Wednesday 22 August 2018

By Paul Phillips


Years ago Swami Vivekanada, originally from India, toured the USA and Canada to promote the benefits of the Asana philosophy. Not in his wildest dreams could he expect the overwhelming response that he got. People were immediately taken by the obvious benefits of Asana and it became one of the fastest growing pass time ever. Today, many millions of people practice Asana. When visiting a yoga studio Capitol Hill residents hope to improve themselves in every possible way.

Despite its immense popularity, Asana still has critics. Most of the criticism directed at the practice is based upon mistake believe about the true nature of this philosophy. It is most certainly not a religion, as so many people think. Neither is it just some for of ritualistic exercising and stretching. The true purpose of Asana is to help people to improve themselves in a holistic way.

Stretching and other forms of physical exercise certainly do form part of Asana, but it is only one component of the overall philosophy. The aim of the exercises is to improve agility, muscle tone, flexibility and the general fitness of the practitioner. It also helps them to become more disciplined individuals. There are numerous different exercises which are suitable to people of all ages and physical abilities.

Most practitioners love the idea that Asana is not competitive at all. There are no systems for evaluation and every individual master new techniques and exercises at the pace that suits them best. Classes typically consist of groups of people that differ wildly in terms of fitness, experience, age and physical ability. Seriously ill people practice with extremely fit people, old people with young children and overweight people with thin ones.

Asana has been the subject of numerous formal and informal studies. Many of them specifically focused on the health benefits of Asana and all of these studies concluded that there are indeed many health benefits. People suffering from heart disease, arthritis, gout, muscle injuries and backache, to name just a few, all benefit greatly. Those suffering from anxiety or depression also find that Asana helps them to cope.

Taking up Asana does not require the purchase of any equipment or clothing. It does not require any special facilities and can be practised anywhere, even in nature. Most beginners do invest in club membership, however, if only for a short while in order to learn the basics. Belonging to a club also holds the benefit of learning from experienced practitioners and sticking to a disciplined regime.

Anyone desiring to learn more about Asana will find that there is no shortage of information. There are websites, forums and books dedicated to this subject. Beginners need to understand that there are many different approaches to this philosophy and it is important to learn more about them. This will allow people to choose the approach best suited to them individually. Instructors can also give valuable advice in this regard.

There can be no doubt whatsoever that yoga benefits millions of people. It is the ideal family activity because it is not competitive and it does not require practitioners to maintain a certain pace. It does not come as a surprise to learn that the popularity of Asana is still on the rise.




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