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| Body/Spirit Fitness offers you ideas and information for fitness and health for the body, mind and spirit. |
| Ideas on living fit is a continuing series of articles on health and fitness. We hope you enjoy this ever expanding series of ideas on exercise, eating well, and the body/mind connection. |
| Yoga By Patti Petrella |
| What is Yoga? The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" meaning to yoke, join or unite. This means joining or assimilating every aspect of the individual body with soul and mind, and uniting the individual self, with the Divine. Yoga originated in India many thousands of years ago, and is the oldest integrated method of physical health and peace of mind. The five essential principles of Yoga are: relaxation, postures or asanas, breathing or pranayama, diet (wholesome and vegetarian), and meditation. Many people, today, practice one, of many types of yoga, as a way to keep their bodies fit and supple. It is important to see Yoga for what it is; a spiritual and physical practice. As your Kundalini (spiritual energy) is awakened through yogic practice and pranayama (breathing exercises), you will notice a renewal in your mental outlook as well as many physical improvements. According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the eventual goal of Yoga is to reach "Samadhi" (a level of existence beyond time). The eight limbs of Raja Yoga are the series of disciplines leading to this enlightenment. If you would like to learn more about Yoga, two of the best books, in my opinion, are THE SIVANANDA COMPANION TO YOGA and LIGHT ON YOGA. These books also elaborate on the principles and history of Yoga. If you study and follow the books, you can start doing yoga at home. Body/Spirit Fitness Center, in Columbus, is also a good place to begin to practice this wonderful ancient science of life. I will end this introduction on a personal note. As a marathon runner, I have benefited exceedingly, from Yoga. As runners, we tend to be a stiff group, not overly fond of stretching. Since I started practicing and teaching Yoga, I have had no pain, as I usually do, while my training progresses closer to the actual event. Many runners, as well as other athletes, practice yoga to help prevent injuries, increase their range of motion, and soothe fatigued muscles and joints. What ever your reason is for taking Yoga, it can be a tool for you to accomplish impressive physical, mental, and spiritual development. Yoga is a discipline of health as opposed to medicine, which is a science of disease and treatment. As medical research has begun to study the effects of Yoga, it is demonstrating itself as both a curative and preventative therapy |
| Patti's Philosophy of Yoga I encourage each individual to find their own balance and connections to the body and mind in Yoga practice. To explore the practice without strict structure. To approach Yoga with a sense of curiosity, without judgement or competitiveness. This practice of Yoga is to direct the mind, body and spirit in unity without distractions. Yoga helps us achieve a state of detachment, letting go of the past and future by staying in the present. We practice focus, with the mind, body and breath. Finding this balance with an attitude of acceptance and lightheartedness is the core of Yoga practice. |