In Classes For Yoga Ann Arbor MI Practitioners Are Never Pressurized

By Henry Powell


Swami Vivekananda is an Indian philosopher honored as the father of Asana. When he toured the United States and Canada late in the eighteenth century to promote his unique philosophy he could probably never have foreseen just how favorably it would be received. Commonly known as yoga in modern time, this philosophy has taken the world. Millions of practitioners in all countries say that they benefit greatly. So, when starting with yoga Ann Arbor MI residents also try to improve their own lives.

Asana has no religious undertones, as many people still tend to think. It is not a sect either and it is not a mystic Eastern philosophy born from disciplines such as Buddhism. It is not merely a lot of exercises and poses either, as many others seem to think. Instead, it is a holistic philosophy that has as its aim to improve the minds, spirits and bodies of practitioners.

There are indeed many stretching exercises and poses involved in Asana. Their purpose, however, is to help practitioners to focus and to concentrate and they are not the main purpose of the philosophy at all. There are various versions of Asana and the exercises and poses used in these various versions differ, ranging from more physically demanding to a greater focus on introspection and spiritual growth.

Asana never involves any form of competition and classes are no made up of people all on roughly the same level of proficiency and experience. This means that entire families, regardless of their ages or physical conditions can join a class together. There is also no pressure to master new poses and exercises at a prescribed pace. Practitioners progress at their own pace and only when they feel ready.

There have been numerous studies into the potential health benefits of Asana and they have all concluded that there are indeed many such benefits to be had. People suffering from hypertension, anxiety, depression, heart conditions, diabetes and many other degenerative diseases benefit by practicing Asana. In addition, even healthy practitioners benefit from increased vitality and energy levels.

There is no need to spend a lot of money in order to start with Asana. Any loose and comfortable clothing will do the trick and no equipment is used, apart from a mat. There are costs involved when attending classes at a studio but many practitioners are perfectly happy to work out at home or in the company of a few friends. This makes the discipline accessible to anyone.

There are plenty of resources available to both beginners and experienced practitioners of Asana. Many on line sites even offer free high quality training videos, discussion forums and Q and A opportunities. Book stores also normally stock a wide variety of material on this subject, since it is so very popular. Beginners should be careful and first make sure that they know which version of Asana they wish to pursue.

There can be absolutely no doubt that Asana is here to stay and that it benefits its millions of practitioners. They all enjoy a higher level of fitness, increased concentration abilities and a higher sense of inner peace. One could hardly ask for more and it is therefore no surprise that Asana is still increasing its popularity.




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