Yoga is approximately 4,000 years old and is a scientific methodology aimed at uniting the mind, body, and spirit. This bonding that occurs through yoga is said to bring about not only physical benefits, but mental benefits as well, taking the individual to a level that could not be reached by manipulating one factor alone.

Different Types of Yoga

There are many different types of yoga, each stressing a particular theory or mindset, and each is comprised of numerous postures and areas of focus. While the actual practice of yoga is extremely extensive and detailed, in its essence yoga focuses on three main components:

1. Body position/posture

2. Breathing

3. Meditation/state of mind

Benefits of Yoga

Over the past several years, yoga has experienced an upsurge in popularity in the western world among medical professionals and celebrities alike. While much associate yoga with new age mysticism or the latest fad at the gym, yoga is actually an ancient practice that connects the mind, body, and spirit through body poses, controlled breathing, and meditation. The practice of yoga has many health benefits associated with it. Let have a look at few of many:

1. Physical Benefits:

• Flexibility: Stretching your tight body in new ways will help it to become more flexible, bringing greater range of motion to muscles and joints.

• Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg or supporting yourself with your arms. Some exercises require you to move slowly in and out of poses, which also increases strength.

• Better Breathing: Most of us breathe very shallowly into the lungs and don't give much thought to how we breathe. Yoga breathing exercises, called Pranayama, focus the attention on the breath and teach us how to better use our lungs, which benefits the entire body.

2. Mental Benefits:

• Mental Calmness: Yoga asana practice is intensely physical. Concentrating so intently on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing calmness to the mind.

• Stress Reduction: Physical activity is good for relieving stress, and this is particularly true of yoga.

• Body Awareness: Doing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body.

Getting Started:

Anyone can do yoga-no matter how young or old you are, whether you're a couch potato or a professional athlete. Size and fitness level do not matter because there are modifications for every yoga pose. The idea is to explore your limits, not strive for some pretzel-like perfection.