The centuries-old Indian discipline addresses mind and body. Americans are learning how to pose, stretch, breathe and meditate their way to greater mental and physical health.
By
PT Staff, published on March 01, 2001 - last reviewed on June 30, 2006
Yoga, one of today's hottest fitness trends, is a centuries-old
Indian practice that tones muscles, builds bone strength and enhances
flexibility and coordination. It also fosters a mind/body unity that few
exercise programs can offer.
The very word "yoga" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "to
yoke"—in other words, to join mind, body and breath. There are 40 types
of yoga, but Americans are most familiar with hatha yoga, which focuses
on poses, stretches, breathing exercises and meditation. Other types are
more physically demanding and require a greater degree of flexibility to
negotiate the pretzel-like poses.
At its most basic, yoga instills a sense of calm and relaxation.
Eastern philosophy holds that yoga heals by releasing prana, the body's
vital energy. When prana is blocked, illness can result. Western
practitioners believe yoga's deeply relaxing breath work allows the
body's healing abilities to take over. Research also indicates that yoga
helps alleviate the discomfort associated with backache, PMS, headaches
and arthritis. And an 11-week-long study conducted at the Pondicherry
University in India found that yoga's stress-reducing capabilities worked
as well as a hypertension drug in controlling blood pressure.
"Yoga's deep relaxation soothes the nervous system," says Rachel
Schaeffer, author of Yoga for Your Spiritual Muscles (Quest Books, 1998).
So when things get tough, a deep breath and a stretch may be the best
medicine.
