| Hatha yoga is a system for achieving longevity, and | | | | you meet someone who stoops forward, notice if |
| radiant health. | | | | they tend to be discouraged. Or think of a stubborn |
| Old age and sickness tend to settle first in the joints | | | | person whose chin juts out. If there is a holding in the |
| and in the spinal discs. Medical studies have revealed | | | | upper part of the chest, that person may be |
| that these spinal discs often begin to show signs of | | | | suppressing their natural feelings. Just as mental |
| degeneration as early as 30 years of age. Yoga | | | | attitudes affect the body so also can bodily posture |
| postures make the joints flexible, they stretch and | | | | affect the mind, for instance a bent spine and slumped |
| irrigate the spinal vertebrae keeping them youthful | | | | shoulders can induce moodiness. |
| even late into old age | | | | Practitioners of yoga use the body/mind relationship to |
| Yoga postures, known as asanas, promote the free | | | | induce physical relaxation and encourage serenity in a |
| flow of energy throughout the nervous system and at | | | | worried mind. Conscious breathing is an important |
| the same time assist in the elimination of toxins and | | | | aspect of yoga. If we change our breathing patterns, |
| poisons from the joints and other body parts. These | | | | our mental state will be changed as well. Anyone who |
| yoga postures exert a beneficial pressure on various | | | | has taken a yoga class knows how quickly the mind |
| glands and internal organs, flushing and stimulating them. | | | | calms down while focusing on breathing slowly, deeply |
| However more is involved in asanas than just the | | | | and fully using the lungs' full capacity to inhale and |
| promotion of physical health. Through yoga postures | | | | exhale. |
| one can improve their mental outlook, achieve a more | | | | What is the purpose of doing Yoga? We can see that |
| harmonious emotional life and develop more vital | | | | after we practice yoga we feel more flexible and |
| awareness. | | | | strong, our spirits are uplifted, our energy is balanced |
| The mental and physical bodies are connected. When | | | | and our minds are clearer. |