History of Yoga

Yoga began in India 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language and means, to join or integrate, or simply union.
Yoga started, as far as we know, as part of India’s philosophical system, but not everyone practiced yoga, and it has never been a religion.

About 5 million people in the United States do some yoga. Dance and stretching exercise classes usually have parts and pieces that come directly from yoga.
If you ever go to a physical therapist, he or she may give you therapeutic exercises that are yoga postures.

There are several types of yoga.
The yoga you may have seen on TV or taught at your local Y or an adult education class is called hatha yoga, or physical yoga.

Sometimes it’s known as the yoga for health. You may also find yoga being taught in a hospital or medical setting. Many health professionals today feel yoga can be part of a treatment plan.

Hatha yoga has three parts: a series of exercises or movements called asana (poses or postures in English), breathing techniques of all kinds, and relaxation.

Yoga, which means discipline, was developed in the year 300 by an Indian Hindu named Patanjali.
Its purpose is to stretch the muscles, strengthen the body and increase concentration. It can also help you relax, if you have trouble doing that.

No wonder this ancient discipline has become popular among modern entertainers and athletes.
Depending on who practices it, yoga can be simply a set of exercises or a total way of life.

Some who practice yoga, called yogis, try to use the discipline to reach a high level of consciousness.
They respect certain abstentions (things not to do), such as not lying, stealing, being greedy or harming other people.
They also practice certain observances (things to do), such as being clean, content, self-controlled, studious and devoted.

Physical control is also important in yoga. Yogis train themselves to take full, deep breaths.
They consider breathing a life force, counting a lifespan not in years but in the number of breaths taken.

Unlike exercises that work only on strength, yoga also helps the body become flexible.
As a result, some yoga exercises (called asanas) look a little strange, and you may think you need to be a human pretzel to do them.
Not so, you just have to relax.

In yoga, you ease into stretches, never forcing yourself.
The saying no pain–no gain simply does not apply.
You do only the best you can at the moment, and at some later moment you will do more.

All yoga poses demand balance. And since you can’t balance if you’re thinking about last night’s TV show, yoga also demands concentration.
Learn to concentrate in yoga, and you will be better able to concentrate in baseball, tennis or even school.

Yoga exercises copy nature.
Many yoga poses can be traced to the shapes of creatures, such as the cobra, cat, dog, tortoise, crab and eagle.

In the cobra pose, for example, you ask yourself, What would it feel like to be a cobra. You lie on your stomach with your forehead to the floor.
As you inhale, you slowly roll your head back, supporting yourself with your hands. You hold that pose, then come down slowly, trying to move as a snake would move.

All yoga exercises promote strength and calmness.
Each move’s effects on a muscle, a gland or a nerve center are carefully thought out.

You can choose certain exercises to rid yourself of particular pains, such as back pain from back-packing or leg pain from jogging.
Yoga can help condition you for skiing or help you control feelings of depression or fear.

Any good book on yoga will describe various asanas and tell how each works. You may even have done yoga exercises already.
Ever done a handstand, or the wheel.
Many exercise programs borrow from yoga.

Today’s society is much faster paced that ever before.
People have more stress problems which lead to more health problems, mental and physical.
There are more concerns with toxicity in the food we eat and the air we breathe.
Millions of Americans today live a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity.

The body, the cavities of our soul, was not meant to deteriorate in such a way that leads to disease.
Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India and it included spiritual beliefs, physical techniques, and scholarly philosophy.
Continued below…

There is a growing trend to practicing Yoga for many different reasons, which include attaining the yoga body or physique, relaxation and peace of mind, or to prevent injury and ailments.
Most people mainly practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and stretching the body.

Yoga, which is derived from the sacred Sanskrit language of India, meaning *union* or *to yoke or harness*.
Yoga is a way or path to transcendence and liberation from the self and the ego by purifying the mind and body.

Practicing yoga leads to a union with the mind and body or the individual and universal consciousness.
In other words, yoga is the union with the Individual Self and the Universal Self.

Yoga predates all other religions and has influenced and inspired many other traditions and philosophies.
Yoga is better understood as a union of the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual bodies, which leads to a purposeful and balanced life.

There is simply no other discipline quite like yoga because it utilized the body, mind and spirit, all in one practice.
Yoga is indeed a spiritual path that is based on ancient sacred philosophy, but one does not need to make an ethical decision when practicing yoga, rather finding your own path is wholly accepted.

The holistic benefits of yoga are suitable for the young or old, sick or well, with any religious background.
The secrets of yoga are inwardness, concentration, and purification of mind and body with cleansing thoughts and food.

Indian philosophy states that within man is the spirit that is the center of everything. *Internal equilibrium is the basis and the ground for the higher illumination,* The cultural Heritage of India (Vol. I) – published by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India

Perfect Truths about Yoga

Turbaned gurus, sing-song mantras and bodily contortions . . . the promise of true enlightenment and omphaloskepsis (contemplation of the naval) completes the cliche. But don’t knock yoga till you’ve tried it, and then only with respect.

Yoga means to bind together — variously joining sun and moon, left and right, male and female, and any number of yins and yangs — through ascetic techniques of meditation and exercise.
The goal is physical and mental balance.

Indian Hatha’ yoga is best known to Westerners.
Being double-jointed isn’t a prerequisite, but the classic lotus position, cross-legged on the floor, soles-up on the inner thigh, either comes naturally or doesn’t.

Then there are more magical/mystical varieties of yoga for which people quit jobs and polite society and retreat to the Himalayas.
But not everyone follows a spiritual guide beyond the Beltway; they’d rather take up the discipline at a local ashram or the Y.

Committed practitioners claim yoga leads to intuitive awareness, spiritual harmony, perfect concentration.
Others use it to lose weight or quit smoking.
Some just like the lift they get from yoga asanas (positions) better than breaking into a sweat with pushups.
In any case, it can’t hurt, if done in moderation and with proper guidance.

How To Start

You can get audio or video tapes that give breathing instruction and teach relaxation techniques at health food stores, bookstores, and by mail order.

It’s probably fine to learn breath and relaxation from a tape or booklet, but don’t try the yoga exercises without a skilled teacher.
He or she can make corrections, caution you when necessary, and help you to adapt poses, if you need to.

It will be worth it to you to spend a little time finding an instructor who is right for you.
Your diabetes nurse educator or other health care professional may be able to recommend a yoga instructor.
Get referrals for a yoga instructor as you would for any professional you might wish to consult.

Yoga instructors aren’t required to be certified, but many are, through many different programs.
Ask prospective teachers if they are certified.
A certified teacher isn’t necessarily better than someone who isn’t certified, but it’s something to consider.

Yoga is fun, healthy, and calming. It’s a wise way handed down over several thousands of years.
There is little danger in yoga, and even a little progress brings with it freedom and peace of mind.

Although most people with diabetes can exercise safely, exercise involves some risks. To shift the benefit-to-risk ratio in your favor, take these precautions:

Have a medical exam before you begin your exercise program, including an exercise test with EKG monitoring, especially if you have cardiovascular disease, you are over 35, you have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, you smoke, or you have a family history of heart disease.

Discuss with your doctor any unusual symptoms that you experience during or after exercise such as discomfort in your chest, neck, jaw, or arms; nausea, dizziness, fainting, or excessive shortness of breath; or short-term changes in vision.

If you have diabetes-related complications, check with your health care team about special precautions.
Consider exercising in a medically supervised program, at least initially, if you have peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, autonomic neuropathy, or kidney problems.

Learn how to prevent and treat low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia).
If you take oral agents or insulin, monitor your blood glucose levels before, during, and after exercise.

If you have type I, and your blood glucose is above 250 milligrams per deciliter, check your urine for ketones.

Don’t exercise if ketones are present, because exercise will increase your risk of ketoacidosis and coma.

Always warm up and cool down.

Don’t exercise outdoors when the weather is too hot and humid, or too cold.