Yoga as Form of Exercise
Yoga (Yog - the 'a' is silent) originated in ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word, 'Yuj", meaning "to join", concentrate ones energies on, bend, and is one of the six Indian orthodox philosophies. Sages in forests taught members royalty ways of meditating and exercising to live healthier, longer lives. Yoga is not all meditation; it is a combination of exercises and meditation. Yoga consists of 175 brief aphorisms and is believed to be a means to commune with God.
Today, yoga as a form of exercise is practiced the world over by people from all walks of life. The Asanas (Postures) should never be practiced immediately after practicing rhythmic breathing. There should be an hour between breathing exercises and exercises. What was once the secret of "yogis" and royalty is now common knowledge - but it still needs to be done right. A man who practices yoga is called a Yogi and a woman who practices yoga is called a Yogin.
What Is Yoga?
Did you ever hear of a Ýogi (Hermit) meditate and levitate? Levitate as in float in mid air with no support under or above him? It does happen, but the only one who "experiences" it is the yogi himself. This is because he does not physically levitate - it is all in the mind! When one achieves perfect meditation though yoga, one does not feel anything around him, no voices, no sound, no feeling even someone touching him, and no sensation of the seat he is seated on while meditating. This is a feeling of floating in space and is called levitating. So intense is the level of meditating that a yogi can stop his heart beat for some time - and this is total bliss!
Meditation helps clear and calm the mind, reduce stress and blood pressure, while the other exercises of yoga help build a better immune system and strengthen all the internal organs of the body.
Yoga is a means of heart disease prevention and health benefits. Certain breathing exercises help strengthen the cardiovascular system and the lungs. Together the heart and the lungs provide oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
Other forms of exercise in yoga help massage the organs in the abdominal cavity and effectively aid and strengthen the digestive system and improve ones health. However, nothing comes overnight - not even with the magical effects of yoga. Yoga has been known to cure chronic and terminal diseases, but this has got to be practiced over many years under expert guidance - or it can actually do more damage than good!
Yoga for Weight Loss
Yoga as a form of exercise is also known to be very effective for weight loss. There are certain breathing exercises, postures that release pressure on veins, pressure points that are stimulated and glands are stimulated to help the body burn fat deposits.
While yoga is a great means to lose weight and health benefits it also professes eating healthy food and cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Yogis were primarily Pundits (Hindu priests) and they never touched meat, fish or eggs. Therefore, they always professed that their pupils stay away from such food. Even today this culture prevails. People who teach yoga will advise their pupils to stay away from such food that is rich in fat.
If dieting and exercise is combined with yoga, it can be the most effective way to lose weight, improve health, fight disease and prevent heart disease. However, it cannot be reiterated enough that yoga must always be performed under the expert supervision of a trained yogi if damage to muscle tissue, bones and internal organs is to be avoided.
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