YOGA FITNESS

Finding peace within

It is said that yoga is as old as civilization, but there is physical evidence that supports this claim. The earliest evidence of yoga comes from archaeology: stone seals with depict figures of Yoga Poses were found and they place yoga's existence 3000 years B.C.

Scholars, however, have a reason to believe that Yoga existed long before that and traced its beginnings in Stone Age Shamanism. Both Shamanism and Yoga have similar characteristics particularly in their efforts to improve the human condition at that time. Also, they aim to heal community members and the practitioners act as religious mediators. Though we know Yoga as focusing more on the self, it started out as community-oriented before it turned inward.

Yoga can relieve stress from work

The minute you step out of your house on your way to work, your stress meter rises dramatically, no thanks to the unpredictable weather, rowdy commuters, traffic, dirt, and smog. Tired and irritable you have difficulty focusing. Each incident in your day only adds to your distress and irritation, further upsetting an already stressed-out you.
Before you burst a blood vessel, why not check out the power of yoga? You may find out that all you will ever need to achieve calmness and peace of mind is you.

What is yoga?

Yoga is philosophy that aims to achieve a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. It started some 5,000 years ago in India, where legend says people are gods who forgot to be godly because of all the comforts of the world. Nowadays, yoga is widely known as a system of exercises involving breathing, posture, and meditation- all with the goal of allowing man to find inner peace.

Yoga has since evolved into many branches and forms, the most popular worldwide being hatha yoga. "It is the branch which requires the most physical effort, and which draws results that can be felt immediately. It is one of six branches, the others consisting of raja, karma, bhakti, jnana, and tantra yoga. Although these are distinct branches, they often overlap," writes Yuliya Geikhman in "An Introduction to the Major Branches of Yoga.

Yoga is a personal discipline, a form of exercise that encourages discipline within you. A branch of hatha yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury and a Los Angeles-based U.S. company.

How can discipline answer my stress problem? You may well ask. It helps guide my action throughout the day even when I'm not practicing yoga. From a mental stand point, it's a way of thinking and a way of living if you want it to be that way. Defining yoga may go beyond words as it can have a different meaning and value for each practitioner.

Calming effect

Yoga teaches you to breathe calmly, which enhances the proper distribution of oxygen throughout the body and its organ. When you breathe calmly, your muscles and body are relaxed, and no adverse chemical reactions are set off in your body. So if you respond to situations that would normally stress or anger you with calm breathing, then you won't get stressed and you won't start the domino effect of all those chemical things that lead to serious health problems.

What exactly happens to our body when it is under pressure? When you are trapped in a stressful situation, your body naturals reaction is to produces cortisone and adrenaline, (steroid hormones released by the body in reaction to stress) to support an expected physical activity. But if you are just sitting stewing in you car during a traffic jam or at your office desk struggling to beat a deadline, the hormones do not get utilized. The hormones stay in the blood stream, stick to the arterial wall, and in time may lead to serious medical problems. The same goes for sugar, which is released when the brain senses that the body is about to take in physical tasks. Utilized sugar in the body may lead to diabetes.