Yoga and Meditation

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Yoga and Meditation Human beings are made up of three components—body, mind and soul corresponding these there are three needs—health, knowledge and inner peace. Health is physical need, knowledge is our psychological needs and inner peace is spiritual need when all three are present then there is harmony. Yoga is a system of physical and mental discipline which originated in India long ago. The term 'Yoga' has been derived from the Sanskrit word, 'Yuj' which means union. It can be explained as the union of the mind, body and spirit to achieve perfect harmony at the most profound level. There are different views on the aim of it and they really vary from simply using yoga for health benefits to cleaning your soul so your soul can join the whole universe in a spiritual way. Yoga has many branches like Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Bhakthi yoga, and Hatha yoga. But when most people talk of yoga in India or abroad, they usually mean Hatha yoga, which consists of certain exercises called ‘asanas’. Although Hatha Yoga is typically practiced by itself, it is traditionally considered a preparation for meditation. Meditation is a mental discipline by which one tries to attain a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It involves focusing one’s attention on a single point of reference. Meditation may be used for different purposes. They may include achieving a higher state of consciousness, greater focus, creativity or self-awareness or simple relaxation. Meditation can be done even while walking or doing simple tasks. It is also said to be good for lowering blood pressure. Hatha Yoga can also include ‘pranayama’, a set of breathing exercises. Pranayam is one of the most important features of yoga. This is mainly the regulation of 'breath' when one inhales air from one part of the nose and exhales it from the other. Swami Ramdev, the famous yogi, claims that a regular

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