| Yoga in a popular position Yoga, one of the world’s | | | | although not necessarily linked to religion. One school of |
| oldest forms of exercise, is experiencing a rebirth in | | | | belief maintains that chronic and accumulated stress is |
| our stressful modern world. You wouldn’t think that | | | | the reason for many of our modern illnesses. |
| a 3000-year-old exercise could increase its popularity. | | | | Proponents of yoga argue that it has a multiplicity of |
| But yoga is now being prescribed even by some | | | | techniques to counter that cause and, unlike drug |
| medical practitioners for a range of health ailments and | | | | therapy, attack the cause, not just the symptoms. It |
| illnesses, as a stress reliever and to complement other | | | | offers, they say, a holistic approach to health and |
| fitness programs. | | | | fitness. Many professional athletes, looking for the |
| Talk to anyone who practises yoga and they will | | | | edge have turned to yoga as a supplementary form |
| quickly extoll an endless list of benefits. It seems | | | | of training. They have found that yoga aids their state |
| beginners quickly become converts. They believe it is | | | | of mental and physical relaxation between training |
| the key to good health and happiness in today’s | | | | sessions, and their crucial build-up to big meets, where |
| world _ a common goal for most people. But probably | | | | a competition is usually won or lost in the mind. |
| the greatest advertisement for yoga is the fact that it | | | | Perhaps one of yoga’s major attractions is that it |
| seems to have graduated from the weird and | | | | combines physical and mental exercise. It is excellent |
| alternative ranks into a position of fairly wide | | | | for posture and flexibility, both key physical elements |
| community acceptance. | | | | for most sports-people, and in some respects, there |
| Housewives, businessmen, sportspeople, teenagers | | | | are strength benefits to be gained. Yoga teachers say |
| and the aged are all practising a variety of yoga | | | | that the approach of yoga therapy is one of the most |
| positions, meditation and associated breathing | | | | effective ways of achieving the mental edge that |
| exercises. For many, yoga becomes a way of life _ | | | | athletes seek. |
| often giving a more spiritual side to people’s lives, | | | | |