yoga basics

The popularity of yoga tends to wax and wane in the United States according to how popular the person promoting this art form is at any particular point in time.  While there are always avid practitioners, it has taken more than 100 years for the practice of yoga to really take hold and get a following that could be described as anywhere near as large as other activities such as aerobics.

A big part of this has to do with a cultural difficulty that many people find it very hard to overcome. While you may think that yoga has more to do with standing in strange ways that you cannot positively imagine getting yourself into, its traditional roots focus more on the spiritual quest and a religious goal than they do exercise. Because they key components of a yoga are part of a larger religious practice with a direct conflict with the two major religious organizations prevalent in the West, yoga has either not been taught, or has had to delve more into placing its emphasis on the physical aspects of the style while gradually shifting away from the Zen and meditation practices that would be more common in Hinduism.

You can still find teachers of yoga that would be happy to train you in the spiritual aspects of yoga. However, if your association with Islam or Christianity would cause this to be a conflict, you can also find those who will happily teach you the poses and leave out the bits that might offend you and your religious sensibilities.

But understanding the roots behind those sorts of religious matters has virtually nothing to do with the fact that practicing yoga in its various forms has some tremendous health benefits for your body that you certainly might be missing in your regimen. Most Americans do not spend anywhere near enough time working on flexibility and posture. They tend to concentrate far too much on strength and endurance; as a result their bodies tend to become unbalanced because of tension unbalancing certain joints and areas of the body. Yoga can do wonders to relieve these muscular and skeletal stresses as well as improving your posture and even such things as your sleep patterns.

So whether you are wanting to learn yoga for just the physical or you want to include the spiritual aspects you are sure to find a teacher nearby that will walk you through the process. There are dozens of great resources available on video and online. Even though I don't go into the spiritual aspects of yoga I highly recommend yoga for anyone interested in finding out just how good they can feel.