The Health Benefits of Yoga Essays -- yoga, health benefits, meditation

Yoga is a practice that anyone of any age can complete anywhere at anytime. It originated in ancient India and is estimated to be nearly five thousand years old. Through yoga, one is able to find his or her path to peaceful bliss within him or her self (Finney 25). The mind and the body become balanced with each other, giving one the sense of enlightenment (The Magic of...Meditation). Depending on the styles and poses a person is to choose, yoga benefits a person not only physically, but mentally as well. Any gender at any age or health level has the capability to do yoga because it has various styles, poses, and tempos at which they are performed. Different yoga postures have specific effects on breaking up obstacles in your body, so that a force called prana is able to penetrate more deeply. Prana is a life force that gives the mind more clarity, so that one is able to think more clearly and thoroughly about things. Through yoga, prana is moved, and it makes the body move and feel better. While in different yoga poses, prana is spread through the body because with each intake of breath, it is pushed deep into the body. Breathing acts as a motor, and it helps prana flow through the body (The Magic of...Meditation). There are thousands of different varieties of yoga, which is how it helps a large sum of people in a diverse number of ways. One style is called Ananda. This yoga gains control over delicate energies in the body. It helps spiritual growth while it releases unwanted tension. The Ananda poses are designed to bring energy upwards to the brain, and through these poses, harmony is brought to the body, mind, and emotions (Cook). A unique style of yoga, called Bikram yoga, focuses on breathing and concentrating, and it re... ... and deeds- let there be perfection. What is a perfect act? One that brings some benefit to somebody and no harm to anybody. The reward of service is the joy of having served. When you have that joy, the mind is always calm and serene" (Finney 35). This quote shows the relationship as a whole between yoga and the benefits it brings into one’s life. Yoga is enjoyable, relaxing, and very beneficial. It eases tension in the body and mind, and helps one to have a more positive outlook on life. No matter which style of yoga one is to choose, there will be some sort of benefit. One should keep in mind to pay attention to their breath to monitor their feelings and try to be as relaxed as possible to comfort the relationship between the mind and body. Depending on the styles and poses a person is to choose, yoga benefits a person not only physically, but mentally as well.