YOGA AS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

The yoga system is deemed as a healing practice. Coupled with breathing yoga exercises, meditation, and physical postures, yoga has been practiced and observed for more than 5,000 years. It is particularly valuable form of exercise for people with certain health conditions, including heart disease and hypertension, back and muscle problems, and asthma. It has been proven that the practice of yoga can counter ill effects that stress the physical, emotional, and mental states.

While yoga developed as a spiritual practice in various Hindu religions, a part of yoga, known as asana, has been all the rage in Western cultures as a pure form of physical exercise. Western cultures have adapted forms of yoga but have little or nothing to do with Hinduism or spirituality. Yoga is seen simply as a way to stay healthy and fit.

Swami Vivekananda introduced yoga in American society during the late 19th century. He is the founder of the Vedanta Society and alleged that India has a profusion of spiritual well-being and that yoga is a means that can help those who were too busy being tied by the materialistic views of capitalism to attain self-realization.

The introduction of yoga spawned an argument stating that it is drafting in an ancient spiritual philosophy in modernized cultures. Because yoga mirrors the ideals of health, harmony, and balance, it suits well in meeting the challenges of contemporary times. The adjustment of cultures in Europe and America in connection to yoga can be seen as a responsive celebration of multi-cultural reception. Yoga seeping through the Westernized stream promotes more tolerant and more open-minded cultural dispositions.
For lots of people, yoga is regarded as a sacred practice that calms the nerves and balances the body, mind, and spirit. It is thought by its practitioners to foil certain diseases and ailment troubles by maintaining the energy crests open and life energy prolific. Yoga is typically practiced in classes that go on for hours. Yoga also helps in lowering blood pressure, reduces stress, and enhances coordination, digestion, concentration, flexibility, and sleep. Assigning yourself to do a yoga exercise actually helps in supplementing therapeutic remedies for serious conditions such as cancer, asthma, diabetes, AIDS, and even ailments like urinary tract infections.

Yoga benefits are seen as an alternative medicine, helps relieve the upshots of chronic stress in a variety of ways. With the use of a supportive, serene atmosphere, the tranquil setting calls for total relaxation. Each yoga sequence is intended to stir the spine in all directions. An inverse yoga position counters the effects of gravity. Because people sit and stand all day, blood and lymph fluid mount up in the lower extremities. By changing the rapport of the legs to gravity, fluids are transported to the upper body and heart function is improved.

Yoga ultimately stimulates and pacifies the organs. With this motion of blood comes the improved switching of oxygen and waste products across the cell membrane. Finally, yoga teaches that the body has different illuminated energies. The masculine energy called Prana, dwells above the diaphragm, moves upward, and handles respiration and heart rate control. The feminine energy Apana, inhabits under the diaphragm, moves downward, and manages the function of the abdominal organs. Yoga balances these two elements of energy so that the practitioner is neither over stimulated nor worn-out.

Taken from: http://www.freshpainted.com/yoga-as-alternative-medicine/