A Beginners Guide to Yoga

Increasing back pain, raging stress, the onset of a migraine . . .who hasnt experienced some or all of
these sensations at some time? Finding a cure for these discomforts would immortalize their discoverer
and virtually ensure sainthood. Although not a panacea, yoga is a near cure-all for achieving relaxation
and inner peace.

Yoga, which means union or balance (1), dates back further than 2,500 years ago to the sacred Hindu
religion. The ancient Rig-Veda (Knowledge of Praise) contains hymns created by kavi (seer-poets) able
to look beyond their five senses. The hymns detail their ecstasies and insights, and form the basis of
archaic Yoga (2). Devotees of Yoga today still seek these ecstasies and insights, and have various forms
of Yoga to pursue to help them achieve them.

Just like a flower can have many petals that extend from one stem, Yoga has many types that all share
basic fundamentals. The four forms follow:

3. Raja Yoga (the science of mental control)

4. Gyana Yoga (the path of knowledge)

While these forms of Yoga may appear disparate, in reality they complement each other.

Raja Yoga, the science of mental control, contains three subdivisions,

MantraYoga, Kundalini Yoga, and Hatha Yoga (3). All of these modes of Yoga target control of mental
modifications and achieving the absolute. Hatha Yoga, the best known among them, seeks a
transformation through physical purification and strengthening. The goal of Hatha Yoga is to magnify
the awareness of the body and mind. Evolving from two Sanskrit words, Hatha literally consists of two
planets: ha, which means sun, and tha, meaning moon. These two planets symbolize the two halves of
the body and mind. Hatha Yoga aims to equalize these two halves to create a fully functioning
individual. Conflict emerges, however, when one side typically overpowers the other yet is never
completely liberated of its counterpart.

Most people have been trained to favor one side of the body or mind and attempt to ignore the other,
which results in a great loss in personality. The successful practitioner of Hatha Yoga uses both sides
successfully and discovers the body can be trained to overcome some physical and mental problems.
Subsequently, methods advocated by Hatha Yoga incorporate a plethora of techniques to cleanse and
stabilize the body, among them breath control (4, 5).

The purpose of alternate nostril breath, balancing the two halves of the body, can be easily achieved
(6). Regulating breath will help relieve tension and result in a calm mind and body. One must first be
comfortably seated, then the right hand should be brought up to the nose.

A particular hand position, or Mudra, is employed to achieve alternate-nostril breathing. The index and
middle fingers are placed in the middle of the forehead between the eyebrows while the thumb is
placed on the right nostril, and the ring and little fingers on the left nostril. Placing each finger
strategically has special significance. The thumb symbolizes the cultivation of will power, and the
index finger represents the I or the person performing the exercise. Emotional maturity is associated
with the ring finger while the little finger controls the mind. Finally, the middle finger signifies the
Absolute or ones spiritual being. Juxtaposing the middle and index fingers unites oneself with the
Absolute or pure consciousness (7).

Overall, Hatha Yoga constitutes a powerful method of becoming, of self-transformation, of experiencing

the body and mind in the here and now. Ancient practitioners of Yoga have prescribed it for millennia
and recommend it as the preliminary Yoga before proceeding with other forms (8).

Why try Yoga? Why not? Its short- and long-term benefits are expansive. The mind and body both gain
an increased flexibility via Yoga. The student of Yoga has the opportunity to become two people: one in
charge of his heart and head, and the other regulating the outer body. The only opponent is ones self
and affords the chance to witness strengths and weaknesses of the choices one makes. Awareness of
multiple points of view results and the person consequently becomes more observant and powerful (9).
Physical flexibility, aside from improving someones body tone and self-esteem, adds balance and
coordination to ones gait, and helps prevent falls (10).

Yoga likewise decreases joint and back pain. A University of Pennsylvania study (1998) concludes that
yoga may be an alternative to traditional treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome. After eight weeks,
patients engaging in Yoga had four times stronger grips and one-half the pain of the group that used
splints (11). Yoga proves effective in combating back pain, especially that induced by stress. Lumbar
stretches relieve muscle spasms and alleviate back discomfort. A backward bend followed by a forward
bend energizes the back while pacifying the mind and body.

The stress of John Norlingers job at Microsoft led to shortness of breath and excruciating, unending
chest pains that caused him to postpone his biathlon and marathon career temporarily. His personal
testimony reads like an endorsement for yoga classes. Consulting a doctor and taking medicines
prescribed for inflammation of the lining of the heart provided no relief. John was directed to a yoga
class, learned an improved posture for swimming, and felt immediate relief from the long-term chest
pain. John became a devotee of yoga thereafter, and today even teaches a class to co-workers (12).

Finally, yoga comprises an ideal form of exercise for elderly people and pregnant women. Among senior
citizens, yoga helps maintain suppleness, strengthens muscles, and guards against illnesses such as
arthritis and rheumatism. Yoga benefits the elderly more than people in any other age group.
Weightbearing exercise for the limbs and the spine will combat the decline in bone density associated
with senior citizens, especially post-menopausal women. Likewise, the frail elderly can benefit from
Yoga. Postures can be adapted from the floor to a bed or a chair to allow one to elevate his feet against
a wall when possible. Great pleasure results among the frail who participate in Yoga exercises, and
many find this time to be so deeply relaxing that they sleep during the exercises. Yoga also benefits
pregnant women. Fatigue and intermittent nausea can be alleviated by gentle yoga exercises. Raising
her feet above the heart for at least ten minutes a day relieves the pressure of the womb against pelvic
veins, which can lead to varicose veins and swollen ankles. As the fetus grows, the postures that entail
lying on the front should be omitted. During the last trimester, the mother-to-be can engage in standing
forward stretches and, again, raising the legs against the wall daily (13).

Yoga has enjoyed great success over the past few decades. Enrollment at the Districts Unity Woods
Yoga Center [in Washington D.C.] has shot up 300 percent in four years; the school just opened a third
branch to meet demand (14). The White House and Capitol Hill staffers along with top lawmakers,
diplomats, congressional aides, corporate law firms and the editor of the Washington Post are all
participants in Yoga, exploring for its benefits. In New York the rulers of Wall Street and Madison
Avenue are pouring into high class fitness facilities to reap the profits of Yoga for the high level of stress
in their lives. When Yoga came to Western civilization it existed mostly in its original language of
Sanskrit, where as now Jane Fonda has her own Yoga video. It has rested at No. 1 on Billboards Health
& Fitness Video chart with a right price of around $10. Many people who started out with Fonda in the
80s are relieved to be away from the feel the burn and work to you drop exercises and into Yoga
exercises that will clear your mind and tone your body with out wearing yourself out. Millions of
Americans practice Yoga everyday with doctors prescribing it for the treatment and ease of heart
disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, carpal tunnels and diabetes. In the New Age of our hectic, stressful, and
often exhausting society Yoga is an efficient alternative to possibly harmful exercises that put stress on
the joints and muscles such as aerobics. Older generations are especially looking for ways to feel better
and stay fit with out putting intense pressure on the body. Yoga is more than an exercise program three
times a week; it is a way of life.

Bibliography:

References
1. Dworkis, Sam. Recovery Yoga. New York, Three Rivers Press, 1997, 15.
2. Feurestein, Georg. Yoga. Boston, Shambhala, 1996, 5.
3. Vishnu-devananda, Swami. The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. New York, Crown Trade
Paperbacks, 1988, 220.
4. Carrico, Mara. Yoga Journals Yoga Basics. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1997, 4; (8):4.
5. Christiansen, Alice. New Yoga Challenge. Lincolnwood, Illionois, Contemporary Books, 1997, 118;
(6):24; (9):78.
7. Shivapremananda, Swami. Yoga for Stress Relief. New York, Random House, 1997, 53; (13):120.
10. Birkel, Deeann. Activities for the Older Adult: Integration of the Body and
Mind. J Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance 1998; 23.
11. Stanten, Michelle. Stop Wrist Pain with Gentle Exercise. Prevention 1999;
70.
12. Norlinger, John. The Aching Heart of High Tech. Forbes, 1997; 204.
14. Friedman, Dorian. Twisted up in Knots. U. S. News & World Report, 1997;
12.