November Newsletter Article...

Hatha Yoga
By Lanny Keithley

Last month's article addressed Meditation as a tool to help make your mind function better. This month's article will discuss a tool to do the same thing to your body - Hatha Yoga.

Yoga has been around for over 3,000 years. It was developed by the Sages and Wise Men of ancient India and passed down from generation to generation, by converts, until writing came into existence. Yoga is a means by which to obtain control of one's latent powers. The word actually means to "yoke" - a means of uniting the individual spirit with the Universal Spirit. As with Meditation, Yoga is not a religion, but is used by many to increase their spiritual awareness, if that is their path.

There are hundreds of types of Yoga that cover every aspect of life. This article will focus on Hatha Yoga - the Yoga designed to keep the physical body in its best possible condition as it was originally designed, what they now call DNA. It will not give you muscles that you weren't intended to have, make you skinnier than you should be, or do anything that isn't part of your individual physical body 'plan', no matter how much of it you do.

Unlike any other exercise system, you do the same exercises, exactly the same way, to lose or gain weight, or develop any part of your body. Yoga has been called "the perfect exercise system" as it makes your body perfect. It can be practiced by anybody - age and physical condition are not barriers. Each person can benefit from Yoga by doing the exercises that they are physically able to do. Yoga will not cause overexertion, when done properly, in even the very old or ill.

Most of the asanas, the Yogic term for an exercise, involves stretching muscles. When muscles are stretched too far, pain is felt. All of the Yoga asanas are done slowly, which allows the person to stop at the point of pain. All other exercise systems involve fast and violent movements, which do not allow for the person to stop soon enough. By the time the person feels the pain, the damage has usually already been done. Pain is the body's way to tell you when to stop. Yoga teaches you to be aware of your body and all its functions, including pain.

Many of the commercially available Yoga classes have taken the concept and incorporated other Western exercise techniques to make them more appealing to their clients. They have added high temperatures, fast 'fat burning' speed, and many other ideas that are totally against the teachings, and basic understanding, of Yoga.

There are numerous modern exercise systems designed to force the development of muscles, and even specific muscle groups, as if that is what makes up a 'perfect' body. Others try to force reduction of weight and control the body's fat content. All of these systems do not necessarily result in a healthier body, as is commonly assumed, for health is a state when all the organs function perfectly under the intelligent control of the mind.

Yoga will develop muscles and will control your weight, but only as dictated by your individual body structure. In addition to all the 'normal' things a good exercise system is suppose to accomplish, Yoga produces perfect and compatible functioning of all the body's organs - which is the key to having good health.

When any of the organs in the body stop working properly, the person doesn't feel as young as they did. I think we can all attest to that. Throughout time man has sought the fountain of youth. Everybody wants to remain as young as they can, but most of the 'remedies' to solve this dilemma only resolve some of the symptoms - at best.

Yoga helps to reverse the aging process by restoring the proper functioning of all the body's organs. After medical 'adjustments', some medications may also be needed to replace the organ's original functions, but this can all work with Yoga.

One of the almost unique aspects of Yoga is its focus on the endocrine gland system of the body. This system is what makes all other bodily functions possible and controls growth, weight, size, metabolism, energy, health, sexual power and even disposition. Many of the asanas focus on the feeding and health of the endocrine glands, which in turn promotes the realization of the body's adherence to its individual DNA plan.

I have talked to people that have watched someone do Hatha Yoga and thought the exercises were 'weird' looking compared to traditional types of exercises, and they are different. But, that 'bent over back twist' they might view as odd, is really force feeding blood to an endocrine gland that can have body wide implications to one's current and future overall health.

Many people say that they find it hard to do without a class or group. I guess, everybody has their own way, but I have found it much easier to do it on my own. Either way, I would highly recommend doing a little reading first.

When I first got into Yoga, I read about 50 books on it, as was my ilk back then, and found one to be the best one for a general understanding of the subject as well as a training manual. If you would like to learn more about Hatha Yoga, I would highly recommend you read "Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation", by Jess Stearn. It's a paperback by Bantam Books and was first published in 1965. Please don't get hung up on the title. It is an easy reading book of his experience in learning Yoga and gives a good background of understanding for interested people. It provides a good training section in the back that discusses each asana: its concept, its values and benefits, and how to do it. There are also lists of asanas to do, in proper order, and will give you a good understanding of what it is and what to expect.

The way I learned was to select a list of asanas I felt was right for me, from the number that are listed in the book. I would then get ready to do the Yoga and look up my next asana in the book and read all about it. I would then do the asana, with all the details I had read fresh in my mind. If I had any questions or thoughts about it, I would reread the passage on it in the book to help my understanding of it and go on to the next. In a short while, I was reading the book only from time to time for a general refresher.

Whether I read about it first or not, I still envision what I am about to do in mind, then visualize the details as I am doing it, and afterward, in feeling all the benefits. It does not really matter how well a person is able to perform the asanas in the beginning, because the full benefits of doing them will be realized according to each person's body structure.

If you elect to go the class route, reading the book will give you a good understanding and can help you select an appropriate class. You don't want to do Hot Yoga or any of the rapid paced ones that are readily available today. Either way you go, you should have a good understanding of what you are doing and its benefits. And, as with any growth activity, your mind should be educated and involved. Since there are no rapid movements in Yoga, the only thing that you need to add is a good cardio-vascular exercise for the heart.

I have been doing Hatha Yoga for years and it has been a wonderful asset to my health. Now, after becoming a Lary, I cannot do all the asanas I use to, or at least do them in the same way, but the benefits are still as good as they always were. My weight is maintained appropriately without significant 'management' on my part, and I am as healthy as is possible with all the medical 'fun' my body has enjoyed. With the help of Yoga, I have been able to regain a large portion of my mobility from the effects of the radical neck dissection surgery. My thyroid gland has now been replaced with medications and that has worked well. So, even we Larys can realize great and wonderful benefits from doing Hatha Yoga.