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Patti Helsten Petrella
teaching Pilates and Yoga
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Body/Spirit Fitness offers you ideas and
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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.