When Taking Up Yoga Ann Arbor MI Residents Opt For A Healthier Lifestyle

By Henry Powell


During the tour of an Indian philosopher, Swami Vivekananda, of Canada and the United States his unique philosophy, called Asana, took the world by storm. More commonly known as yoga, Asana is a philosophy that is meant to help people to improve their spirits, minds and bodies in a holistic manner. Asana spread everywhere and today there are many millions of practitioners in every country and across cultural borders. In classes for yoga Ann Arbor MI practitioners strive to improve their own lives.

There are still many people that think that Asana is some form of Eastern religion or sect. This is certainly not the case. Asana is not a religion at all and it contains no religious elements or religious rites. It is also not a collection of exercises and poses, as many other seem to think. It is a philosophy that strives to help people improve the quality of their lives by focusing on the spirit, the mind and the body.

It is true that Asana does involve stretching exercises and a collection of poses. These exercises and poses are used as a tool to achieve the main aims of the philosophy. They are used to help practitioners to concentrate and to focus. There are, in fact, many different versions of Asana and the level of physical fitness required by practitioners differ from one version to the next.

Asana never involves any form of competition and classes are no made up of people all on roughly the same level of proficiency and experience. This means that entire families, regardless of their ages or physical conditions can join a class together. There is also no pressure to master new poses and exercises at a prescribed pace. Practitioners progress at their own pace and only when they feel ready.

There have been many formal and informal studies into the health benefits of Asana. The general conclusion of most of these studies is that Asana offers many benefits indeed. All practitioners increase their overall flexibility and muscle strength but those with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and anxiety issues benefit decidedly. Many doctors actually advise their patients to take up this discipline as part of their treatment.

It is not difficult or expensive to start with Asana. No special clothing or equipment is necessary. Classes may cost a little bit but it is not even necessary to join a class in order to enjoy the benefits. It is advisable, however, to attend at least a few classes when staring off in order to master the very basic poses and exercises and to learn more about the true purpose of Asana.

The internet offers numerous valuable resources for yoga practitioners and those that want to learn. However, because there are different versions of this discipline, beginners may flounder when trying to decide upon one. The best solution would be to join a studio that can offer classes in several versions and that offer beginners the opportunity to try a few before settling upon a specific one.

It is no wonder that Asana is so popular. It does wonders for the spiritual, mental and physical health of practitioners. It is affordable and it can be practiced anywhere. Best of all, it is the ideal activity for entire families and even those with disabilities are not excluded from participating.




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