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Yoga is at least about 5,000 years old. the Hindus of the Indus valley civilization developed yoga as a practical device to unite the individual self with the Brahman, the universal self. It was codified about 2,000 years back into a system by Patanjali in his work Yoga Sutra.

His yoga, known as Ashtanga Yoga (or eight-limbed yoga) came to be the authority on yogic practice. These eight limbs are to be practiced in sequence to achieve its spiritual end. In the modern age yoga came to be understood as Hatha Yoga, which practices the third and fourth limbs of Ashtanga Yoga - asanas and Pranayama.

Hatha Yoga, meaning sun-moon yoga, aims to unite the active and passing energies of the human beings. It harmonizes the body-mind relationship, and achieves a balance. The body becomes supple and strong. The mind relaxes and the stress eases. The internal systems, such as blood circulation, nervous system, digestive system and the endocrine system, are improved.

There are many systems of Hatha Yoga, such as Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Vini Yoga, Integral Yoga, Sivananda Yoga and Bikram Yoga. Basically they hold postures that exercise the system. It is formulated by different teachers, giving importance to different aspects of Hatha Yoga.

Bikram Choudhry, the founder of Bikram Yoga, was born in Kolkatta in 1946. He became a disciple of Bishnu Gosh, the brother of Paramahamsa Yogananda, at the age of four. His mastery of the Hatha Yoga technique was so good that he continuously won the Indian Yoga championship, and retired undefeated at a very young age. Bikram started many training centers for yoga, on the direction of his master Bishnu Gosh. Later, he founded his own system of yoga known as Bikram Yoga.

Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 postures, done inside a heated room. The temperature is maintained at about 90 100o. This warms the body naturally, and the postures are easily accomplished. The series starts with standing postures, backward bends, forward bends and twists. Each posture is repeated twice. The full routine takes about 90 minutes.

Bikram has a school in Los Angeles where teachers impart yoga practice. He also travels throughout America organizing workshops and seminars.

Yoga provides detailed information on Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Hatha Yoga, pilates Yoga and more. Yoga is affiliated with Cheap Yoga Mats.

Yoga is very good in stress management. Research has also shown that Hatha Yoga - the type of yoga practiced in the West - if practiced regularly, has a significant impact on ones muscular strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. Studies done on a group of people, who practiced yoga, revealed that after eight weeks - on average - the flexibility of this group improved by 14% to 35%.

The body/spirit/mind union together with breathing also brings about emotional benefits. It has been reported that people who practice yoga say that they felt less stressed out and sleep better. It also enables one to handle stress better, whether it is family or work related.

So how does one get started? The first step is to have an open mind. Many people are of the mistaken opinion that one has to be flexible in order to do yoga. This is not so less flexible individuals generally see results faster.

Next you need to join - preferably - a beginners class that has a qualified yoga teacher. At first you may have to try out a few different types of classes and see what suits you best - as there are many types of yoga. Generally, Hatha Yoga would be the recommended type for a beginner; as it is the most gentle and flowing type.

Sometimes you may have joined a class that may be a little bit ahead of you and this might cause you to worry whether you are doing it properly or not. Do not worry about it; all that matters is what your body feels in each stretch and how relaxed you can allow yourself to be with each pose. Remember, practice makes perfect.

It is important to understand that no two people have the same level of flexibility. If your teacher instructs you to do a particular pose and if you feel your body cannot handle it, but everyone else seems to be doing it, DO NOT force your body to do it. You might end up injuring yourself.

Concentrating on your breathing is very vital in yoga and is the key to stress management. Your teacher will tell you when you should inhale and when you should exhale when you are working through your poses. It is recommended that you breathe through your nose only, as this helps keep the body heat in and the mind focused. Practicing yoga with bare feet is generally recommended as it has a twofold purpose. One is, it will help you not to slip when you do the standing poses and second, you fully articulate and exercise your feet when you do not wear shoes.

Any type of clothing can be worn for yoga as long as it is comfortable. They should not be too big for you as it might get in the way with some postures. A leotard or bike shorts and a loose T-shirt short are fine.

Most often a yoga lesson ends with simply lying on ones back with the arms by the side, eyes closed and taking deep breaths. This is known as the corpse position and it helps in ones relaxation.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Yoga