Yoga Postures

The art of yoga, as many call it, basically relies on the combination of the spiritual and physical elements in the asanas or yoga postures; body and mind connect in a special relationship that is usually achieved by entering a unique meditation state. One gains a deeper understanding of the nature of the yoga postures only by means of advanced practice; we can actually say that by means of a meditation on the body one receives access to the inner depths of the being. This is why yoga is considered not only a quest for enlightenment but a journey towards unity. Nevertheless, one should be aware of the potential destructive nature of the asanas when not performed correctly.

For the execution of the yoga postures it is imperatively required that you have proper guidance; the help of a yogi master is irreplaceable since you are going to face the challenge of both body and mind as inflammations, muscle injuries, sprains and osteo-articular problems are very likely to occur when stretching for long periods of time. Therefore, the experts' advice is to practice the yoga postures lightly and gently so that all negative body response may be avoided successfully. Keep in mind the fact that the yoga postures are just a means of opening the conscious and the subconscious to deep meditation.

Practicing various yoga postures increases mobility and flexibility, and most people who have integrated yoga in their lives claim to have regained a greater vitality than ever before. The key to the correct performance of body postures is breathing or what is known as Pranayama; this means that the yogi works with the life force, allowing it to move freely through the body. In the history of the yoga postures, sitting had a major function, but throughout the centuries lots of variations were included so that lying on the back and standing on the head have become common practice.

There is a clear-cut difference between the way yoga postures are practiced in the Far East and the way they have become popular in the western world. Traditionally speaking, yoga postures are cultivated and practiced for the sake of the meditation they facilitate; nevertheless, the modern westerner has discovered and developed the more physical and practical side of yoga. Tendon strength, stamina, regained vitality and a general state of well-being have definitely had a heavy word to say in the place yoga now occupies in the health modern practices.