Читать книгу Silencing Your Mind: Secret Yoga Meditation Techniques to Clear and Calm Your Mind - Donna Inc. Scott - Страница 5

The classical techniques of Yoga date back more than 5,000 years. In ancient times, the desire for greater personal freedom, health and long life, and heightened self-understanding gave birth to this system of physical and mental exercise, which has since spread throughout the world. The word Yoga means, “To join or yoke together”, and it brings the body and mind together into one harmonious experience.

The whole system of Yoga is built on three main structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation. The exercises of Yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health.

The body is looked upon as the primary instrument that enables us to work and evolve in the world, and so a Yoga student treats it with great care and respect. Breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body.

The Yoga student gently increases breath control to improve the health and function of both body and mind. These two systems of exercise and breathing then prepare the body and mind for meditation, and the student finds an easy approach to a quiet mind that allows silence and healing from everyday stress. Regular daily practice of all three parts of this structure of Yoga produce a clear, bright mind and a strong, capable body.

Yoga during Pregnancy: A Special Note

We strongly discourage pregnant women from performing most Yoga poses during pregnancy. We do recommend that pregnant women learn and practice simple daily breathing and meditation techniques, which can help result in an easier delivery and a healthy baby and mother.

Yoga and Children

Yoga exercises are not recommended for children under 16 because their bodies’ nervous and glandular systems are still growing, and the effect of Yoga exercises on these systems may interfere with natural growth. Children may safely practice meditation and simple breathing exercises as long as the breath is never held. These techniques can greatly help children learn to relax, concentrate, and reduce impulsiveness. Children trained in these techniques are better able to manage emotional upsets and cope with stressful events.

More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance in people with angina, and help people with asthma breathe easier, relieve insomnia, and generally relax the everyday stresses of life.

Meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental states. It is simple; but can benefit everybody.

Meditation is not just for yoga masters sitting cross-legged on mountaintops in the Himalayas. It is a flexible approach to coping with stress, anxiety, many medical conditions, and the day-to-day "static" that robs us of inner peace.