In A Yoga Studio Capitol Hill Practitioners Improve Themselves Holistically

By Paul Phillips


Swami Vivekanda, an Indian and a devout follower of the Asana philosophy toured the United States and Canada some years ago to promote the many benefits offered by this unique philosophy. He could not have foreseen the tremendous reaction that he would get. People immediately flocked to learn more about Asana and very soon there were numerous practitioners. Today, millions of people in every country of the world practice Asana regularly. When attending a yoga studio Capitol Hill practitioners strive towards self improvement.

Many people shun this philosophy, mostly because they do not understand its true purpose. It is not a religion or a sect, as so many still think. It does not have a deity and it does not involve prayer. It is also not just some eccentric way of exercising consisting of weird poses. Instead, Asana is a holistic approach to improve the condition of the body, the soul and the mind.

Asana certainly does include a wide variety of low impact exercises and poses but they have multiple purposes. These exercises not only improve muscle tone, fitness levels and overall flexibility, but they also play an important role in helping practitioners to improve their posture the ability to concentrate and their ability to gain control over their inner thoughts. Asana has also prove to be very effective in helping people become more disciplined.

Most practitioners love the idea that Asana is not competitive at all. There are no systems for evaluation and every individual master new techniques and exercises at the pace that suits them best. Classes typically consist of groups of people that differ wildly in terms of fitness, experience, age and physical ability. Seriously ill people practice with extremely fit people, old people with young children and overweight people with thin ones.

Many studies have been conducted on the benefits or dangers of Asana and the vast majority of them conclude that this philosophy hold absolutely no risk to any practitioner. In fact, Asana offers numerous health benefits. It does not involve any hard impact activities and there is ample evidence that those suffering from arthritis, heart disease, migraines, depression, osteoporosis and chronic back pain all benefit greatly.

Taking up Asana does not require the purchase of any equipment or clothing. It does not require any special facilities and can be practised anywhere, even in nature. Most beginners do invest in club membership, however, if only for a short while in order to learn the basics. Belonging to a club also holds the benefit of learning from experienced practitioners and sticking to a disciplined regime.

Anyone desiring to learn more about Asana will find that there is no shortage of information. There are websites, forums and books dedicated to this subject. Beginners need to understand that there are many different approaches to this philosophy and it is important to learn more about them. This will allow people to choose the approach best suited to them individually. Instructors can also give valuable advice in this regard.

It is easy to understand just why yoga has become so immensely popular among people from every conceivable culture and country. The many benefits simply cannot be denied and because it is suitable for anyone, it is the ideal family activity.




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