| Essence Of Hinduism |
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HINDU THEISM |
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| But later writers
on yoga have developed the subject of asanas and have given us elaborate systems of yogic
exercises. These systems generally differ from the Western systems of physical exercises
in that (1) they pay more attention to the nerves than to the muscles of the body, (2)
they concern themselves, more with the internal organs and glands than with the outside
skeleton, and, above all, (3) they make the flexibility of the, spina column the
basis of health and vigor. The yogic asanas developed by our ancestor’s form for us a
very precious heritage. If only every Hindu youth learns a few asanas from a qualified teacher an practices them regularly for half, an hour every day along with his prayers he will maintain perfect health and live to a ripe old age. The next step is Pranayama or regulation of breath. Apart from being a means to concentration, Pranayama is very beneficial to health. Respiratory exercises clear the lungs, steady the heart, purify the blood and tone up the whole nervous system. The yoga system realizes that the body is not a thing apart from the spirit, but its instrument and expression. Therefore it aims at perfecting the body as well as the mind and the spirit. There is a false notion among some people that yoga aims at torturing the body. Far from doing so, yoga tries to produce what is called kayasampat or the perfection of the body, which is said to consist in "beauty, grace, strength and the compactness of a thunder bolt." |
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| About Hindu Theism |
