Ultimate Yoga Blog

Laughing Yoga

2025-02-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

Key Points

Laughing Yoga, also known as Hasya Yoga, is a unique practice combining laughter exercises with yogic breathing, founded in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria in Mumbai, India.
It seems likely that Laughing Yoga reduces stress, improves mood, and boosts immune function, based on emerging research, though more studies are needed for definitive conclusions.
Sessions typically last 30-60 minutes, involving warm-ups, laughter exercises like Lion Laughter, deep breathing, and cool-downs, often in group settings.
The evidence leans toward Laughing Yoga being accessible for beginners, with online videos and local clubs available for practice, though it may feel awkward initially.

Introduction to Laughing Yoga

Laughing Yoga, or Hasya Yoga, is a laughter exercise program that integrates laughter with yogic breathing techniques, aiming to promote joy and reduce stress. Unlike traditional yoga, which focuses on silence and meditation, Laughing Yoga encourages participants to laugh out loud, fostering a playful atmosphere. This practice is particularly appealing for those seeking a lighthearted approach to wellness.

History and Spread

Founded by Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife Madhuri in Mumbai, India, in 1995, Laughing Yoga began with small park gatherings. Dr. Kataria developed laughter exercises based on everyday situations, not relying on humor, which helped sustain the practice. Today, it is practiced in over 110 countries, with thousands of clubs worldwide, reflecting its global appeal and accessibility.

Benefits and Practice

Research suggests Laughing Yoga can lower cortisol levels, improve immune function by increasing antibodies, and enhance cardiovascular health by improving blood flow. Mentally, it may alleviate depression and anxiety, while socially, it fosters community through group laughter. A typical session includes warm-ups, exercises like Lion Laughter (laughing while mimicking a lion's roar), deep breathing, and a cool-down, lasting 30-60 minutes.

Getting Started

For beginners, Laughing Yoga is approachable, with options to join local clubs or follow online videos, such as this 5-minute workout or 100 exercises video. It may feel awkward at first, but embracing the playfulness is key. Start small, and gradually increase session duration as you get comfortable.

Comprehensive Exploration of Laughing Yoga

Overview and Uniqueness

Laughing Yoga, also known as Hasya Yoga, is a distinctive form of yoga that emphasizes laughter as a core exercise, combined with yogic breathing techniques. Unlike traditional yoga styles like Hatha or Vinyasa, which focus on physical postures and meditation, Laughing Yoga prioritizes joy and playfulness, making it a refreshing option for those seeking stress relief. It was founded in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India, and his wife Madhuri, and has since grown to be practiced in over 110 countries, with thousands of clubs worldwide.

This practice is particularly notable for its accessibility; it doesn't require prior yoga experience or a specific reason to laugh, making it appealing to beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. The integration of laughter with deep breathing aims to bring more oxygen to the body and brain, enhancing energy levels and overall well-being. An unexpected detail is its foundation on the scientific principle that the body cannot differentiate between simulated and spontaneous laughter, offering health benefits regardless of the laughter's origin.

Historical Context and Global Reach

The origins of Laughing Yoga trace back to a small park in Mumbai, where Dr. Kataria and a few friends started laughing together to explore its health benefits. Initially, they relied on jokes, but as humor waned, Dr. Kataria developed 40 Foundation exercises based on everyday situations, ensuring laughter could continue without external triggers. This innovation, detailed in his 2002 book Laugh For No Reason and updated in his 2021 book Laughter Yoga: Daily Laughter Practices for Health and Happiness, has been pivotal to its spread.

By 2025, Laughing Yoga has expanded to include virtual sessions, with daily free Zoom clubs available through Laughter Yoga International, reflecting its adaptability to modern needs. Its presence in over 110 countries, as noted on their website, underscores its global impact, with applications in business for team building and in healthcare for stress reduction among professionals like nurses, as seen in a 2022 study published on PMC (The effect of laughter yoga on perceived stress, burnout, and life satisfaction in nurses during the pandemic: A randomized controlled trial).

Health Benefits and Scientific Evidence

The benefits of Laughing Yoga are multifaceted, targeting both physical and mental health. Research suggests it reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels, a finding supported by a study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, which showed significant mood improvements in participants. It also enhances immune function by increasing antibody production, as noted in a University of California, Los Angeles study, and improves cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, according to the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Mentally, Laughing Yoga can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, promoting a positive outlook, while socially, it fosters community through shared laughter, as highlighted in a 2016 review on laughter's benefits by Yim, cited on Positive Psychology. A table summarizing these benefits is provided below:

Benefit Category	Description	Supporting Evidence
Stress Reduction	Lowers cortisol, releases endorphins	Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Immune System	Increases antibodies, activates immune response	UCLA study on natural killer cells
Cardiovascular Health	Improves blood flow, lowers blood pressure	University of Maryland School of Medicine
Mental Health	Alleviates depression, reduces anxiety	Yim (2016) review on laughter benefits
Social Bonding	Enhances community through group laughter	Gray et al. (2015) on relationship building

While these findings are promising, the field is still emerging, and more longitudinal studies are needed to confirm long-term effects, especially given the variability in session formats and participant demographics.

Practice Methods and Session Structure

A typical Laughing Yoga session lasts 30-60 minutes and is structured to maximize its benefits. It begins with a warm-up, involving gentle stretching and breathing exercises to prepare the body and mind. This is followed by laughter exercises, which are the core of the practice. Examples include:

Lion Laughter: Participants laugh while making a "ha-ha-ha" sound, mimicking a lion's roar, as described on wikiHow.
Hand Clapping Laughter: Clapping hands while laughing to stimulate energy, often synchronized with chants like "ho ho, ha-ha-ha."
Bending Laughter: Laughing while bending forward and backward, engaging core muscles.
Partner Laughter: Laughing with a partner, such as laughing at each other's faces or actions, fostering social connection.

After each exercise, deep diaphragmatic breathing is practiced to enhance oxygen intake and promote relaxation. The session concludes with a cool-down, a period of quiet reflection or meditation, consolidating the benefits and bringing the body back to calm.

Testimonials from participants, such as Muriel from a London workshop in 2018, highlight its impact: "Every session brings me much joy and lifts my spirits by allowing me to laugh and play and regress back to childhood silliness," as noted on Laughter Yoga Wellness. Another participant, Dr. Janet Ray from Victoria, BC, Canada, said, "Fun and energizing & I can see how it could be very therapeutic for many people," on Joy, Energy and Health.

Accessibility and Getting Started

For those new to Laughing Yoga, it's highly accessible, with options to join local clubs or practice online. The Laughter Yoga International website offers daily free Zoom sessions, and YouTube provides instructional videos like this 5-minute workout and 100 exercises video, ideal for home practice. Beginners are encouraged to start small, perhaps with 10-15 minutes, and embrace the initial awkwardness, as laughing on command can feel unnatural at first.

Tips include finding a supportive group, as shared laughter enhances the experience, and not taking oneself too seriously, allowing for playfulness. For those with health concerns, consulting a healthcare provider is advisable, especially given its physical components, though it's generally low-impact.

Conclusion and Encouragement

Laughing Yoga offers a joyful, effective way to enhance physical and mental health, combining laughter's stress-relieving power with yoga's breathing benefits. Its global reach and growing scientific support make it a compelling practice for anyone looking to reduce stress, boost immunity, or foster social connections. Whether joining a local club or following online videos, give Laughing Yoga a try—take a deep breath, let out a laugh, and discover its transformative potential.

Key Citations

Yoga for Modern City Life: Yoga is now a Lifestyle

2011-09-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Is it any surprise models are wrapping their wrists in mala beads, fashion designers are heading off to India for yoga retreats and there's a new line of active wear that takes its name from the Sanskrit mantra om.

To the uninitiated, yoga is pretzel-like poses and a dim memory of the Beatles visiting the Maharishi in the 1960s.

Gurmukh Kaur, the Center for Living's white-turbaned founder, travels by limo -- in a blaze of camera strobes -- with one of her students, singer Courtney Love.

What she does is kundalini yoga, Ms. Love told a reporter covering the bash for fashion-bible Women's Wear Daily. It's better for me than Prozac -- and the clothes are nice, too.

Ms. Love is hardly the only celebrity singing the praises of yoga -- or helping to catapult the 5,000-year-old practice onto the cutting edge.

Yoga Zone, a hip New York yoga studio with a half-hour show weekdays on cable's Health Network, has an entire catalog dedicated to the joy of yoga. In addition to the predictable range of videotapes, nonslip mats and meditation cushions, there are multiple pages of clothing and accessories.

Cotton-Lycra hipsters are the definitive Yoga Zone look for practice and beyond. Spaghetti-strap camisoles and halter tops with subtle embroidered logos come in black, slate, garnet, moss green and other quiet but current colors.

Even the jewelry has a fashion angle: Pendant necklaces with the Chinese symbol for clarity or the Sanskrit symbol for om are crafted by the hot fashion duo Me & Ro.

Yoga for Modern City Life: Yoga Helps Ease Modern Stress

2011-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

For Gail Stuart, who is finishing a beginner's series, yoga is an antidote to the stress of her job at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she works with psychiatric research. You just walk through the whole process, and you feel yourself slipping away. It's a different workout, she says, a welcome alternative to aerobics or exercise machines, which remind her of a torture chamber.

Yoga is the most prominent form of the burgeoning mind-body health movement, which includes tai chi, qigong and other meditative forms of exercise.

The practice of yoga should integrate every aspect of human existence. While many of modern Western practitioners focus on the physical asanas, for others, yoga is an all-encompassing way of life and a path to bliss.

Considering yoga's lofty goals, it's delightfully simple and can be done anywhere, anytime. Taken to its extreme, yoga encompasses everything from a moral code and dietary practices to deep meditation. Most commonly, though, it's a combination of asanas, pranayama (breathing exercises) and some meditation.

Yoga would be an effective and relatively cheap substitute for many anxious and stressed patients, although they would probably also need to be motivated to become physically fit.

Yoga for Modern City Life: Most Urbanites Start with a Class

2011-09-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

The best place to start is with a class, where a teacher can show you how to adapt poses using props and help you learn proper technique for the postures.

The good news is that yoga classes have never been more widely available. You'll find them at small studios, health clubs and gyms. The hard part is finding a class that's just right for you. Studios that are dedicated to yoga also foster a more dedicated practice. The same students return to class week after week, and instructors usually follow a particular discipline of yoga. Some classes are aimed at beginners.

Whether you consider a studio or health club classes, here are some tips to find qualified instructors and classes that suit your needs:

Define your goals. Do you have chronic back pain or other physical limitations. An Iyengar-based class, with its emphasis on proper form and use of props, would be ideal. Looking to improve concentration and reduce stress. Consider a class that incorporates meditation. Seeking a challenging workout. Try an ashtanga class.

Ask about the instructor's background. There is no national certification program for yoga yet, although some disciplines have their own rigorous teaching certification programs. You want an instructor who has been practicing and teaching for a long time.

Check out the space. Look for rooms that are spacious and well ventilated. Plenty of props sticky mats, straps, foam bricks, blankets and bolsters are a good sign, too. Ideally, yoga rooms are quiet, but that may not be the case in a gym setting where students have to contend with loud music and clanking weight machines.

Yoga for Modern City Life: Hatha Yoga – Most Popular in the US

2011-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

There are actually several branches of yoga, including bhakti, the yoga of devotion, and jnana, the yoga of knowledge. The most widely practiced branch in the US, the one typically offered at gyms and exercise studios, is hatha yoga, which is physical yoga. But there also are different styles of hatha yoga, from the exercise-intense power yoga to the gentle chair poses used in svaroopa yoga.

Many of the instructors offer integral yoga, which involves stretching and bending into various positions called asanas, as well as breathing exercises and deep relaxation. By practicing and learning asanas, students can gain flexibility, strength, stamina and improved circulation.

Integral yoga is not religious, but it does offer an introspective, spiritual component that you won't find in most exercise programs.

A typical adult class lasts 1 hour. First, the students center themselves through breathing, then come together as a group with a collective om. They do a quick series of cardiovascular movements, an hour of stretching and 20 minutes of relaxation while lying on their backs.

The relaxation period gives students a chance to turn inward. Some people are making lists in their head. Some people are asleep. Some people are just in a really great space, where they're conscious of what's going on in the room, and yet at the same time, completely and unequivocally out.

Yoga for Modern City Life: Ancient Practice Fits Modern Life

2011-09-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

When Trace Bonner launched Holy Cow in West Ashley's South Windermere Shopping Center last summer, she didn't know what to expect. Now she's teaching 16 classes a week and adding another instructor. And while she credits the center's success in part to its cute cow logo and convenient location, there's no question that there's a revived interest in yoga across America.

The ancient Indian practice of yoga first arrived in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, but didn't really catch on until 1969 with chants at Woodstock. Now, after being overshadowed by the aerobics craze in the '80s and early '90s, yoga is once again attracting followers, with many looking for relief from ailments and injuries or from the stress of daily life.

Baby boomers, worn out from years of jogging and bouncy workouts, are back on board. But interest is growing with other age groups, too, from college students to senior citizens to celebrities.

The surge in interest is being fueled partly by doctors' growing acceptance of yoga's healing potential. Mainstream medicine has adopted yoga as a gentle therapeutic method for treating a number of illnesses, so more and more doctors are referring their patients to yoga. Initial trials have shown yoga can help people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma and cardiac risk factors.

Yoga for Computer Users: The Triangle

2011-09-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

Stand with your back against the wall. Place your feet two or three feet apart. Keeping feet firmly on the floor, and weight balanced on heels and toes, stretch your body up, pressing shoulders back and allowing arms to hang at your sides (Fig. 1). Inhale.

Exhale and slowly bend from waist, sliding your right hand down the right side as far as it will go. Shoulders should press back and hips should remain level, pointing forward. Head should be turned to the side, so that it's at a right angle to the body. Hold posture for 10 slow counts, inhale and come up to starting position. Exhale and repeat on left. Inhale and come up to starting position.

Exhale and rest a moment. Inhale and slowly raise arms to shoulder level, palms down. At the same time, point the right foot to the right at a 90-degree angle while keeping the left foot turned in slightly. Exhale and bend to the right, sliding hand down to ankle or foot. If possible, touch the ground behind foot. Pull hip square against wall with left hand and turn head to look up.

Inhale and raise left arm straight up over head so that arms are in a straight line. Keep hips and torso against the wall as both arms stretch, one down and one up, touching the wall. Hold posture with smooth, even breathing for a slow count of 10. Inhale, come up and repeat on left.

Benefits: Trikonasana helps produce excellent spinal flexibility. It stretches the legs, back and neck and helps to loosen up the hips and make them strong and flexible. It is also, to some extent, a balance posture; in yoga, it is believed that the skill developed in physical balance has a profound effect on the mind, quieting unruly emotions and creating calm. It is one of the best postures for slimming the waist, hips, arms and legs. Remember to breathe deeply in when stretching up and breathe deeply out when bending the body downward.

Yoga for Computer Users: The Side-Angled Stretch

2011-09-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Stand straight against the wall and stretch the feet about three to four feet apart. Inhale and raise arms up to shoulder level, palms down. Point right foot to the right and slightly turn in left foot. Bend right knee to form a right angle, with thigh parallel to the floor and the shin vertical. The knee should be directly above the ankle. Stretch the back leg and tighten the knee.

Exhale and stretch right hand down to rest on floor behind right foot. Turn head to look up and press left hip flat against wall with left hand. A strong pull should be felt all along the left side. When you feel comfortable, stretch the left arm up and press it against your ear so that from left heel to left hand the body is stretched and extended. Hold this position for a slow count of 10, making sure that upper shoulder, hip and bent knee are pressed against the wall. Inhale and return to starting position. Exhale and repeat on left.

Benefits: This posture produces overall health. It tones every muscle, tendon and joint in the body. The heart is revitalized and strengthened, and, if crooked, the spine is stretched and realigned. The hip joints, which can weaken with age, become stronger and more flexible. The neck is stretched and made more flexible, easing the pain of stiff, tense muscles and spondylosis. Thighs, hips and waist are firmed. Even digestion is improved.

Remember to lie down and relax after your yoga practice. Relaxation after exercising helps the body to recover, regulates the flow of blood, and calms and soothes the mind. That way you don't feel tired but refreshed and invigorated.

Yoga for Computer Users: Supported Side Stretches

2011-09-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Many computer users around the world face the problem of back pain. Having your back against the wall usually means you're in trouble. But for certain yoga positions, having your back firmly against a wall will aid health.

In Hatha Yoga, the practitioner forms what Swami Gitananda calls body geometry--triangles, straight lines, circles and parallel lines. When you do a posture, always stretch your body to its utmost limit and then hold it there for a slow count of 10, gradually building up the time, until each posture can be maintained for 30 seconds. Holding a posture is essential to yoga because it gives the body a chance to settle into the stretch and loosen up. Then each time you stretch it will be just that little bit farther.

Many of the sideways, or lateral, stretches in Hatha Yoga require that the body face forward, with hips level and back and spine tilting neither forward nor back. Beginners tend to lean forward to increase the stretch. But leaning forward is wrong and will actually detract from benefits and possibly cause harm. To perform these stretches properly, make sure to keep your spine firmly against a wall. The wall acts as a prop. Even those who have practiced yoga may find that they cannot bend as far as they thought they could when they do the postures properly. The extra time spent in forming careful postures will pay off: Your body will gain excellent flexibility and strength.

Yoga for Computer Users: Releases Lower Back Pain

2011-09-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Twenty percent of all those who undergo surgery for lower back pain will get no relief. The remaining 80 percent will have problems ranging from mild to severe. All will have trouble with spinal flexion.

Yoga does not offer cures. It simply promises that if you faithfully practice these asanas every day, there will be no pain and you will build up a strong and supple spine, restructuring posture and body image. Once you have back problems you must remain conscious all through the day of how you stand, sit and lie down. Here are a few guidelines:

Always sleep on a firm (not necessarily hard) bed, with a flat pillow under your head and a thicker one under your knees. This will help the spine to reposition and adjust itself.

Do not wear high heels as this promotes lumbar lordosis and throws the spine out of balance.

Do not go in for break-dancing, strenuous aerobics, jogging, running or anything where you need to bounce or jiggle. Guarded activity is the key here.

For lower back pain, sitting is the most painful. Sit on a firm seat, not squashy cushions, and sit on your buttock bones. Do not loll back on the tailbone or lower spine. Wedge a rolled towel or small cushion behind your back to keep you upright. Sit as often as possible in The Diamond Posture (Figure 1) in order to benefit the sciatic nerve and to cure a convex or a lateral curvature of the spine.

When the pain is acute and you can neither sit nor stand in comfort, rest in bed, take whatever anti-inflammatory or analgesic medications your physician prescribes, and wait until the pain is milder before starting on these postures.

All these asanas have healing and curative properties. They will act as a form of mild traction, gently stretching the spinal muscles in safe extension postures. Strength will be gradually built up in the paraspinal muscles and buttocks, abdominal organs will be toned and strengthened, and pressure points all along the spine will be stimulated. Practice each asana to the point where mild pain is felt.

Yoga for Computer Users: Other Postures

2011-09-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Diamond Posture (Vajrasana)
Kneel on a thick carpet or blanket with your knees close together. Sit back on your heels and stretch up from your hips, balancing your head well so that a line drawn through ear, shoulder, elbow and hip would be straight. You should sit up in this posture for greatest benefits.

The Locust (Salabhasana)
Most yoga students are familiar with this posture. Lie flat, face down, chin on floor. Make your hands into fists and push them either under your thighs to help the lift, or place them alongside your body. Exhale and lift legs from your hips, tightening your buttocks and stretching your legs up and back. Hold position for as long as possible, exhale, return to starting posture and repeat.

he Dog Stretch (Adho mukha svanasana)
Lie face down, legs stretched back, buttocks tightened and knees pulled back. Place hands just below shoulders, exhale and lift head, then chest, shoulders and torso, pushing down from your pelvis and straightening your arms. From the back of your head to your tailbone, your body should be curved back. Push shoulders back and down. Push head back more. Stay like this as long as possible with normal breathing. Come down very slowly, and relax.

The Twist (Bhardwajasana)
Kneel on the floor and sit back, bringing both feet to the right of your hips. Straighten your right arm, bring it across your body and turn to the left. Place your hand, palm down under your left knee. Exhale, turn your body more to the left and clasp your right elbow with your left hand, from the back. Turn your head and gaze over your right shoulder. Fold position for a few breaths and then twist and look back over your left shoulder. Shoulders should be at right angles to the body. Come back to starting position and repeat on other side. You should do this posture once every hour if you have lower back pain.

Yoga for Business People: Do Not Get Distracted From your Goal

2011-09-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Suresh Nigam, chairman of MetJet, one of the leading trainers of computer hardware engineers in India, not only practices yoga but preaches it at his 35 centers.

So what is it and how does it work.

At the heart of it is something which translates as the stoppage of mind modification. For example when we hear music we get distracted. We must stay aware and conscious but not get distracted from our goal.

How then does yoga, an ancient, essentially private activity, help in the work environment.

Suresh believes that the collective is an entity just as much as an individual is. If individuals are happy, calm and alert then the collective consciousness is harmonious and dynamic and will produce better results. If people are tense and unhappy it will reflect in their productivity.

At MetJet all managers and employees are sent to the Yoga Institute at Santa Cruz (in Mumbai) which was founded in 1989. There people are shown a path, how to control your mind and not to run after sensual pleasures. You learn not to run away from your responsibilities.

The root cause of these afflictions is ignorance. That leads to a grandiose sense of self-importance and misunderstanding. We love and hate in extremes. By getting up and finding out what is happening, we reduce stress. Once you are aware of what is going on you have won half the battle.

Yoga as exercise

2011-09-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yoga is a meditation exercise that has been around for centuries and came about from the traditions of Buddha and Hindu. There are many people who have let go of the religious aspect of the yoga exercise program, but has used it because the techniques include a lot of benefits. You will find that there are ways that you can use the stretches and strength building exercises for you to work on your self image. You will be able to burn the fat, increase your flexibility, and also build muscles. There are lot of other exercises that you can also go in joint with yoga. When you combine yoga with some other cardiovascular exercise, you will be able to make your body healthier than ever.

Yoga is traditionally seen as a routine of exercises that will rejuvenate the body. That is, although yoga is a difficult workout, it should make you energized as opposed to draining your body and making your feel tired. Therefore, when pairing yoga with other forms of exercise, do yoga first. You may be able to use yoga as a warm up. You will want to do this before you start any cardiovascular or any strength training exercises. You will find that warming up is very important to any work out.

Yoga will teach your breathing techniques that will prepare you for some other exercise. Yoga can also teach breathing to prepare you for other exercises. In yoga classes, students must often learn breathing techniques that help calm the spirit and focus the mind. With these techniques you will be able to breathe fully and there will be more oxygen going to your brain and throughout the other parts of the body. By practicing yoga, you will be able to do cardiovascular exercises for a longer period of time, since you will not be so quickly out of breath.

Since yoga will help you to increase flexibility, you will be able to prevent some injures when you are doing other sports or exercises. Yoga can be viewed as an entire exercise regimen focused on stretching muscles. It also helps minimize and prevent injuries because yoga allows you to find your limits. This is important when practicing any sort of physical activity.

You should always speak with your doctor when you are starting any exercise routine. You will find that yoga is the safest way to practice yoga in the comfort of a class and with a certified instructor. You should ask your teacher for some tips on how you can improve on your yoga skills and use it to help you become better at other sports and exercises. You will be able to benefit from the yoga workout session.

Yoga and Sports: Tennis

2011-09-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tennis requires cat-like reflexes with short bursts of strength. These short movements do not allow the muscles to extend their full length. When muscles are strenuously worked they become tight and can lose their elasticity unless properly stretched. Yoga exercises can increase the body's range of motion. The lack of movement because of inflexibility binds the joints. Without the elasticity of the muscles, I think an athlete can be a prisoner within his own body.

Using yoga techniques makes it possible to retrain the muscles. Most tennis athletes play in a constant state of muscle tension. Yoga trains the body to relax muscle tension. Learning to begin your game in a relaxed state could mean gaining an extra step on the ball.

When in a ready position muscles are contracted and ready for action. To move, muscles must be relaxed and then contracted again to spring in any direction. By retraining the muscles you begin from a relaxed position, giving a quickened reaction time.

Yoga breathing exercises can help improve endurance and stamina. When exerting in sports or exercise we often hold the breath as a way to create strength. Yoga trains the body to create strength through breathing control. Holding the breath at points of exertion takes a great deal of energy that could be used during long sets or matches.

Learning the correct way while doing a yoga pose is simple. Exhale during the execution of a pose until you feel the muscles' full length of stretch (maximum resistance). Never hold your breath. Breathe normally and listen to the body. Hold for 30 seconds, then release the pose slowly. By constant practice of yoga poses you'll soon apply breathing techniques in everyday routines.

A simple spine twist is excellent for rotational sports. It can help increase needed flexibility of the shoulders and back and hips. Remember to apply the breathing technique to this pose.

Begin the spine twist by sitting on the floor with both legs straight out in front of you. Keeping the spine straight, bend the left leg placing the left foot on the outside of the right knee. Now, place the left hand on the floor behind you with your arm straight and the right elbow bent. Positioned on the outside of the left thigh place the right hand on the left hip.

Slowly exhale while turning the head and upper body to the left, looking over the left shoulder. Pressure from the right arm should keep the left leg stationary while pressure from the left arm and torso gives you the twist. Stronger use of both arms increases the twist. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and repeat twist on the opposite side.

A total body conditioning and flexibility routine is essential for the avid tennis player. Yoga techniques could be the edge you need in developing your game.

Yoga and Sports: Skiing

2011-09-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

It is incredible what yoga does for skiing. People can ski all day long and much better.

Conditioning before hitting the slopes can increase the safety and enjoyment of the sport. Most ski injuries occur early in the day when muscles are tight and enthusiasm is high, and late in the day when muscles are weakened and technique is poor.

A simple yoga exercise called the awkward pose, can increase your strength, balance and concentration which will make the ski season more rewarding.

It consists of three variations which are done sequentially.

To begin, stand with the feet apart, about shoulder width, an even distance (approximately six inches) between your heels and toes. Extend the arms out in front of you parallel to the floor with the shoulders pressed down and away from the head. Keep the upper body strong and firm in this position.

Bend your knees and shift the weight back into the heels, pushing the buttocks out behind you. When the top of the thighs are parallel to the floor and arms, hold your pose. The feet should be held parallel and the knees should only be shoulder width apart.

One good way to think of getting into this pose is to imagine that you are sitting in an invisible chair leaning back to bring the spine and shoulders against the back of the chair. The arm muscles are contracted, the abdomen is held tight and your breathing should be normal. Hold the pose for 20 seconds. Stand up.

The second part of this series is similar to the first. Keep the upper body the same as before and stand straight up onto the balls of the feet, standing as high as possible with the arches pressed forward. To keep the ankles strong and straight, press down with each big toe. Now, bend the knees again keeping the spine straight and stop when the quadriceps are parallel to the floor. Hold this pose for 20 seconds. Stand up. You will find this second pose a bit more difficult.

Third, assume the same basic pose with upper body firm and strong. Again, slowly bend the knees and this time sit all the way down lightly onto the heels. Now press the knees together and hold the body still. The quadriceps are again level with the floor and the spine is straight. Hold again for 20 seconds. Stand up out of the pose slowly, bring the heels down and relax. Don't forget to do a second set of all three poses.

Yoga and meditation

2011-09-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Yoga is developing as a part of life. It is a way that you can integrate body poses and breathing exercises with added meditation to give a peace of mind to have peace with the world.

Meditation comes from intense concentration, where the individual focuses so thoroughly on a single object that he or she thinks of nothing besides his or her awareness of that object (Some religions may find that their idea of prayer could fall under this definition). Yoga will take things a little bit further by making meditation the highest point of the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

These "eight limbs" define Yoga as a lifestyle: your attitude to the world around you is followed by your attitudes towards yourself, physical posturing, breathing exercises, withdrawing the senses, concentrating, contemplating, and finally enlightenment. You will go into an state of bliss that will result in the use and development of the other seven. Meditation combines withdrawing the senses, concentrating, and contemplating to be the final state that can be accomplished before bliss.

At any rate, meditation calms the mind and offers a number of health benefits even before enlightenment. With regular mediation will help reduce all the stress and anxiety. It will also lower your blood pressure and it will decrease your risk of a heart attack. It can improve concentration, clarity of thought, and release your creative side.

With some research, mediation with yoga will increase the matter of the brain’s cortex, and it will help with cognitive, emotional, and sensory date of the brain. Meditation may also slow natural shrinkage of the frontal cortex due to aging. The 20 participants on average meditated for 40 minutes a day. Actually, most change happens in the brain’s right half.

Meditation really isn’t easy though. Clearing the mind of extraneous thought is difficult, and all thought even more so. Learning how to do meditation will take some time and hard work.

You will want to sit somewhere with your back and head straight, to start out. You will find that you will want to learn some basic breathing exercises first to help you. You will then want to close your eyes, breathe in through your noses and exhale through your mouth. You will want to focus on your breath. You will be able to get cool air to enter through and the warm air leaves. You will want to make sure that you focus on the way that you breath. You will want to redirect all of your wondering thoughts and then just focus on the warm air leaving. You should start off with some short meditations that last a few minutes. Most beginners will start off counting their breaths so that they can focus on the breathing, but you will only want to count to four and then start over again.

Work – Life Balance and Yoga

2011-09-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

After a surge of interest during the consciousness-conscious '60s, yoga began to fall out of favor. Exercisers apparently lost patience with the activity, which offers slow but steady results, and turned to the fast pace and quick shape-up of aerobics. Now yoga is back-less mystical than in the past, less reminiscent of gurus in pretzel positions, and more attractive than ever to people who are interested in working out rather than working toward some spiritual goal.

Once you step out of the metaphysical atmosphere, yoga is a great stretch and flexibility program. Yoga is increasingly being used by those who are having a trouble in balancing their work and personal life. A stressful working environment and a hectic schedule has a telling impact on the personal lives of the modern day executives and so they are turning to yoga to bring about a peace of their mind and to adopt a perfect work-life balance.

Also, many disgruntled runners, weight trainers and aerobic dancers complain that instead of reducing the stress in their lives, their exercise regimes add more.

People rush to work out every day at lunch, force themselves to keep up and then rushed back to work. Surely, it does something good for them, but it is just another pressure. Yoga is less competitive, less stressful, and above all gives a wonderful feeling of being.

Indeed, the healing aspect of yoga is a key to its renewed popularity. The strained knees, aching backs and neck pains generated by the push for fitness and the stress of making it in a competitive world have inspired a packaged set of a book and audio cassettes. Some orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors and neurologists are now referring patients to specific yogis during treatment.

Growing interest in the mind-body connection is fueling a major comeback of the ancient practice, boosted by research suggesting it can reduce stress and blood pressure, improve work performance, even slow effects of aging.

Several techniques are now being taught in mainstream hospitals and businesses; books about them are brisk sellers and discussion groups have sprung up on the Internet.

Even the Army is interested - it has asked the National Academy of Sciences to study meditation and other new age techniques that might enhance soldiers' performance.

Details differ, but a common theme is relaxing the body while keeping the mind alert and focused - on an object, sound, breath or body movement. If the mind wanders - and it always does - you gently bring it back and start again

Stress-related problems account for 60percent to 90percent of U.S. doctor visits, and mind-body approaches often are more effective, and cost-effective, than drugs or surgery. For example, 34percent of infertile patients get pregnant within six months, 70percent of insomniacs become regular sleepers and doctor visits for pain are reduced 36percent.

Why Yoga is Important For An Office Worker

2011-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Yoga and office workers don't usually mix, but they should. When you work in an office you will usually be spending a lot of time hunched over a keyboard and sitting in a seat. It can also be an environment that is prone to produce a whole heap of stress and very few outlets to release it. In this article we examine how these things are bad for your general health and how Yoga can help.

Let's start with a little bit about what Yoga is. At it's simplest level it is a very effective form of exercise. It involves flexing the body into static poses and holding them which is a fantastic method of increasing blood flow and circulation through various choke points in the body.

Yoga also puts a lot of emphasis on the correct patterns of breathing which allows you body to get the most benefit from each breath of air we take. Expanding from this we take care to un-clutter our thoughts when we are performing Yoga and the more advancement someone makes with the discipline the more focussed and calm they will become. Have you ever told someone to take a breath to calm him or her down? With Yoga it is the same principle.

So how does this all help our office worker?

An office environment is usually neither a calm nor a healthy place. Most office workers will spend the majority of their day stuck in a chair and often staring at a computer screen or hunched over paperwork or a keyboard. This causes a lot of tension to well up, particularly in the back and shoulders. The legs are also often denied a supply of fresh blood by the long hours spend sitting down.

Yoga forces the body to move in ways it would not usually do in an office environment. This can be a very effective way of clearing choke points and allowing circulation to resume it's normal flow. The blood takes valuable supplies of oxygen and nutrients with it wherever it goes and without these supplies the organs cannot operate properly. The more starved the organs become the sicker we will become, so clearly restoring blood flow to the areas that are being deprived of it is an important health priority.

Did you know that most diseases are directly caused or antagonized by stress? It's true, and it's a much more serious problem than most people ever know. In an office environment this is even more so. The pressure of deadlines, the constant activity and the need to constantly be on the move are all primary factors in escalating stress levels.

imagine for a moment - stopping. Forget about all the things that you need to get done in the next week. Forget about the rent payment and the assignment you have to finish. Forget about your boss and your family and concentrate on one thing. Breathing. Yoga is as much a mental discipline as it is a physical one and it will teach you to clear your thoughts and focus on the activity at hand. While you will certainly benefit from the health benefits of Yoga, the mental benefits can be truly life changing. People who learn Yoga usually deal with stress better and are able to calm and centre themselves when there is turmoil all around them.

If you think these benefits would make your life easier then you owe it to yourself to start learning Yoga as soon as possible.

What is Yoga

2011-09-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yoga, which means discipline, was developed in the year 300 by an Indian Hindu named Patanjali. Its purpose is to stretch the muscles, strengthen the body and increase concentration. It can also help you relax, if you have trouble doing that.

No wonder this ancient discipline has become popular among modern entertainers and athletes. Depending on who practices it, yoga can be simply a set of exercises or a total way of life.

Some who practice yoga, called yogis, try to use the discipline to reach a high level of consciousness. They respect certain abstentions (things not to do), such as not lying, stealing, being greedy or harming other people. They also practice certain observances (things to do), such as being clean, content, self-controlled, studious and devoted.

Physical control is also important in yoga. Yogis train themselves to take full, deep breaths. They consider breathing a life force, counting a lifespan not in years but in the number of breaths taken.

Unlike exercises that work only on strength, yoga also helps the body become flexible. As a result, some yoga exercises (called asanas) look a little strange, and you may think you need to be a human pretzel to do them. Not so. You just have to relax.

In yoga, you ease into stretches, never forcing yourself. The saying no pain--no gain simply does not apply. You do only the best you can at the moment, and at some later moment you will do more.

All yoga poses demand balance. And since you can't balance if you're thinking about last night's TV show, yoga also demands concentration. Learn to concentrate in yoga, and you will be better able to concentrate in baseball, tennis or even school.

Yoga exercises copy nature. Many yoga poses can be traced to the shapes of creatures, such as the cobra, cat, dog, tortoise, crab and eagle.

In the cobra pose, for example, you ask yourself, What would it feel like to be a cobra. You lie on your stomach with your forehead to the floor. As you inhale, you slowly roll your head back, supporting yourself with your hands. You hold that pose, then come down slowly, trying to move as a snake would move.

All yoga exercises promote strength and calmness. Each move's effects on a muscle, a gland or a nerve center are carefully thought out.

You can choose certain exercises to rid yourself of particular pains, such as back pain from back-packing or leg pain from jogging. Yoga can help condition you for skiing or help you control feelings of depression or fear.

Any good book on yoga will describe various asanas and tell how each works. You may even have done yoga exercises already. Ever done a handstand, or the wheel. Many exercise programs borrow from yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga

2011-09-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

There are a number of class types of yoga, including Vinyasa yoga. You will find that this specific type of yoga you will be able to do poses that flow into one another and it is a consistent breathing meditation. The type of breathing-oriented posed yoga is rapid and dynamic. It is another way of saying that you are into Power Yoga.

In reference to poses, Vinyasa can describe the poses performed between repeats of "Downward Facing Dog" in a Sun Salutation: Plank, "Four Limbed Staff", and "Upward Facing Dog".

To get into the Plank pose from a downward-facing dog, you will have to bring your torso up until your body is straight and your shoulders are directly handling over your wrists. It’s like the push up position. Press down firmly through your forearms and hands, widen your shoulder blades, and press back through the heels, regardless of whether your heels touch the floor or not. You will want to make sure that your neck stays inline with your spine, but once you have mastered it, you can perform the pose with one leg lifted at a time.

From Plank, enter the Four Limbed Staff by bending your arms straight back, hugging your upper arms to your sides. Then you will want to lower yourself to the floor with your forearms and upper arms at a ninety-degree angle, while keeping your body level throughout the pose. Push back on your heels while pressing into your palms. (Beginners can leave their knees on the floor until they build the strength to hold up their bodies.) Then you can try shifting the pose while leaving one leg up from the advanced plank pose, but that is only once you've mastered the pose

To progress into Upward Facing Dog, tuck in your toes to roll over your feet as you come forward. Don't let your thighs touch the floor. Make sure that you keep your legs tense and off the floor, but you will also pres into the floor with the tops of your feet and with your palms. Make sure your shoulders remain over the wrists, and drop your hips. Beginners might find it easier to transition by dropping their thighs to the floor, flipping their feet over one at a time, then raising their legs again to move into Upward Facing Dog.

These are just beginning yoga poses will require you to concentration if you would like to master it. You will also find that these are difficult for a person to master. You will want to get it a good go at learning how to do yoga. You will find that there are many difficulties that you will have with Vinyasa yoga.

The Most Common Types of Yoga

2011-09-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

There are so many different types of yoga today, with this a problematic situation for
beginners, it is best to choose a form of yoga that is appropriate for each individual’s
level of fitness, physical and spiritual goals and health condition.

Some of the most common types of yoga are listed below and briefly explained to
guide you in choosing the best type of yoga that you can start with.

Iyengar Yoga: these types of yoga are solely focused on the alignment and precise
movements. Yoga props such as blocks and straps are usually used as part of this
type of yoga for those beginners who are not as flexible as the experts as to compensate for injuries.

These Yoga props help assist all sorts of people to be able to do the poses comfortably.

Because of its attention to details and the flexible modification of poses, these types
of yoga is often a good form of exercise for people with back pain or neck pain, as
they are likely to benefit from the random alteration to the poses.

Practicing these types of yoga will give you a good knowledge on the classics in yoga
poses so that whatever other style you practice, you will have the basic fundamentals
on how to do each position.

In Iyengar yoga the teacher focuses more on alignment and inner awareness. This
awareness starts with the body and expands to other parts of the self as one
continues with the regularity of practice.

Ashtanga Yoga: these types of yoga are commonly called “power yoga” because it is
focused on a powerful flowing movement.

Such movements include pushups and lunges, which deals with strength and
stamina. These types of yoga are best for people who have successfully overcome
back injuries and are looking for more challenging practice.

People who are already athletic such as runners, gymnasts and cyclists who want to
add more balance and concentration to their routines are also utilizing these types of yoga.

Bikram Yoga: these types of yoga are also known as the “hot yoga” for this is
done in a very warm room. These types of yoga are excellent tools for increasing flexibility
because the heat helps tissue to stretch.

But keep in mind that these types of yoga are not applicable to those that have
developed cardio vascular diseases due to the strain placed on the body when
vigorously exercising in the heat.

Viniyoga: these types of yoga links breathe and movement in flowing exercises that
are adapted to each individual. These are often a good form of yoga for those with
back problems or neck injuries because it can be easily adapted by anyone.

Raja Yoga: these types of yoga aims for liberation through meditation. These types
of yoga are only for those people who are capable of intense concentration.

Bhakti yoga: or commonly known as devotional yoga. These types of yoga focus on
self surrender in the face of the divine.

Mantra yoga: much more know as the "yoga of potent sound,”. These types of yoga
aims at liberation through the verbal or mental repetition of empowered sounds,
such as "om," "hum," or "ram."

There are so many yoga institutions to choose from. It is also a good idea that
before going into a class, discuss with the teacher first regarding hi or her philosophy
and beliefs in order to find the most appropriate and personally appealing form of
yoga for you.

"Do You Know Your Yoga?" The Quiz

2011-09-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

This is a short quiz to see if the ideas you have about Yoga are correct. Yoga is a very broad description that takes in a number of different types and styles so the questions and the explanations given for the answers are equally broad.

Question One: What is Yoga?

a/ An Exercise Program.
b/ A Meditation Program.
c/ A Healing Program.
d/ All of the above.

If you answered (D) then you get a tick. Well done. Yoga can be any of these things and often is all of them at once. At it's simplest level it is an exercise program which, when practised regularly will increase strength and flexibility in the body. Because of the speed that positions are changed and the emphasis on static exercise many Yoga classes put an emphasis on breathing and directing energy and thought to different parts of the body. This aspect of Yoga is where it most closely resembles a Meditation program, though exactly what meditation means in each person's individual case is going to be different depending on him or her. Finally, Yoga is most definitely a form of healing. It allows the increased flow of blood, which carries oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body, greatly accelerating the healing rate. The stretching actions are also good for healing tissue injuries providing they are done to the right depth. Overextending can lead to re-damaging an injury, so it's important to know your limits. Yoga can also be a fantastic pre-emptive healing strategy and this is why Prenatal yoga classes are so popular. They prepare a women's body for childbirth and because of the strengthening of the specific muscles women who undergo prenatal Yoga find it much easier to recover and get back into shape after a birth.

Questions Two: Yoga Exercises are________?

a/ Fast.
b/ Slow.
c/ Static.
d/ All of the above.

Yoga is usually a static exercise regime so (C) is your answer here. However an argument can be made for (B) because the movements between exercises are also part of the Yoga equation. Often an exercise will involve a long slow stretch, gradually pushing a little further, but ultimately the stretch needs to be held for a certain amount of time to gain it's full benefit. Fast exercise programs are all about getting the heart and blood pumping, whereas Yoga is about releasing blockages and getting the blood flowing to all parts of the body. This difference is quite important and a key element in the success and popularity of Yoga.

Question Three: Do You Have to Do Yoga In Classes?

A/ Yes.
B/ No.

The answer is no (B) - of course you don't. Yoga is something that can be a fantastic group activity, but it doesn't need to be. You are quite capable of doing Yoga sitting in your bedroom and no-one will ever know. Other people go to the part to do Yoga in the sun with some friends. Others will do Yoga in an airport between stopovers. How and where you do Yoga is up to you. What's fantastic is you don't need much room, and all it takes is a little time to work through your routine. Also, if no-one sees you doing it, nobody is going to know, unlike going for a run you won't be panting like a dog or sweating like a big at the end of a session.

The Universal Appeal of Yoga

2011-09-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yoga has been practiced for 400 years and is a system of exercises which are very easy and effective at increasing a persons overall health ad well-being. Yoga instructors and students alike will often talk about phrases like "being in harmony with oneself and surroundings" and indeed this is a primary goal of Yoga, to achieve a unity of body, mind and spirit in a oneness with the world around us. Yoga will teach a person to stimulate internal organs including the likes of the prostate, which is practically never exercised by any other discipline. It will teach you to apply pressure upon glandular areas of the body and it will combine this with meditation and breathing techniques that will grant you the ability to turn your concentration inward to examine your feelings and thoughts.

There are a number of different aspects in Yoga, but one of the most appealing is that this is a set of exercises that anyone can enjoy and benefit from. It does not require any expensive equipment or a special setting, it can be practiced by anyone, man or women, rich or poor, young or old, healthy or ill. Perhaps it's greatest appeal has always been that it is a set of beneficial exercises that anyone can do at any time and in any place. Yoga is even a safe form of exercise for pregnant women and prenatal Yoga classes are often recommended to expectant mothers. A specially tailored prenatal yoga class will help prepare a women, physically and mentally to become a mother. It gives her a number of useful tools for coping with labour and the strengthening of the body means that the recovery period after giving birth will be much shorter.

There is a preconception amongst many men that Yoga is a female pastime, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Yoga provides numerous benefits to men: decreasing stress, assisting in relaxation and increasing power, stamina and flexibility across the board.

Senior citizens can get a number of benefits from a yoga course and are often the first to praise the mental advantages such as an increased attention span and a better memory both long and short term.

Even young children will benefit from a Yoga regime by stronger bones, increased circulation and a better disposition resulting from breathing exercises and the relaxation of the exercise.

Regardless of the person Yoga has a number of lasting benefits and will aid in a wide variety of different health issues. Regular practitioners of yoga will live an overall enhanced lifestyle, are more likely to have a strong memory and better stamina combined with a stronger sense of balance. Even late starters can use Yoga to combat a range of health disorders from Blood pressure to arthritis to breathing orders.

It's no wonder when you consider all the different benefits of Yoga how very popular it is, and the fact that it is a regime of exercise that is open to everyone is one more big advantage of it. It means that families can stay fit and healthy together and include everyone from the youngest child through to the oldest family members. The exercises can be performed at varying levels of difficulty and intensity, which means that two people at completely different levels of strength and flexibility can go through the same motions and both benefit.

The Three Chief Benefits Of Yoga

2011-09-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Four thousand years ago Yoga was practiced in India, today it is popular all over the world and in numerous different styles and forms. Not only is the popularity of this form of exercises remarkable, but so is the results and benefits that people are getting from Yoga every day. The benefits can be broadly split into three different groups - physical benefits, mental benefits and spiritual benefits. Which benefits are most important to an individual will vary based on their preconceptions and motivations, but anyone can experience beneficial results in all three areas from a prolonged use of Yoga.

Physical Benefits

The first types of benefits are those purely on a physical level. Yoga is at it's core a group of exercises. Some disciplines will use these exercises to prepare the body for a deeper meditative process, but they will still experience physical benefits from performing them as exercises. The deep breathing exercise has immediate health benefits due to increasing the intake of oxygen into the system. This oxygen is transported by the blood to our organs and tissues, which will become sick without sufficient oxygen and nutrients. Frequently these tissues and organs are starved of nutrients due to a number of reasons including poor air intake or quality, bad circulation or disease within the body. Yoga increases the oxygen intake, removes blockages in the circulation to ensure it's safe delivery and also stimulates the lymphatic system to aid in the removal of toxins from our system, leaving our bodies auto immune system more free to deal with invading disease or viruses.

Beyond this internal health which many people take for granted, Yoga will also greatly increase a persons balance, flexibility and muscle strength.

Mental Benefits.

Many people see this as the most import benefit that we can gain from Yoga. It will of course depend on what your priorities are but the mental benefits of Yoga are certainly impressive. The ability to focus on ones breathing has a natural consequence of allowing extraneous thoughts to melt away and a state of calmness to be introduced. This is not a feat to be taken lightly as it provides a valuable skill in the ability to remain calm amidst turmoil. A mother can use this when everything happens at once in the home, a businessperson can use it to focus on a single task despite everyone around him being panicked or a soldier can use it to block out the bullets and noise and focus on an important task.

Yoga also requires a high level of discipline from those practicing it - both the discipline required to perform the exercises themselves and the discipline needed to stick to a regular exercise regime. Again this is something that comes surprisingly easy to people once they have mastered the basis of the Yoga breathing exercises.

Spiritual Benefits

Generally newcomers to yoga will not understand these benefits for some time. There are a number of benefits that can fall into the 'spiritual' category. Yoga itself is built around a philosophy that includes it's own set of ethics, but these are seldom taught as part of Western Yoga practise. Instead the spiritual benefits we talk about tend to be a persona acceptance of yourself and contentment with your place in life. For some people it goes beyond that but discussing spiritual feelings is always difficult to do so broadly. Overall the level of spiritual satisfaction you get is likely to depend on your own personal beliefs.

The Different Motivations And benefits Of Yoga

2011-09-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

There are many different reasons for taking up and practising Yoga. For one person they may be ill and looking to rejuvenate themselves. Another will want to maintain and improve their current level of health. Some people like the mental challenge...and for some it is a physical challenge that can be overcome. Some people may use Yoga as a relaxing form of stress relief. The great thing about Yoga is that all these people are going to find what they are looking for and so much more.

Yoga has a long list of benefits, both physical and mental, associated with it. Yoga can assist in recovery from a heart attack through it's blood lowering and distressing effects. There has been a considerable amount of research done into heart patients and Yoga, most notably by Dr Ornish who is now also a best selling author. Dean Ornish has no reservations in recommending Yoga both as a way of recovering from heart attacks and also avoiding future heart problems. Yoga has also been reported to be very beneficial to people with diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis due to it's ability to assist with balance and muscle tone.

Yoga gently works muscle groups around the back and spine of spinal injury sufferers and because it puts very little stress on the muscles while still working them thoroughly it is a fantastic way of strengthening this part of the body. Regular Yoga for back pain sufferers can result in complete restoration of their range of movement.

As we age most of us become frailer and less co-ordinated in our movements, but Yoga can help us age more gracefully by ensuring we are always in control of our body and mind. In fact most Yoga sessions are filled with a slightly older crowd who recognize the ongoing benefits it gives them.

Yoga is also a strength building discipline that allows even progression in the arms, the legs and the trunk or core of the body. Many of us take strength for granted until it fails us, but increasing your physical strength will benefit you not just with lifting heavy objects, but also in everyday tasks like getting groceries or mowing the lawn. It even makes it easier for us to move ourselves!

As well as strength Yoga will greatly increase the range of motion we are able to achieve, particularly in the spine and joint areas. Once again this is often something we take for granted unless it is missing. The act of reaching up to put something in a cupboard is natural to many of us, but for others it can cause a jolt of pain down their back, they simply cannot move their arm through the range of motion needed to reach up, or when they do their grasp is not strong enough to grab anything from the cupboard.

It's important not to just focus on the physical benefits of Yoga because the mental benefits are at least as impressive. Simply put Yoga will focus and sharpen your mind. Each posture is performed with a focus and an awareness of your body and your breathing. This is not a gym session with mind numbing reps or chatter between exercises. Whatever you are doing during a Yoga session is done with absolute focus on the movement, the body, the breathing and the moment. Breathing is something that most of us do wrong most of the time. We are accustomed to taking shorter, quicker breaths, but with Yoga the breathing is deeper and fuller. These deeper breaths will make the mind calmer and more focused. Yoga enthusiasts often describe this calmness as a sense of well-being. The deep breathing also makes it easier to release the stress and negative thinking that accumulates in us. Just as the physical blocks are removed through increased blood circulation during the exercises, so the mental blockages are removed by clarity of thought.

Yoga is not a discipline you simply know or do not know; it is an ongoing learning process. There are a huge number of different postures and each posture has a number of different variations on how it can be performed. This never-ending sea of options keeps the body stimulated and engages the mind constantly. Behind the postures and exercises themselves there is a complex philosophical system based in the writings that Yoga derives from. Not many people think of a complete code of ethics including steadfastness, truth, self inquiry and an opposition to stealing, harming others and hoarding when they think of yoga, but these ethical issues are a central part of the system on which Yoga was founded.

The different postures, breathing exercises and the deep philosophy of Yoga all lead to the same end - a deep contemplation. Because Yoga relaxes both the body and the mind tension and stress are greatly reduced. This is highlighted during a Yoga class by pauses for us to get in touch with how we are feeling and reacting. Ending the class in a point by point contemplative meditation performed on the back is common.

Yoga is an exercise, but it is also a meditative process, a code of ethics and a confidence and character building course all rolled into one. It's no wonder the group of people who attend the classes are so diverse.