Health is Wealth
By BKS Iyengar
Yoga - an ancient practice for a modern world
Yoga, from the ancient Sanskrit word meaning 'to yoke or bind together', is an integrated system of physical, mental and spiritual disciplines. When practiced regularly over a sustained period, yoga produces excellent physical health and feelings of well-being, integration and tranquility. Yoga gives the practitioner the ability to face the physical, mental and emotional challenges of contemporary life with strength, thoughtfulness and equanimity.
The disciplines of yoga - developing physical, mental and spiritual well-being
The physical discipline of yoga involves the gentle and mindful practice of the asanas or poses. Asana practice builds longterm health and stamina, improving flexibility, muscle tone, immune response and circulation. The mental disciplines of yoga teach self-awareness, deep concentration and mindfulness, enabling students to respond calmly and with focus even in very stressful situations. The spiritual disciplines of yoga encourage the practitioner to rise above selfish individualism to experience and value the connections that sustain all life on earth.
Types of yoga - diversity of style, unity of purpose
Over two thousand years ago the Indian sage Patanjali first wrote down yoga philosophy in the Yoga Sutra. Since then, many different schools or styles of yoga have developed. Iyengar yoga is one of the most widely practiced types of yoga in the world today.
The distinctive aspects of Iyengar yoga
Iyengar yoga places particular emphasis on the precise and careful attention to physical alignment. It insists on balanced and integrated development, and emphasizes postures to develop strength, endurance and suppleness - physically, psychologically, mentally and emotionally.
Iyengar yoga can be practiced by children and adults of different ages and levels of well-being. With the help of equipment such as chairs, bolsters, straps, sandbags, weights and ropes, even those with limited flexibility or health problems can practise and benefit immediately.
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