Yoga Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Yoga - Research Paper Example But Yoga deals with the breath, mind and quite subtly, the soul. It releases the toxins in the body and harmonizes the whole body. Many people use yoga to lose weight. This is possible as Yoga makes a person calm, reduces stress and hence addictions such as overeating and alcoholism are cured to a great degree. Yoga is an ancient meditative technique proposed originally by an Indian sage called Patanjali. It is a Sanskrit word and its literal meaning is ‘union’. The word union is used because Yoga unites the lost soul of a human being back to its god. There are many types of yoga postures and these are practiced by the saints and sages in the Himalayan region of India. But ordinary people also practice it throughout the world. When I saw the various yoga postures I thought that I won’t be able to do them. This is because they look very weird and seem to be inspired from the postures of the animals. For example, there is yoga posture called ‘Singhasan’ which literally means the ‘posture of a lion’. In it one has to lie on the belly, lift the body up by hands, take the tongue out (like a lion) and make a loud noise at the top of one’s throat (roar!!). But as I gleaned through the pages I realized that there were many methods which were very simple and extremely effective. The simplest Yoga posture is ‘Shavaasan’ which means ‘The posture of a corpse’ (Mumford, 15). I know this sounds frightening but it is quite simple. Just lie down on a flat ground or floor, loosen the body, relax the mind and follow your breath. Don’t move the body and be peaceful, like a corpse. After a few minutes the mind becomes very still and the body rejuvenates. This is the magic of yoga. I have always had problems with my concentration. I find it hard to concentrate on many things especially studies. My attention span seems to be decreasing day by day. I sought for a remedy in yoga. I saw many