Yoga has been described as a science which seeks to achieve the harmonious and balanced development of the body, mind and soul.  It is a system which allows us to bring culture, balance and happiness to ourselves.  It works via a need for strong mental discipline and the ancient theories, which it is based on regarding the interconnection between the mind and body, are now being regularly supported by modern scientific theory.  Yoga consists of a number of different exercises or poses. Examples of these poses are the cat and cow poses.  Both are connected and begin with you on all fours on the floor.  Arching the back upwards like a cornered cat places you in the cat pose and the reverse, lowering the back puts you into the cow pose. Another common form of exercise is a forward bend that will [+]

For a lot of people the first image that will pop into their head when they think of Yoga is a little old man in a loincloth sitting on top of a stone pillar with his legs crossed and his arms on his knees.  He's probably chanting, humming or got a look of relaxation and serenity on his face.  I'm not a person who likes to sit still and I hate any minute that I feel is wasted so this idea of sitting around doing nothing all day was not something that appealed to me.  I've changed that initial perception quite a lot and in this article I want to tell you about the personal journey that taught me about the benefits of yoga for a very non-spiritual person. The first yoga class I ever went to I spend a lot [+]

Yoga is different things to different people, so what it means to you will depend greatly on how you were introduced to it and how you enjoyed your initial experiences with it. For some people Yoga is simply a method of exercising that ensures they have a healthy supple body.  For other people Yoga transcends a method of exercise and is a spiritual experience that allows them to find the balance and centring their lives need. This type of Yoga comes closer to a life philosophy than any other. Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is often placed in this final type when assessing it's place as a Yoga discipline. It descends from a document known as Korunta Yoga which deals with the 8 spiritual movements which are described by Patanjali in Sutra Yoga. Today most Yoga disciplines are directly descended from the descriptions [+]

There are a great many people who are in the unfortunate position of having to live with painful aches and pains caused by severely damaged or inflamed joints.  For some people it is a discomfort, and that is bad enough, but for others arthritis can turn them into a virtual cripples.  Arthritis has been something that has affected people throughout history since prehistoric times, but it is only recently that we have begun to understand it. Arthritis is a join disease that can cause problems in any area of the body where two or more bones intersect.  The arthritis itself can affect the join in a number of different ways, targeting different areas such as the synovium, the muscles or tendons or the cartilage.  Cartilage is the soft protective material that protects the ends of the joints from rubbing against each [+]

In today's society carrying excess weight is becoming the norm rather than the exception.  Lifestyles are increasingly sedentary, peoples diet is becoming increasingly processed and fatty and food contains more and more calories, additives and preservatives.  Children prefer television over playing with their friends, which is perhaps a direct reflection on parents who prefer television over socializing or even making time for their children.  This only scratches the surface of the social move towards a sedentary and unhealthy society which is making more and more people fat.  Yoga is a discipline designed to make the body strong and flexible and enhance the overall health of the digestive system as well as the hormonal and circulatory systems.  It also assists us in controlling mental stress and achieving peace and clarity of mind.  Yoga also has strong spiritual benefits which will see you [+]

In a corporate environment one of the things that makes a critical difference for employees is a relaxed congenial environment.  The headquarters of Google is one of the most productive places in the world and every idea that comes out of the Google thinking tank seems to be another winner, yet this is achieved in a building that is filled with slides, relaxation equipment, staff libraries, canteens and even beds.  The message is clear - we care about the results not about how long or hard you work.  Not surprisingly the results come and the staff are happy to work long hours in a relaxing environment knowing that they will not be harshly judged by their co-workers for taking a relaxation break.  In less ideal environments the opposite of this is often true with stress levels high because every decision, [+]

Yoga and office workers don't usually mix, but they should.  When you work in an office you will usually be spending a lot of time hunched over a keyboard and sitting in a seat.  It can also be an environment that is prone to produce a whole heap of stress and very few outlets to release it.  In this article we examine how these things are bad for your general health and how Yoga can help. Let's start with a little bit about what Yoga is.  At it's simplest level it is a very effective form of exercise.  It involves flexing the body into static poses and holding them which is a fantastic method of increasing blood flow and circulation through various choke points in the body.  Yoga also puts a lot of emphasis on the correct patterns of breathing which allows [+]

This is a short quiz to see if the ideas you have about Yoga are correct.  Yoga is a very broad description that takes in a number of different types and styles so the questions and the explanations given for the answers are equally broad.   Question One:  What is Yoga? a/  An Exercise Program. b/  A Meditation Program. c/  A Healing Program. d/  All of the above. If you answered (D) then you get a tick.  Well done.  Yoga can be any of these things and often is all of them at once.  At it's simplest level it is an exercise program which, when practised regularly will increase strength and flexibility in the body.  Because of the speed that positions are changed and the emphasis on static exercise many Yoga classes put an emphasis on breathing and directing energy and thought to different parts of the [+]

Yoga has been practiced for 400 years and is a system of exercises which are very easy and effective at increasing a persons overall health ad well-being.  Yoga instructors and students alike will often talk about phrases like "being in harmony with oneself and surroundings" and indeed this is a primary goal of Yoga, to achieve a unity of body, mind and spirit in a oneness with the world around us.  Yoga will teach a person to stimulate internal organs including the likes of the prostate, which is practically never exercised by any other discipline.  It will teach you to apply pressure upon glandular areas of the body and it will combine this with meditation and breathing techniques that will grant you the ability to turn your concentration inward to examine your feelings and thoughts. There are a number of different [+]

Four thousand years ago Yoga was practiced in India, today it is popular all over the world and in numerous different styles and forms.  Not only is the popularity of this form of exercises remarkable, but so is the results and benefits that people are getting from Yoga every day.  The benefits can be broadly split into three different groups - physical benefits, mental benefits and spiritual benefits.  Which benefits are most important to an individual will vary based on their preconceptions and motivations, but anyone can experience beneficial results in all three areas from a prolonged use of Yoga. Physical Benefits The first types of benefits are those purely on a physical level.  Yoga is at it's core a group of exercises.  Some disciplines will use these exercises to prepare the body for a deeper meditative process, but they will still [+]