Yoga

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Many people either add a yoga component to their relaxation programme or take up yoga as a regular pursuit to increase the degree of their relaxation. There are several forms of yoga, the word being a general term for various spiritual disciplines followed by devotees of Hinduism to attain a higher consciousness, and also the name of one of the six orthodox systems of Indian philosophy.

It is an integral part of Hinduism, and its name derives from the 'yoke' that binds the individual self and universal self together. A common form practised in the West is Hatha yoga, which emphasizes physical control and postures. Yoga is now very popular in this country.

It is based on a system of physical exercises and postures and of controlled breathing. You will find many classes on yoga throughout the country, but many of them do not concentrate on the spiritual aspect of yoga. Of course, this is by no means always the case, and you may well be fortunate enough to find a teacher who will bring this extra dimension to the class.

Whether or not you are looking for a teacher who will be able to impart the Hindu principles of yoga, or whether you are simply looking to it as a potential aid to relaxation or to reduce your stress levels, you should spend some time taking advice so that you may find someone competent.

As with other areas of alternative therapy and medicine, where there are few hard and fast qualifications required, not everyone who has set up as a yoga teacher is truly competent. It is important to be taught by someone with training and experience, if only so that you may adopt the relevant postures without in any way injuring yourself.

Yoga is certainly one method of relaxation that needs to be taught, although after you have mastered the basic techniques you can practise them alone at home even if the spiritual content is either missing or not very strongly emphasized, yoga is for many people an excellent way of achieving relaxation and a sense of wellbeing and peace.

Partly because of the degree of concentration involved, many people also find yoga a good way of blocking out the world, bringing them calm and inner peace and giving them the opportunity and means of exploring their inner selves.