What can I do when logged in?

You can submit new articles, so we can make unique versions of them and distribute them for you.
If you want to simply publish the same article on 800 websites, you can tell us to do that.
You can see the archive and current status of all your article distributions.
You can order any number of high-quality articles - just let us know your keywords.
You can browse the archive of all the articles we have written for you.
You can order our Complete Service (10 high-quality articles plus 10 article distributions).
You can purchase more credits for our services and check your affiliate earnings.
Much more ...

SpinDistribute.com Article Directory

The following article was published in our article directory on February 14, 2011.
Learn more about SpinDistribute Article Distribution System.

An Introduction to Yoga: What It Is and How It Can Help People

Article Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet

Author Name: Kellie

It is strange that when the word yoga is mentioned, two very different images usually come to mind. One image is that of a yogi (a practitioner of yoga) sitting serenely, Buddha-like, in meditation. The other image is that of a sweating individual, clad in workout clothes, trying to keep still as he maintains what appears to be a rather difficult, unnatural pose.

Which image reflects true yoga? These two contradicting images can't both be right, right?

Wrong. They are indeed both accurate representations of yoga. And there is a simple explanation for it.

Yoga is very old Indian art, so ancient that it was practiced five thousands of years ago (some three thousand years before Jesus). "Yoga" is actually derived from a Sanskrit word that means "to unite" or "to integrate."" As such, yoga means union: the integration of a person's many aspects (spiritual, mental and physical), or the union of personal or "self" consciousness with the universal or "divine" consciousness. Yoga means bringing together different things into one harmonious whole.

The yogis of yore taught that in order to achieve unity, there should be balance. This means that within one individual, the body, mind and spirit should be aligned. In other words, his mind should not be thinking one thing while his emotions cry out for another. Intelligence, emotion and action should all be in harmony.

This gives rise to a very important issue: how to bring about harmony and balance. Again, the ancient yogis had the answer. According to them, yoga is achieved through exercise, breathing, and meditation. These three are the ways toward yoga or union; some say that these three are yoga itself. As a well-known yogic paradox goes, the path and the goal are but one.

In yoga, the person is taught first of all to respect his human body, to care for it by nourishing it well, exercising, and staying away from harmful or forbidden substances. There are specific yoga exercises that improve the functions of all systems of the body, including circulation, respiration, the mental processes, digestion and so on. The key components of these exercises are breathing techniques and yoga postures called asanas. Proper breathing is especially important in yoga, because it is believed that breath is the origin and sustainer of life. Incidentally, correct breathing is also a necessary aspect of meditation, which is another important yogic activity.

Contrary to what many people think, meditation in yoga does not mean making the mind go blank. The goal of meditation is to have a quiet and peaceful mind, one that is unencumbered by the chatter of meaningless thoughts. Normally, even if a person is quiet and alone, his mind doesn't rest. It is beset by a ceaseless cacophony of random thoughts that yogis liken to endlessly chattering monkeys. With yogic meditation, the mind is trained to be free of such thoughts, and to find true quiet and serenity. In practical terms, this is highly beneficial because it relieves anxiety and stress, and brings on deep relaxation. It promotes good mental health.

Obviously, yoga adopts a holistic approach, yet it is even more wide-ranging than most people think. There are actually many branches of yoga. What has been mentioned above covers only one branch: the one called Hatha Yoga or the Yoga of Postures. There are other systems of yoga that accommodate the different personalities and temperaments of all people. For instance, Bhakti Yoga (the Yoga of Devotion) is suited for people who are inclined towards prayer and devotion. Jnana Yoga is another branch that suits intellectual or philosophical types. And Karma Yoga (the Yoga of Service) is for those who are happiest when they provide selfless service to others. In all, there are six main branches of yoga. So far, what has come to be most widely accepted in the Western world is Hatha Yoga, the yoga that adopts the three-level approach of physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation.

Keywords: yoga, pilates for women, yoga for weight loss, benefits of yoga, use yoga for mental health

Learn more about SpinDistribute Article Distribution System. We also offer Professional Article Writing to everyone who's looking for high quality web content.

SpinDistribute.com Network

Each article you submit at SpinDistribute.com is sent through our innovative Article Distribution System to our network of more than 1840 publishers - about 55% of them are high-quality article directories, 30% of them are niche blogs and 15% of them are other content-rich websites.

To achieve the best possible success we only publish your article to most related websites. This means your article will show up on approximately 640 - 880 most related websites which will give you great SEO results.

We also offer a separate Professional Article Writing Service to everyone who's looking for high quality web content and well researched unique articles.