Yoga
might be all the rage at your local gym and/or fitness club, but
there is more to the practice than just calisthenics. The origins of
yoga can be traced all the way back to pre-Vedic India as a method of
self-discipline and controlling one’s own body and mind. In simpler
words, yoga has been used akin to meditation, and it can still be
used as such in order to relax both your body and mind.
Many
of the popular
yoga techniques in use today encourage stretching, but they also
involve controlled breathing and projecting mental imagery of energy
flowing throughout the body. It may not sound scientific enough, but
undergoing a yoga routine while in deep concentration can reduce
cortisol levels, lower heart rates, reduce anxiety, and other
purported effects. Indeed, many practitioners even claim that they
feel much more relaxed after performing several poses daily.
