Insights into the Benefits of Yoga
The practice of Yoga has been used for centuries to promote a sense of physical and spiritual well-being. Although the origins of Yoga are shrouded in mystery, it is generally accepted to have begun at the dawn of civilization some 5000 years ago. A number of respected scholars have suggested that Yoga grew out of the shamanistic culture of Mehgarh, located in the region now known as Afghanistan. In fact, many facets of Hindu culture have their roots in Mehgarh.
The principle goal of the practice of Yoga is to assist practitioners in the transcendence of the human condition. It was an attempt to discern the order of the cosmos, and to apply those principles to daily living. Yoga has been linked to the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, which was one of the oldest and most advanced of the ancient cultures. This civilization also gave birth to some of the oldest scriptures ever discovered in modern times. The Vedas are considered by many as a form of divine revelation, and contain many references to a higher power and to the practice of Yoga.
On the physical plain, Yoga has shown incredible promise in treating and managing many illnesses. The practice of Yoga has a number of physical benefits for practitioners. It facilitates flexibility, and assists in the lubrication of joints, tendons, and ligaments. Many of the poses and positions work to massage the organs, thus stimulating the body's detoxification process. The physical benefits of Yoga are often considered secondary to the spiritual development. Yoga has the incredible ability to bring into harmony the physical and the spiritual elements of the individual experience.
Meditation also plays a significant role in Yoga. By combining intense meditation with specialized physical exercise, practitioners are able to achieve a unity of body, mind, and soul. The intent is to create a sense of balance and harmony, both internally and externally. The emotional calmness associated with meditation works to reduce stress, which is considered by many as one of the root causes of physical illness. The primary goal of Yoga is to empower the individual to transcend the physical world and to achieve a sense of enlightenment or self-realization. For those interested in understanding and fully realizing the oneness of all things, a commitment to the principles and practice of Yoga will undoubtedly unlock the secrets of the cosmos in all their wondrous glory.

Brodi Saatpha has been practicing Yoga for a number of years. When she is not striving to transcend reality, she writes for yoga-insight.com – an enlightening and refreshing website with information about the history of yoga, yoga certification, worldwide yoga retreats and more.


The Biggest Mistake Women Make...
Copyright 2006 Marc David
In the next 2 minutes you are going to learn...
Why women who ONLY do cardio will never achieve the results their weight training and cardio using counter-parts will. This is a BOLD statement that's sure to aggravate a few people but I'm not going to make that without giving you the full story.
Unfortunately this myth won't die! And even with previous articles on this subject the question still comes up in various forms like this one:
"I am helping a friend incorporate weight training into her fitness routine because all she has done is cardio. She does not seem to understand that weight training builds muscle. Although the scale is not showing she is losing weight, her clothes are looser. Do you have any advise? Do you agree that weight training along with cardio is an effective way of weight loss?"
Maybe I should have entitled this article something like "Your Scale is a Big Fat Liar!" There are several points in your question Taking them one by one in a point by point fashion might be best. Let's take that approach.
1 - Women who only do cardio...
Are missing out on building muscle. Now I'm not talking about big man like muscles but just simply maintaining and building muscle. While it's true that cardio does involve muscles, it's not designed to "build" per se. Most women look at images of 'fit' females who are not only in shape but have a nice feminine muscle quality about them. They want to achieve this by doing cardio but completely forgetting the model in question probably does a fair amount of weight training as well. You know what I mean don't you?
2- Women who have more muscle burn more fat...
That's right. You read that correctly. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate and the higher your metabolic rate the more fat you can burn. As I sit here (arrogantly as I'm sure some may think while reading this) I'm burning more fat then the person in the hallway across from me. Neither of us are moving mind you. But I have much more muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories per hour then fat.
All this means to you is...
A female who does cardio and weight trains to build up some muscle (while keeping her goals in mind) will burn more fat then a female who only does cardio and does not use muscle to their advantage. I'm not advocating females build up slabs of Olympian style muscle! I'm just confirming the fact that a woman who has more muscle then a woman that does not will burn more calories per hour and will burn more fat.
3- Your scale is a liar...
This one's really cool! All weight is not created equal. Is the weight water, fat or muscle? People who get caught up in weight are bound to lose the battle of getting fit. If you weight 150 lbs and you lose 20 lbs in a year everybody would give you congratulations. Maybe some would throw a party.
Until you told them you lost 25 lbs of muscle.
Now people think you are ill and wonder if you are okay.
Weight is a poor indicator of progress. You can lose fat around the midsection, your clothes will feel and fit looser and you might actually weight more because you are building muscle and burning fat. This is cause for celebration. Maybe going down a size or two but gaining 10 lbs should be cause for a party.
You see, the scale is an okay way to measure blanket progress but if you really want to know how you are doing, you should take pictures, take body fat measurements and do visual inspections. If you lose muscle (weight) that is no cause for celebration.
Far too many people use their scale as an indicator of progress when in fact they have no idea if it's fat, water or muscle they are losing.
4- Weight training with cardio is the ULTIMATE too for success
Picture yourself 5 years from now. Would you rather:
Option 1) Be the correct weight but just rail thin with no curves. Low body fat but just bones and minimal muscle? Option 2) Be the correct weight but be shapely, nice muscle tone and with a definite 6 pack of abs. Radiant and healthy?
If you picked Option 2, you win the prize! And getting to Option 2 is as simple as building muscle to increase your metabolic rate and using cardio as a fat burning tool.
And now you realize that women who only do cardio, think that they will get bulky by weight training, are worried about what the scale says over actual results, and only use cardio will not achieve the results they probably want.
By just having some muscle with weight training, you will burn more calories sleeping then before! In fact, truth be told, you'll burn more calories and burn more fat doing everything.

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Not Enough Time to Exercise
Lack of time is the most common excuse for avoiding exercise. As a personal fitness trainer, I hear it all the time, "I'd love to workout but I don't have time." My goal is to help you find the time or more importantly, make the time to exercise. There are too many benefits for your health and well being to make excuses not to exercise. The older you are, the more important exercise is to your overall well-being and health. Strength training has been proven to reduce the risk of falls, increases bone density, reduces the symptoms for arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity and back pain. Studies have show exercise to have a profound effect on a person's mental and emotional health. With all the benefits of exercise and if your health is a priority, you could find the time to exercise.
If you have time to watch television, you have time to exercise. These two activities can easily be combined. A television placed in front of your exercise bike or treadmill will help accomplish your cardio needs and make the time go by faster.
Be creative; break your workout program into two shorter sessions rather than one long session to fit more easily into your day. Many studies show that cardiovascular training for fat burning is best in the morning. Stop snoozing to your alarm clock and hit the cardio for 20 minutes in the morning. It's a great way to start your day. Save your strength training for the evening or after work. An effective strength training workout doesn't take more than 40 to 50 minutes.
If you're a parent, it's your responsibility to be a role model for your children. A healthy lifestyle and balance in life educates your children about values and priorities. Build fitness into your family's playtime. Activities, instead of allowing children to park themselves in front of the TV or computer all weekend, will serve your family's need for exercise.
Remember to keep it fun. Attitude is everything! For more information and tips on exercise, go to http://www.EasyExerciseTips.com.
Linda Geyer, entrepreneur, speaker and author, has spent over 14 years in health related businesses helping her clients and audiences make their health a priority. Founder and CEO of Vitality Management, a corporate wellness education company, and owner of Peak Physique Fitness Training, a professional personal training studio in Troy, Michigan, she inspires, motivates and educates the public to focus on health prevention through exercise, nutrition and positive mental attitude. For free motivational health tips go to http://www.EasyExerciseTips.com. To contact Linda for speaking or corporate wellness programs, email Linda@peakphysiquefitness.com.