Thursday, July 24, 2008

Does Yoga Decrease Stress and Reduce Anxiety and Panic?

By Dolche Huggins

Yoga remains a difficult issue to discuss in this century. It is a pity that modern day globalization has caused this amazing ancient art to be viewed as a distant and mysterious concept. It is amazing to see the whole philosophy fuelling yoga's methodology being reduced to a simple concept, justified by the need to make it easy for the layperson to understand.

The intricacies of this practice may not be easily understood by the western civilization. It is a very dangerous and unethical to merely dabble on the surface and then talks about this subject as an expert! Unfortunately, the western world seems to place the physical aspects of yoga as the main focus. Yoga has been cherished as a form of physical activity that has some beneficial effects on the mind in creating peace and serenity.

It is one of the six schools of Hindu thoughts has roots deep within the pages of the Hindu Holy Scriptures. Yoga as a part of India's diverse culture and philosophy is actually a spiritual experience that includes some complicated physical moves. It is unfortunate that the western world would approach yoga as a mere physical activity. The strange symbols related to the yoga practice have created some awareness among the westerners that there is more to yoga than the physical aspects, but they are often misunderstood. This discipline is practiced as a popular sport. Nevertheless many have been attracted to yoga as a form of practice to achieve inner peace and balance. Additionally, people who desire inner tranquility would often find this practice to be beneficial.

People are fascinated by the claims made by the yoga masters who often come with these promises. Research shows that yoga has been highly misunderstood in the west and therefore plenty of fatal errors were detected in the way yoga is implemented.

Different groups practicing yoga have its own cultural structure and these influences are responsible for those fatal errors detected in the practice of this ancient art. In order to truly understand this concept moments of quiet, peaceful times are necessary to contemplate on this philosophy, and that is certainly an element that is absent in the hectic lifestyle of the western civilization.

For instance, meditation is the crux of this philosophy but busy Americans do not possess the time to spend in a few hours of relative sessions every day. The Hindus have a different set of value system that is very different from the west, and places low importance in the mere accumulation of physical wealth. Perhaps the western man shall never reach the peaks of wisdom according to the parameters set by the Hindu religion and culture.

One needs to possess both time and patience to fully reap the rewards of a successful meditative session. Obviously, the people from the west have no endurance to fulfill such demands. Obsessed with the need to accumulate as much wealth as possible, therefore the thought of having to spend time in such sessions would be considered a mere waste of precious time.

Yoga is practiced more as a form of recreational activity to fulfill a stylish lifestyle. If you are interested to take up yoga as a part of your lifestyle, you can get hold of some of those materials that are available, promoting this practice as a form of sports. Fans of famous people who later become fake gurus are adamant about supporting their idol and his practice. Obedient disciples of this distorted form of yoga have become agents of growth of this unhealthy philosophy.

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