When Taking Up Yoga Washington DC Citizens Hope To Improve Their Lives

By Jeffrey Adams


At the tail end of the eighteenth century the Indian philosopher Swami Vivekanada toured Canada and the United States to tell people about his philosophy, which he called Asana. He probably never dreamed that it would become so popular so quickly. Today, millions of people all over the world practice Asana. Asana is a holistic philosophy that aims to improve the body, mind and spirit. By practicing yoga Washington DC residents try to establish some balance in their lives.

There are still many misconceptions about Asana, despite its immense popularity. Asana is not a religion or, nor is it an exercise program, as so many people still think. It is, instead, a holistic discipline that aims to improve the mind, body and spirit of the practitioner in a balanced manner. There is nothing mystic or mysterious about it. It is, in fact, a practical philosophy.

There are some stretching exercises and certain poses that form an integral part of this discipline. Exercising and maintaining poses is not the purpose of Asana, however. They are nothing but tools that can help people to become fitter, to grow spiritually and to improve their minds. There are many forms of this discipline and some of them require much more physical effort while others are more meditative in nature.

Most practitioners love the fact that Asana does not allow any form of competition. Every practitioner progresses at his own pace and master new techniques when they feel up to it. For this reason, classes routinely consist of individuals at various levels of competency. This is a big benefit because it means that families or groups of friends can all practice together without being forced to follow any program.

A number of independent studies have been conducted to study the health benefits of this discipline. The findings are uniformly exceptional. Asana holds no dangers to practitioners at all. Instead, they benefit by becoming fitter, more flexible and healthier. People suffering from heart diseases, asthma, hypertension and a variety of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression have all benefited tremendously after they started practicing Asana. People concentrate better and they are generally more positive about life.

One of the great benefits of the discipline is that it can be practiced by anyone, even disabled people. No outfits or expensive paraphernalia is necessary. Classes typically consist of people all at various levels and beginners can use these classes to find out which form of Asana will best suit their particular needs. One can, however, practice the discipline at home without any guidance from an instructor.

There is absolutely no shortage of material on this subject. Numerous websites offer training programs, discussion forums and advice. In most cases these sites are free of charge. There are also numerous books on the subject. Unfortunately, because there are so many forms of Asana, beginners are often at a loss to decide just which site or book is best for them.

There can be no doubt that yoga offers many benefits and no drawbacks whatsoever. It offers better health, physical fitness, mental clarity and a better quality of life. It is easy to get started and the cost involved is minimal. Beginners will find classes just about everywhere, even in smaller towns and they will start reaping the benefits almost immediately.




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