Yoga

So you hear constantly that yoga is great for you and everyone seems to recommend it and maybe you know people who have taken it up and turned their lives around. But no one has told you why it works or what it does. Is yoga more than stretching and a bit of relaxation? Definately but how does it work. Yoga in its full eastern form involves a few of integral components that are often left out of westernized and gym taught yoga. These are Postures, pranayama, mudras, mantras, bandhas and kriyas and together bring balance and health to the physical body, mental body, emotional body and spiritual body.

Postures- yoga uses poses and moves through sets of postures to build strength and exercise the body. They massage internal organs and glands and help the body balance, build muscle, gain flexibility and eliminate toxins. The added benefits are that the exercise is not painful and won't exhaust you but infact is usually relaxing or restorative. The muscles don't produce lactic acid and are oxygenated during the practice and one builds strength and flexibility at the same time. For people who don't exercise because of pain yoga is gentle but can be made more difficult by adjusting the postures often using props to make it easier. Yoga postures open up the energy pathways to remove blockages and pain in a similar way to accupuncture and accupressure. Inversions are postures where the body gets tipped upside down which aids circulation, oxygen flow and rapidly and effectively detoxs. While twists work often unused muscles and massage organs aiding digestion function. The practice of the postures teaches one muscle recognition and awareness of tension so that one can relax tight muscles outside their practice off their mat in the day to day life illiminating many sources of pain and fatigue.

Pranayama- This translates to energy control which means bringing in life force through the breath. This is a conscious breathing practice that is incredibly powerful sometimes practiced as part of a kriya or posture. Different types of breathing encourage heightening of energy, relaxation, a flush of oxygen to the blood, enhances cellular processes and regeneration, improves and changes mood, increases awareness and focus and balances the sides of the brain and its functioning. This also aids in detoxification and assisting the body in all its functions. The breath practice teaches the body to breath deeper so that you will start to bring in more oxygen without even thinking about it off the mat.

Mudras- These are seals and are used to aid and improve energy flow around the body to improve vitality. Remember the wise old baboon from the lion king? Hing sitting cross legged with his hands resting on his knees this is an example of a meditation with his hands in gyana mudra and is used to alter the breath to abdominal breathing.

Mantras- These are sounds that are chanted to bring about transformation. The sounds contain meaning and are chanted and repeated in meditation to bring about beneficial changes. Om the most well known mantra represents union of mind, body and spirit.

Bandhas- Body locks contain and restrict the flow of energy controlling how the energy is directed and used. It can stop energy from being lost and helps balance the nervous and endocrine systems. It is also a means to stimulate kundalini energy.

Kriyas- Are sets and practices combining any of the other elements in order to detox and cleanse. The cleanse isn't always physical but can be emotional and mental aswell. The practice is extremely good for balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and restoring harmony in ones life. It can release emotions and pain and bring a huge and quick change in a persons life especially if practiced regularly.

So yoga assists in a healthy body and develops fantastic focus and improved brain function while releasing and working through emotions and traumas. It's a meditative discipline that develops and purifies all aspects of a person while bringing in vitality, developing and balancing the chakras in turn strengthening the aura and ones spiritual body. Yoga really does improve all aspects of life if taken seriously in a devoted way.

Other yoga health studies and information

http://www.yogalifestylecoach.com/pranayama.html

http://www.lifepositive.com/body/yoga/yoga-benefits.asp

http://www.holistic-online.com/yoga/hol_yoga_benefits.htm

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/beginnersguide/yogabenefits.asp

http://health.sify.com/11-far-reaching-effects-of-yoga/

http://wakeup-world.com/2012/02/21/the-effects-of-yoga-in-deployed-military-personnel/