Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge that dates back more than 5000 years ago.

Ancient Yogis had a belief that in order for man to be in harmony with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and intelligence must be in balance. The Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance and it is done through exercise, breathing, and Meditation - the three main Yoga structures.

There is a general misconception that in Meditation, your mind has to go blank. It doesn't have to be so. In Meditation, students bring the activities of the mind into focus resulting in a 'quiet' mind. By designing physical poses and Breathing Techniques that develop awareness of our body, Yoga helps us focus and relieves us from our everyday stress.

Yoga has Six Branches

Hatha Yoga or Yoga of Postures

This branch of Yoga uses physical poses or Asana, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation to achieve better health, as well as spirituality. There are many styles within this path - Iyengar, Integral, Astanga, Kripalu, and Jiva Mukti to name a few.

Bhakti Yoga or Yoga of Devotion

Bhakti Yoga is the path most followed in India. This is the path of the heart and devotion. Yogis who practice this branch see the "One" or the Divine in everyone and everything. Bhakti Yoga teaches a person to have devotion to the "One" or to Brahma by developing a person's love and acceptance for all things.


Raja Yoga or Yoga of Self-Control

Raja means "royal". This path is considered to be the King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga sutras. A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such, respect to oneself and for all creation is vital to this path. They achieve self-respect by first learning to be masters of themselves If you wish to learn discipline, then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.

Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the Mind

Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that basically deals with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man's intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and intellect as important and they aim to unify the two to surpass limitations. Since they wish to gain knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and religion for they believe that an open and rational mind is crucial in knowing the spirit.

Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service

Karma Yoga is the path of service for in this path, it is believed that your present situation is based on your past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are choosing a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude towards the good and in the process, change their souls, which leads to a change in their destiny.

Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths, Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things. Yoga is more of a set of techniques for us to find spirituality. In fact, Yoga is being practiced by a lot of people from different religions like Christians, Jewish, Buddhists, and Muslims.

Yoga develops the body since a weak one is a hindrance to spiritual growth. It does not simply focus on the physical but on the mental and spiritual aspects as well.

Yoga in Your Life
You may ask, "Is Yoga for me?"

Definitely, yes! Yoga is for anyone who is willing to learn its ways and ideas. It does not actually require any special equipment or clothing. What it requires is your will to have a healthier, stress-free self.

You may first approach Yoga as a way to achieve a great body or to keep fit and that is perfectly alright. Yoga really does help in improving your health for stretching can tone your muscles and exercise your spine and your entire skeletal system

Meditation

The mention of Meditation usually brings about images of old men humming away, or should it be “oomming” away the whole afternoon. Now, humming away doesn’t seem to be helpful, right? Research, however, has proven that Meditation helps us relax and develop our power of concentration.

But what exactly is Meditation?

Meditation is anything that brings us to the present and keeps us there. This makes Meditation easy for us to incorporate into our lives. Now, do not start thinking of making shopping as your form of Meditation. Living in the NOW is one thing to keep in mind when meditating. Meditation may take on many forms but its foundation basically lies on three principles

In order to concentrate, we focus on one thing or object. Our object of focus may be our breathing, a word that we repeat whether verbally or mentally, or the sensations that we feel in our body. Meditation usually involves the senses for when we smell, feel, or listen; we start to live more in the present.

  When our thoughts start to wander, we take them back to our object of focus.

  “Quieting” the mind is not easy so don’t castigate yourself every time you find yourself thinking of other things aside from your object of focus. Reprimanding yourself will just make it more difficult for you to focus.

  Whenever you find yourself thinking of some other thoughts, don’t fight them but rather acknowledge them and let them pass. Meditation has nothing to do with hiding our thoughts or suppressing them. When you get distracted, just go back to your object of focus.

During Meditation, ignore all irrelevant thoughts and sensations. Meditation doesn’t bring us to another place of existence so don’t expect it will. When meditating, we will still be able to hear the people around us. However, we don’t let these distract us. We don’t let these bring us out of the NOW.

“YOGA –Purify your soul, recharge your body”

Another boon to mankind from the rich cultural heritage of India, Yoga, the ultimate way to attain peace of mind is developed by great sages of this ancient land. It helps to unwind and dissolve your cares. Yoga is being taught and practiced under an expert yoga guru at natural envirment in Himalayas, River side camps and beaches. The calm and serene atmosphere and the crisp clean air provide an ideal atmosphere to practice yoga in the most pristine way.

Yoga and Health hypertension

Happens when the pressure in your system gets high enough leading to risks in your system. It is also commonly known as high blood pressure, which refers to the amount of pressure in your arteries. In diagnosing hypertension, several readings must be taken. If the rate of blood pressure reaches to as high as 140/90, then hypertension is present. Hypertension is also related to other diseases like stroke, heart attack, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), and may also lead to death. The two types of high blood pressure are as follows:

Primary Hypertension also known as essential hypertension; commonly caused by stress and injury, primary hypertension has no specific symptom. Other causes comprise emotional disturbance, heredity, race, climatic condition, Obesity, smoking and alcohol intake.

Secondary Hypertension

may lead to kidney infection, malfunctioning of the Endocrine Gland, arterial problems like arteriosclerosis, and even Pregnancy.

Hypertension has no specific symptom; it became known to be a silent killer. If not detected at an early stage, it may lead to arterial cardiac and renal damage. Nevertheless, hypertension can be detected if people experience some mild and pounding headache, giddiness, hazy vision, ringing in the ears, and disturbed kidney functioning. If experienced continuously, it may lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, or paralysis.

In order to manage hypertension, lifestyle management, one of which is Yoga lifestyle, helps treat and prevent hypertension through mind and body activities.

The following are the Poses you may follow to help you manage Hypertension. Note that Yoga is not the only treatment for Hypertension, Seek doctor’s advice before starting Yoga practices.

YOGA AND HEALTH (DIABETES)

Diabetes means that the body does not produce or use insulin properly. Insulin is the hormone responsible in converting sugar, starches and other food into energy. Diabetes may be caused by genetic factors, though lack of exercise, Obesity and stress may also cause this disease. Stress increases the blood glucose levels and the risk for Heart Disease, stroke, and infections.

Type 2 Diabetes. There are two basic Types of Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes is insulin dependent. The pancreas no longer make insulin thus patients with Type 1 Diabetes need to take insulin shots or use insulin pumps. Type 2 Diabetes, on the other hand, is non-insulin dependent and is the most common form of Diabetes. This Type of Diabetes can be developed by anyone - young and Old. In Type 2 Diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, and the fat, Muscle, or liver cells does not use it properly. Obese people have higher risk in developing Type 2 Diabetes since both body fat and fat circulating in the bloodstream appear to interfere with the ability of cells to use insulin.

Diabetes is often characterized by frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, abnormal weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability and blurry vision. Type 1 Diabetes is treated with insulin shots, regular exercise, daily aspirin intake and Blood Pressure and cholesterol control. While Type 2 Diabetes is treated with Diabetes medicines, regular exercise, wise food choices, daily aspirin intake, and blood pressure and cholesterol control.

In most cases, it is easy to ignore Diabetes in its early stage, especially when you see or feel no symptoms. This is dangerous. Diabetes affects almost all our major organs such as the heart, the Nerves, the eyes and the kidneys and can lead to both long and short term complications. Long term complications can be disabling or fatal, they also develop gradually. Keeping your blood sugar close to the normal level is the best way to reduce the risk of complications. This can be done through exercise and physical activity and taking medications. Strengthening your immune system is also vital since some illnesses can cause your body to produce more blood sugar. Constant watch on your glucose level is important when you are sick. Food and alcohol also has great effects on your blood sugar level. Alcohol intake can make your sugar level to fall while food intake can raise it up, so drink only in moderation, watch your food intake, and still, keep watch of your sugar level. The level of estrogen and progesterone in your body can also cause changes in your blood sugar level, especially during the third week of the Menstrual Cycle. Most Women, though, do not notice this change.

Diabetes is often characterized by frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, abnormal weight loss, increased fatigue, irritability and blurry vision. Type 1 Diabetes is treated with insulin shots, regular exercise, daily aspirin intake and Blood Pressure and cholesterol control. While Type 2 Diabetes is treated with Diabetes medicines, regular exercise, wise food choices, daily aspirin intake, and blood pressure and cholesterol control.

In most cases, it is easy to ignore Diabetes in its early stage, especially when you see or feel no symptoms. This is dangerous. Diabetes affects almost all our major organs such as the heart, the Nerves, the eyes and the kidneys and can lead to both long and short term complications. Long term complications can be disabling or fatal, they also develop gradually. Keeping your blood sugar close to the normal level is the best way to reduce the risk of complications. This can be done through exercise and physical activity and taking medications. Strengthening your immune system is also vital since some illnesses can cause your body to produce more blood sugar. Constant watch on your glucose level is important when you are sick. Food and alcohol also has great effects on your blood sugar level. Alcohol intake can make your sugar level to fall while food intake can raise it up, so drink only in moderation, watch your food intake, and still, keep watch of your sugar level. The level of estrogen and progesterone in your body can also cause changes in your blood sugar level, especially during the third week of the Menstrual Cycle. Most Women, though, do not notice this change.