Yoga

You can practice yoga to enhance your individual health and well-being. On one level yoga can be just a system of exercises, but on a deeper level, yoga is a philosophy to be practiced all the time; a quiet mind in the midst of turmoil. Yoga is not a religion. It blends with your spiritual practice. For me, practicing yoga brings harmony and balance to my life. On a physical level, as a body builder, yoga helps me with my flexibility, on a spiritual level it helps me to bring calm to my active mind.

Yoga uses techniques of breathing, stretching, strengthening, and relaxing of the body. While practicing yoga, you stimulate the internal organs and align the spine.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word meaning union with the Divine. Many of us have come to link the term yoga with Hatha yoga. This type of yoga is associated with asanas (postures) and physical exercise. Hatha yoga is only one small part of the entire yoga experience.

Yoga can be categorized as: Bhakti yoga, Path of Devotion; Karma yoga, Path of Selfless Action; Jnana yoga, Path o f Transcendental Knowledge; and Asthanga yoga, Path of Patanjali - eight steps. The goal of each of these yoga paths is connecting with the Divine.

Patanjali developed Asthanga yoga to shepherd the student from unawareness to truth.

If you want to learn more about yoga, visit: Yoga Centers, Spirituality, Yoga, Hinduism Page, or Yogaaahhh.