Yoga is associated with fitness – even category trees in directories list it alongside aerobics, zumba & pilates. And they are perfectly right. But that’s just one part of the story.
Yoga comes from the Vedas – ancient Indian holy scriptures, keen on exploring the divinity and the true nature of the mind. Indian yogis never cared much about looks and physical fitness. Yoga was a vehicle to the knowledge of the real self. Twisting their arms, balancing in seemingly impossible to assume poses, extending their breath and slowing down their heart rate to unfathomable levels, their minds and will bent on achieving perfection of the mind. So what about fitness: their incredible flexibility, muscle strength and stamina? These were just side effects.
In fact, yoga works on the levels of body, energy and mind. It tones muscles and improves flexibility, strengthens joints and boosts the practitioner’s fitness levels. It also relaxes muscles that we tend to tense up in our modern civilised lives: shoulders, neck, the muscles of the pelvis. Walking to a yoga class feels nothing like walking back from it: blissfully relaxed yet powerful, body following its natural movement patterns, a walking yogi is an amazing sight. The rising energy intertwined with the natural body strength forms the stem, crowned by the lotus of a peaceful mind.
So how about pilates and aerobics? Apart from strength and flexibility, these also help you rise your energy levels (though whether the energy is balanced or not depends on the type of the fitness class and the activities themselves). Attending pilates or fitness classes can have the effect of muscle relaxation and emotional contentment. But yoga goes beyond that. Yoga classes combine all the advantages of pilates or zumba, but they do not stir up emotions. Rather than that, they allow the yogi to reflect on his own physical and emotional state, facing their own weaknesses, doubts and ambitions. Yoga classes let the practitioner withdraw and dwell within the present moment without getting lost in physicality, competition, or even sexuality of certain types of fitness exercises.
In our modern lifestyles We can’t underestimate the value of a good workout. Physical fitness allows us to survive hours spent sitting at the computer desk. But we must not forget that we are not only bodies – we are also spiritual and energetic beings.
Go on, take care of yourself. Take a yoga class!
By: Flo PerlAbout the Author: