhara: control of the senses; dhyana: the
stillness of meditation; and samadhi: contemplation and
reflection.
The rise in popularity and spread of yoga throughout the world has
taken place over the last 200 years. In the West, yoga is
particularly popular for the physical effects of its postures, which
promote flexibility and good health, and its relaxation and
meditation practices, which help to reduce stress.
Yoga is particularly recommended for all stress-related
illnesses, sciatica, back pain, emphysema, asthma, rheumatism,
arthritis, digestive ailments and menstrual pain.
Hatha Yoga postures: dozens of
hatha yoga postures and asanas illustrated.
Techniques
Yoga utilizes an awareness of breath, body and mind. The major
techniques, in the order they are practiced in a typical hatha yoga
class, are: physical postures (asanas), which maintaing the
physical body by increasing flexibility, strengthening the muscles
and detoxifying and toning all the body systems; breathing exercises
(pranayama) which stimulate and increase vital energy in the
body and are also helpful in calming the emotions and sharpening the
mind; meditation (dhyana), which greatly improves
concentration and helps in dealing with stresses of life; and total
relaxation (yoga nidra), which achieves a deeply relaxed
state by systematically guiding awareness through all the parts of
the body. |
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