New Benefits from Yoga

While yoga has been found to be an effective exercise, particularly for carpal tunnel syndrome, it is actually an ancient meditation practice. It originates in India where yoga is considered both a physical and mental meditation. The word can also point to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. The meanings of the word are as diverse as its application. The verb form of the word means to control, yoke, join or unite and the noun form is similar in that it means union, conjunction or means. Yoga has several branches but the five major are Hatha, Jnana, Raja, Karma and Bhakti. Yoga is an exercise method but it is also a school of thought that is why you will find many references to it in literary classics from India.

When you leave India, you will find the word yoga is used to mean the exercises derived from traditional Hindu philosophy. They include putting the body into a particular stance and holding it for a set amount of time, these practices are known as Asana. The funny thing is Asana mean to sit, and sitting in the purest since of the word is the least amount of activity you will do in yoga. Professional yoga practitioners or Yogis use these positions as a way to meditate. A very advanced practitioner can move their body into all matter of forms, in a way they look like contortionists, which sounds like a painful carpal tunnel exercise.

When you remove the Hindu philosophy, you will find that yoga is not all about these contortionist poses. It is about moving your body into positions that are most beneficial to mind and health. Some of the wonderful things yoga can do for the body includes improving muscle and tendon strength. In addition, the tensing and stretching will make you much more flexible, all good things for your body. Yoga aids in increasing stamina, which will help you if you are seeking to diet and lose weight. Empiric evidence shows a link between yoga practice and lower blood pressure, one possible answer is the fact that yoga reduces stress in the human body but no one is exactly sure of how it works. When you hold some of these yoga poses you must concentrate intensely this translates to better concentration in many other areas of your life. A final side effect of yoga is in the area of your sex life, but the how is better left to your own thoughts.

Yoga may be an ancient practice but it can and is used to treat a variety of contemporary health problems in the world today. People as a whole have become much more sedentary than a few years ago and this has led to a host of new problems. Most people did not sit at a desk for hours at a time even 20 years ago so now you have back injuries, lack of strength and a host of other issues. People who type for a living or use their hands in a repetitive manner have found an additional horror called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The wrist and hand becomes unusable if this goes unchecked. Yoga can ease the pain and inflammation through stretching and relaxation techniques.

It can never be known if the ancient Hindu would have predicted carpal tunnel syndrome, however we do know there is no better cure for the problem. It is amazing that such an ancient exercise could still be relevant in treating modern ailments.