At A Yoga Studio Capitol Hill Residents Can Learn Many New Skills

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.

Despite its immense popularity, Asana still has critics. Most of the criticism directed at the practice is based upon mistake believe about the true nature of this philosophy. It is most certainly not a religion, as so many people think. Neither is it just some for of ritualistic exercising and stretching. The true purpose of Asana is to help people to improve themselves in a holistic way.

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.

Starting with Asana does not involve purchasing any special equipment or clothing. It can be practiced indoors or out of doors. It can be practiced at any time and it can be practiced alone or with groups of other people. It is not even necessary to belong to a club. Especially beginners, however, are encouraged to attend at least a few initial lessons to help them master the basic techniques.

Anyone wanting to learn more about Asana will find that their is a host of resources. Many books, websites and articles are devoted to this subject. Beginners are advised to investigate the many approaches to this philosophy and to choose the one approach that will work for them as individuals. Instructors can help by providing more information on the many ways in which Asana can be approached.

There can be no doubt whatsoever that yoga benefits millions of people. It is the ideal family activity because it is not competitive and it does not require practitioners to maintain a certain pace. It does not come as a surprise to learn that the popularity of Asana is still on the rise.




About the Author: