Yoga

YOGA

The practice of Yoga dates back over five thousand years to the time of ancient forest dwellers called "Rishis", Sages who dwelt in the Indus Valley, in what is now Northern India.  Observing nature and searching within themselves, they evolved physical postures and breathing exercises which stretched, cleansed and centered the body, cultivating states of vitality, clarity and focus.  Yoga means ‘union', to yolk or unite and comes from the Sanskrit root yuj.  Through the practice of Yoga we aim to integrate the body, mind and emotions to bring about a state of balance, drawing ourselves deeper into the present in search of the eternal moment.  There are several different forms of yoga, including Hatha Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Astanga Yoga.  The aim of each form is UNITY of being, achieving a balanced mind by natural methods.  The most practiced form of yoga in the west is Hatha Yoga for it gives us a tangible system of physical culture, training the body, breath and mind towards a ‘one-pointedness' or single focus.  Yoga gives us a superb total physical training system of realignment and health. 

Human beings are made up of three components: body, mind and soul.  Corresponding to these are three needs that must be satisfied for a contented life.  The physical need is health; the psychological need is knowledge; and the spiritual need is inner peace.  When all three are present there is harmony.

Modern society faces problems which affect all these aspects.  Today's lifestyle with its technological wonders is a mixed blessing.  Convenience and speed are obtained at some cost to physical health.  Labour-saving devices minimize physical exertion, resulting in stiffness and muscular weakness.  A sedentary life causes backache, neck problems, heaviness in the limbs and difficulty walking.  The extensive use of visual media leads to headaches and eye strain.

The mental anxieties of a competitive world deplete inner resources, inviting stress-related problems such as insomnia and digestive, respiratory and nervous disorders.  If pressures are not balanced with time for quiet reflection, the quality of life is impaired.

Modern trends of thoughts are a melting pot of old and new ideas.  Artificial values stemming from acquisitiveness and self interest lead to alienation from the spiritual purpose in life.  The loss of belief can bring a sense of loss of one's own true identity.

From the psychological viewpoint, Yoga sharpens the intellect and aids concentration.  It steadies the emotions and encourages a caring concern for others.  Above all, it gives hope.  The practice of breathing techniques calms the mind.  Its philosophy sets life in perspective.  In the realm of the spiritual it, Yoga brings awareness and the ability to be still.  Through meditation, inner peace is achieved.

‘Yoga is an immortal art, science and philosophy.  It is the best subjective psycho-anatomy of mankind ever conceived for the experience of physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual well-being.  It has stood the test of time from the beginning of civilization and it will remain supreme as a precise psycho-physical science for centuries to come.  There are many different types of cells in the body with physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual and spiritual functions.  It is known that each cell has a life of its own.  These cells are the pearls of life. 

In the practice of Yoga every cell is consciously made to absorb a copious supply of fresh blood and life-giving energy, thus satiating the embodied soul.  With serenity, one then experiences the self by the self and rests the self in the lap of the soul.'

Yogicharya B. K. S. Iyengar

This form of relaxation or stress management is available to people of all ages and aside from being an effective tool in learning how to calm the mind and focus and not get stressed it is also a great way to stay in shape.  It is challenging physically, but never impossible.  I understand the problem faced by those with eczema of getting all ‘hot and sweaty'.  As this happens your body starts to itch from the heat and the perspiration on the skin.  Whilst working out in a yoga session, stretching and strengthening you body and your mind, you will definitely warn up, but you won't overheat.  This is a definite plus as far as exercise goes.  Sweating it out in a gym, aerobics and other high impact sports can be tricky when dealing with the issue of sweaty itchy skin. 

Yoga encourages you mentally and physically to push your own boundaries as to what you can achieve, it teaches you clarity of mind to help you focus and through concentration and meditation in movement, the deeper purpose is to still the mind and open the heart.   For myself, yoga has taught me ways to deal with the stress of eczema and the intensity of the itch.  Learning breathing techniques to quiet my body and mind has been invaluable.

Yoga has become a popular ‘new age' form of exercise even though it has been around for thousands of years, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a Yoga class near you.  If you go to one and you find it does not suit, look elsewhere, you will find a class and a ‘yogi' (instructor) to suit your needs.  If you'd rather not go out to a class, there are plenty of DVD's around.  Check out your local sports equipment store, department store, shopping centre temporary market carts, bookshops, health food shops and the like.  Although not completely necessary, a rubber yoga mat is most helpful in keeping your feet from slipping.  You can buy a yoga mat just about anywhere these days, I have seen them in Coles and Woolworths, sports stores, department stores etc as well as Clark Rubber where you can buy it by the meter which is great if you are tall and it also works out cheaper.

I prefer to do Yoga at home.  The privacy of my home is a more comfortable situation for my Yoga practice and meditation because I can practice when it suits me and go at my own pace. I used to attend a class outside the home for many years, many years ago, where I was taught the fundamentals by a very good Yogi.  That experience has helped me greatly in motivating myself to practice at home. 

Try to put aside the same time for doing it at home as you would if you had go to out to a class.   Pick an appropriate time, where you are free of distractions and can give your session the same degree of attention as you would in a class.  I you feel more motivated by going out to a class, by all means, it's really up to you and your level of comfort when it comes to this condition.

Yoga, in conjunction with other stress management treatments or therapies, is another very effective natural stress management application. 

Next time let's look at Meditation and the stress relief that it offers.  Meditation is an age old therapy that is thought to have many positive therapeutic effects on the human body.  It's really not as hard as you may think, there are a couple of little tricks to learn, and once you have these mastered, it's as easy as breathing!  As with any form of therapy it will require some input from you.  I hope you'll enjoy a nice quiet relaxing read.