A Brief For Beginners - What Is Yoga

Yoga has taken the Western world by the storm. When you ask anyone, what is Yoga, pat you get a reply that it is the practice of the different postures called asanas. Today, most people consider yoga synonymous with practice of postures and poses.

The Ancient Practice Of Yoga

Allow us to tell you a little more. Yoga encompasses the ancient practices of meditation, postures [asanas] and breathing exercises [pranayama]. Yoga has been described in great detail in the holy books of the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Yoga has a number of branches - Raja Yoga, the yoga of the mind, Jnana Yoga, the yoga of knowledge, Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, and Hatha Yoga, the yoga of postures. As is obvious, of all the branches of Yoga, Hatha yoga is the most popular and well known.

Yoga For Beginners

A practitioner of yoga is called a Yogi. A yogi practices yoga to attain unification of the mind, body and soul. Who can be a yogi? - You might ask here. The answer is - anyone. Anyone who wants to learn yoga and practice it can do so. So let us presume, you are reading this article because you want to know more about yoga for beginners. If you are a beginner and you want to know what yoga is and what one should do to make a start, first open your mind by reading a lot on this traditional practice. Also, go to a few yoga classes and watch the instructors teach yoga to their students. This will help you understand the different forms of yoga and help you choose the one that suits you best. Once you are sure of the form of yoga you want to learn, you could join a good instructional program in your area. Yoga is so wonderful that even you can teach it to yourself. You might have a full time job which doesn't allow you to join yoga classes. In such a situation, pick up some good books and DVD's on yoga and practice at your own convenient time at home. You could also browse the Internet and learn a lot from the yoga for absolute beginners' websites. Some websites even offer yoga for beginner's crash course. You could consider joining one, online.

Yoga For Weight Loss

One of the main reasons why people want to do yoga today is to attain weight loss. Yes, doing yoga helps you lose weight. Yoga offers a number of asanas that help to make the body strong and flexible. The various yoga poses create heat in the body which leads to better metabolism and secretion of 'good hormones' by the lazy thyroid glands. The deep breathing exercises called pranayama also increase the oxygen levels in the cells of the body which burns the fat.

However, once you understand what is yoga, you would realize that this weight loss is not an overnight affair. It is a slow change in your body that you 'yourself' induce. The best thing here is that yoga has no side effects like weight loss medication and other products have. You could take up asanas like Trikonasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana, Bhujangasana, Halasana, Dhanurasana, Paschimottanasana, and Veerasana to help you lose your body flab.

If you make yoga a part of your life, you would be fitter, healthier, and happier. Accentuate your yoga practice with healthy and timely eating and watch the difference it makes.

Now that you know what is yoga, add it into your lifestyle.