Yoga essentials for a well balanced, spiritual approach to fitness.

Why yoga essentials?

Well I have talked a lot about the importance of a strong core for keeping the body in balance. I have also mentioned diet and fitness but now it is yoga's turn to help complete your holistic fitness solution.

Why? Because yoga address the last area for a fitter you not previously mentioned and that is the mind.

..this is the main reason I feel we should describe it as yoga essentials.

Emotional health is just as important as having a healthy body and diet.

A healthy mind will help keep you motivated through stressful times or times when you feel everything is conspiring to defeat you.

I personally believe that a healthy mind needs as much emphasis as the rest of your body, after all it is your decision making tool and the center to you emotional health.

Yoga therefore is a perfect fitness routine that address all areas of the body, mind and spirit. By practicing yoga succesfully you can develop a connection between the mind and the body and improve your concentration - very important in helping maintain focus in any kind of sport.

Yoga is not a religion so therefore is not bound to one religouse belief system. It is more of a philosphy first described by the sage Patanjali around 300 BC who is attributed as the founder of Yoga.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word 'Yug' which means to join, yoke or unite. It is the intigration of the physical and the spiritual in order to achieve a sense of well being.

In the practice of yoga the body is linked to the movement, mind and breath to bring about a feeling of balance, relaxation and harmony. One is taught to awaken every cell of one's self and one's soul.

The practice of the physical postures called 'asanas' help to:

• strengthen and tone muscles,
• develop core stability,
• develop flexibility,

Various movements within the postures help in blood saturating (improves blood circulation), nourishing and cleansing the remotest parts of the body.

The yoga asanas are different to other forms of physical exercise as they are psycho-physiological, while physical jerks are purly external. This helps develop body awareness, muscles and flexibility, as well as generating internal awareness and stabalizing the mind.

Although their are many forms of yoga one of the most popular in the western world is lyengar Yoga developed by Mr B.K.S Lyengar who systamized over 200 forms of asanas. This form is methodical and progressive, emphasizing precision, detailed correctness and absolute safety. The postures have been categorized to allow people of all fitness and ability levels to be able to progress from basic to more challenging postures.

Read this article for the full health benefits of yoga you might be surprised at what it has to offer and how it could compliment your fitness goals.

Yoga has many advantages to overall fitness and a strong core maybe it is worth investigating for yourself?