Yoga as an ancient spiritual practice

Abstract- This paper examines yoga as an ancient phantasmal act in India, the medical exam uses for yoga and the use of it in the joined States. This train reveals how yoga ignore be employ to help those suffering from asthma attack and separate pulmonary diseases in accession, to onlyeviate disablement. at that place be a soma of body demoralisees and brisk exercises performed in yoga further more, yoga has been used as a relief technique for numerous an(prenominal). There is a misc onception in the practice of yoga in the United States. It is practiced as a method to relieve hotshot egotism of the stresses caused by every twenty-four hour period livelihood and meditation is used to temporarily crush thoughts to encourage a deeper moxie experience of ephemeral relaxation. Traditional yogis ch impostureer been insulted by the interpretation of yoga in the West.Critics press that yoga as a pop fitness curve has fathern yoga out of its constitutionual c ontext and arranged it in a modern wellness hostel setting. Ancient yoga that is conducted in India differs greatly in its practices as comp argond to Western yoga as a fitness trend. The methods used to get hold information for this topic include musician nonification, three interviews were conducted ace with an the Statesn Yoga indoctrinateer, two were with the Statesn Yoga participants, in addition, extensive library research was conducted on Yoga.IntroductionThe history of yoga in Ancient India discovers back entirely more or less(prenominal) basketball team thousand years. It has been ac intimacyd in the United States since the early1960s. The many resources I have used to collect the data for this analyse gave inconsistent information pertaining to yogas date of origin in that respectfore, I calculated an estimate. Its place of origin has been verified as India. Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning union (Harvard Heath Letter 199824).When a mans union or exis tential contact with Being becomes balanced and shade he is transform into a dynamic in-personity. Yoga may be defined as the art of harmonious and creative living. It stresses the pauperism for the balanced growth of personalityit warns against thoroughgoing tendencies which mislead population into lopsided diement. (Chaudhuri 197437)It continues to describe such(prenominal) lopsided personalities as people who are unbalanced. For example, one who is overly social may be suppressing their take emotions, those who overly exercise the muscles may be under maturation the brain, and those who over-exercise the brain may be neglecting the body.Yoga is an everyday concept in Indian culture moreover, Sanskrit is the language of yoga. Yoga has been a source of apparitional and philosophical movements passim history.The basic issue of human suffering include moral, religious, and psychological problems, has been traced to one ultimate cause self estrangement, alienation from exis tence, loss of contact with being, frantic conflicts, social discord, political wars, all of theseflow from mans loss of contact with the setting of existence. (Bose 199648)Alienation and depression lead to emotional conflict consequently, it may bewilder a feeling of restlessness moreover, stress. Ancient yoga has called out to alleviate such problems and alleviate the anxiety caused by stress. It taught people how to take care of their melodic themes and bodies in addition, how to relate to other people. It in addition taught people what to eat and how to exist in nature. The majority of traditional yogis are vegetarian. Ancient yogas goal was to emphasize complete ghostlikeity and to be all to your human potential. It emphasizes the fill for balanced integrating of the physical, emotional, intellectual, ethical, and religious aspects of personality (Chaudhuri 197438).In the United States yoga is mainly practiced as relaxation therapy. Relaxation therapy has been used as a broad condition used to describe a damper of techniques that promote stress reduction, the voiding of tension through and through the body, and a calm and peaceful state of mind (Martin 20021). Stress and tensions experienced through everyday breeding history have been link to many illnesses including but not limited to kernel disease, high note pressure, atherosclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and substance abuse. Stress can withal trigger a number of physical symptoms including nausea, encephalonache, hair loss, fatigue, and muscle twinge (Martin 20022).In addition to the benefits of yoga it can excessively be tailored to people of different ages and different fitness levels. An athletic person will apparent opt to do more yoga postures and hold them for longer than someone who is sightly beginning in addition many people use yoga as a full complement to a sport or aerobic activitystretches can also be done as a warm up prior to a plough out (Harvard Health Letter 19983). In reference to biomedical effectiveness Yoga has been used to alleviate problems associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraine headaches, asthma, shallow breathing, backaches, constipation, diabetes, menopause, fourfold sclerosis, varicose veins, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many chronic illnesses (Dupler 20022). In this study I chose to focus on asthma and constipation due to the fact, there was more medical evidence established to realize the practice of yoga assisting those health issues.MethodsThe data for this study was obtained by researching the broad topic of yoga. The topic was so broken down into sub-groups including medical aspects of yoga, ancient history of yoga, American yoga, and yoga for relaxation. In addition, interviews were conducted. nonpareil interviewee was an American yoga instructor two others were American yoga participants. Each interviewee tended to(p) the same class. Moreover, I pract ice yoga and added my opinions and participant observations through the use of it.Paula was the yoga instructor I interviewed. When I asked her the question Why did you decided to give instruction yoga? she replied I like helping people but I dont agree with the practice of biomedicine. In response to my question Why dont you agree with biomedicine? She replied It seems in any case inflexible and rushed, moreover people dont seem to get the medical help they really need and most of the help they do receive is only a temporary fix. Paula was a student at the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States for close to three years. She has been teaching yoga as a certified teacher for approximately two years.To learn more approximately the Iyengar School of Yoga I looked it up on the internet and learned that the assessment for certification included show practice of Asanas, a written exam, and demonstrated teachings. In the demonstrated practice of Asanas (poses) portion the students are expected to show a working have sexledge of all of the poses in the syllabus for the assessment level, the written exam asked questions regarding the necessary reading on the syllabus as well as theory-based questions regarding teaching such as sequencing concepts, medical modifications etc. Their teaching skills in areas such as understanding of the pose and the knowledge of basic instruction, pellucidity of instruction, pacing, interaction with and manner toward the students, demonstration skills, observation of class and appropriate corrections, are critically evaluated before certification is granted. After passing the assessment all teachers are required to renew their certification bi-annually (http//www.iynaus.org/).ResultsThrough participant observation I noted that the environment in which American yoga is practiced is normally quiet, dimly lit, comfortable in temperature, and spacious. Floor mats are provided to comfort the participant during the acad emic session. Soft music is played in the background and a cadmium or incense it burned (depending on the instructor). The instructor speaks softly and verbally guides the group through a variety of asanas (poses). The instructor often moves about the room correcting participants postures when appropriate. Relaxation and meditation is promoted through verbal suggestions and chants of Om. Moreover, each session last for approximately one hour.Linda was one of the participants I interviewed. She is unify, has two civilise aged children, recently moved to the area, and is not employed. When I asked her who she chooses to participate in Yoga she replied I dont work and the children are in school all day so yoga and the other activities she engages in gives me something to look forward to. I have also met many nice women that I have become friends with. I am not from the area so it has given me more of a sense of community. Michelle was the final participant I interviewed. Michelle le ads a very busy lifestyle. She is married with no children and works 50 hours per week moreover, commutes one hour each way to work. In response to the question of why she chooses to practice yoga she responded, it helps me realise my mind and forget everything that is going on in my life remote of this room, it also gives me an energy boost for the rest of the day or if I take an evening class it helps me catch some Zs better.I also asked Michelle How do you know yoga really helps you? She revealed that I used to suffer from anxiety disorders and had difficultness move to sleep at night because so much was on my mind, subsequently taking yoga classes for a few months I started to relax more and sleep better. From my personal participant observations I agreed with much of what Michelle had concluded through her practices of yoga. I am a full time student and own and operate a small business. Moreover, there are additional things that life demands of me. I have been practicing yoga for approximately two years. I began practicing yoga because my fitness ease offered it. As I began to practice it weekly I noticed more movement and flexibility in my body. Then, I began to notice my mind that was once overloaded with stress from deadlines that needed to be met, became more relaxed. Moreover, my quiescency embodiment became more regular and my mind and body felt more at ease, all of which I attribute to overall stress reduction.Yoga in America has been advertised as a means for relaxation and to free the self of stress. It is practiced in health clubs and spas in groups headed by a yoga instructor. There is no formal training an instructor must undergo to teach yoga in the U.S. There are seminars that can be completed from one week to six months respectively, to obtain certification nevertheless, one does not need certifications to teach a yoga class. In contrast, Ancient yogas idea is that of freedom in ghostly self expression, yoga does not look at in a ny convertible path for all to follow (Chaudhuri 197421). Yoga is practiced in private or with a teacher (a yogi, male or yogin, female). A yogi yogin is one who does not merely talk philosophy but lives philosophy, he does not solely have faith in God but experiences God (Chaudhuri 197419).One becomes a yogi when his/her teacher gives permission to teach. The teacher (guru) guides the student through a spiritual path to self-realization. It is not until then, a student becomes a yogi. The gurus teachings can last for years before a student is ready to teach the yoga philosophy. Energy is said to be passed from the guru to the student or yogi. This process is the born(p) conversion practiced in India. Yoga is not a matter of judgment it is the inner growth of consciousness which results in direct insight into the heart of reality it is a progressive realization of the full freedom of the inner spirit (Chaudhuri 197422).The physical exercises and breathing exercises do not belong to the essence of yoga they are the bodily preparation entitling one to take up higher phases of yogic practices such as concentration, meditation, and the like (Chaudhuri 197421). In conclusion, it appears that yoga practiced in America is in fact a preparation effort moreover, the first format in ancient yoga. In the American practices of yoga the physical exercises and breathing exercises are what is emphasized resulting, in a relaxed state of mind and body.In addition to American yoga being practiced for relaxation and stress reduction, there has been a discovery that it is also used to help treat chronic illnesses that biomedicine has had difficulty managing. In this study I chose to focus on asthma and constipation due to the fact, there was more medical evidence established to confirm the practice of yoga assisting those health issues.Approximately ten-million Americans have asthma. It usually begins in childhood although, it may also begin to show its signs in adult life(D upler 20021). In most cases asthma is caused by inhaling an allergen that sets off the chain of biomedical and tissue change overs leading to airway inflammation, broncho- constriction, and wheezing. Studies have shown that yoga significantly helps asthma sufferers, with exercises specifically designed to expand the lungs, promote deep breathing, and reduce stress (Dupler 20022). take a breath exercises will strengthen and relax the muscles of the lungs. Controlling the breathing helps the respiratory muscles and lungs to develop and breathe more slowly decrease stress on the airways consequently, reducing the chance of an asthma attack. Being able to control and focus breathing patterns also aids in the awareness in a change in regular breathing in short, the onset of asthma attacks.Yoga has also been useful in the alleviation of abdominal gas moreover, constipation. Constipation is an abrupt or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usualit is one of the most common medical complaints in the U.S (Haggerty 20021). It can occur to any one at any age, although, its more common among women. While conducting my interview with Paula, the yoga instructor, I asked her if she was aware of any medical uses for yoga. She informed me of several adjusts to relieve constipation discomfort. The first position is called a knee-chest position. It involves* Standing straight with arms at the sides* Lifting the right knee toward the chest* Grasping the right ankle with the left hand* Pulling the legs as close to the chest as possible* Holding the position for about 10 seconds* And repeating those steps with the alternate legThe second position was called cobra. It involves the following steps* Lying on the stomach with the legs together* Placing the palms just below the shoulders, keeping the elbows close to the body* While inhaling lift the head and chest off of the floor while keeping your face forward, also keep the naval in contact with the f loor* The goal is to stretch and look as far upward as possible to prolonged the abdomen* The cobra position must be held for about 8 seconds* choke as you lower the chest toward the floorIn the interview with the yoga instructor, Paula remarked that, in addition often today when we have a headache we take a pill or something tostop the disoblige and discomfort. We try killing the pain instead of realizing and coming to an understanding that theres some thing causing the headache. just about people work too hard and try to juggle too much, maybe they ate something wrong for lunch, or are holding in negative emotions. Instead of realizing that stress in life exists we try to numb everything.In my personal practices with yoga it has assisted me in the following allowing full concentration, sleeping more soundly, increasing my energy level, and allowing my creativity to flow better. Linda one of the participants revealed that she suffers from asthma and she has tried a variety of m edicines and in conjunction with Theophylline, her medication, yoga helps her in peremptory her breathing. Her doctor also remarked about how beneficial yoga has been to her condition.DiscussionIn basis of the American culture, yoga provides participants with a sense of relaxation that is necessary in such a busy society. Today, people are trying to balance many activities including but not limited to, work, family, education, and other personal activities. Moreover, yoga helps provide many people with a social system to incorporate in spite of appearance.There is a misconception in the practice of yoga in the United States. It is practiced as a method to relieve one self of the stresses caused by everyday life and meditation is used to temporarily block thoughts to encourage a deeper sense of temporary relaxation. Traditional yogis have been insulted by the interpretation of yoga in the West. Critics argue that yoga as a pop fitness trend has taken yoga out of its spiritual cont ext and arranged it in a modern health club setting. Ancient yoga that is conducted in India differs greatly in its practices as compared to Western yoga as a fitness trend.Yoga may also be compared with Christian mend groups and metaphysical groups in the following ways each is practiced within a group setting and there is a call to a higher power. Each believes that health and healing come from tapping into a brawny life forcethis type of healing is based upon a solely immanent power, fully within the reach of each believer (McGuire 199879). They believe that the key to the desired wholeness is mental more than purely spirituala healthy mind will help you have a healthy body (McGuire 199881).The ancient practices of yoga highlight spirituality. A yogi is one who does not merely talk philosophy but lives philosophy, he does not plainly have faith in God but experiences God (Chaudhuri 197419). many an(prenominal) Americans hazard of yoga as a religion and have reacted to it neg atively. Some think that if they practice yoga then they would be undermining their personal religious beliefs. Instead of undermining their personal faith, Yoga can actually deepen itsome yoga instructors are more religious than others, but Yoga itself is a tool for exploring the depth of our human nature (Feurstein 19961).