1、精選優質文檔-傾情為你奉上精選優質文檔-傾情為你奉上專心-專注-專業專心-專注-專業精選優質文檔-傾情為你奉上專心-專注-專業Unit5The term yoga comes from a Sanskrit word which means yoke or union. Traditionally yoga is a method joining the individual self with the Divine, Universal Spirit or Cosmic Consciousness. Physical and mental exercises are designed to

2、help achieve this goal, also called self-transcendence or enlightenment. On the physical level, yoga postures , called asanas, are designed to tone, strengthen, and align the body. These postures are performed to make the spine supple and healthy and to promote blood flow to all the organs, glands,

3、and tissues, keeping all the body systems healthy. On the mental level, yoga uses breathing techniques(pranayama) and meditation (dyana) to quiet, clarify, and discipline the mind. However experts are quick to point out the yoga is not a religion, but a way of living with health and peace of mind as

4、 its aims.Yoga in AmericaDouglas Dupler Yoga originated in ancient India and is one of the longest surviving philosophical systems in the world. Some scholars have estimated that yoga is as old as 5,000 years; artifacts detailing yoga postures have been found in India from over 3,000 B.C. Yogis clai

5、m that it is a highly developed science of healthy living that has been tested and perfected for all these years. Yoga was first brought to America in the late 1800s when Swami Vivekananda. an Indian teacher and yogi, presented a lecture on .meditation in Chicago. Yoga slowly began gaining followers

6、, and flourished during the 1960s when there was a surge of interest in Eastern philosophy. There has since been a vast exchange of yoga knowledge in America, with many students going to India to study and many Indian experts coming here to teach, resulting in the establishment of a wide variety of

7、schools. Today, yoga is thriving, and it has become easy to find teachers and practitioners throughout America. A recent Roper poll, commissioned by Yoga Journal, found that 11 million Americans do yoga at least occasionally and six million perform it regularly. Yoga stretches are used by physical t

8、herapists and professional sports teams, and the benefits of yoga are being touted by movie stars and Fortune 500 executives. Many prestigious schools of medicine have studied and introduced yoga techniques as proven therapies for illness and stress. Some medical schools, like UCLA, even offer yoga

9、classes as part of their physician training program. There are several different schools of hatha yoga in America; the two most prevalent ones are Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. Iyengar yoga was founded by B.K.S. Iyengar, who is widely considered as one of the great living innovators of yoga. Iyengar yo

10、ga puts strict emphasis on form and alignment, and uses traditional hatha yoga techniques in new manners and sequences. Iyengar yoga can be good for physical therapy because it allows the use of props like straps and blocks to make it easier for some people to get into the yoga postures. Ashtanga yo

11、ga can be a more vigorous routine, using a flowing and dance-like sequence of hatha postures to generate body heat, which purifies the body through sweating and deep breathing. Yoga routines can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two or more hours, with one hour being a good time investment to perform

12、 a sequence of postures and a meditation. Some yoga routines, depending on the teacher and school, can be as strenuous as the most difficult workout, and some routines merely stretch and align the body while the breath and heart rate are kept slow and steady. Yoga achieves its best results when it i

13、s practiced as a daily discipline, and yoga can be a life-long exercise routine, offering deeper and more challenging positions as a practitioner becomes more adept. The basic positions can increase a persons strength, flexibility and sense of well being almost immediately, but it can take years to

14、perfect and deepen them, which is an appealing and stimulating aspect of yoga for many. Yoga is usually best learned from a yoga teacher or physical therapist, but yoga is simple enough that one can learn the basics from good books on the subject, which are plentiful. Yoga classes are generally inex

15、pensive, averaging around 10 dollars per class, and students can learn basic postures in just a few classes. Many YMCAs, colleges, and community health organizations offer beginning yoga classes as well, often for nominal fees. If yoga is part of a physical therapy program, it can be .reimbursed by

16、insurance. Yoga can also provide the same benefits as any well-designed exercise program, increasing general health and stamina, reducing stress, and improving those conditions brought about by sedentary lifestyles. Yoga has the added advantage of being a low- impact activity that uses only gravity

17、as resistance, which makes it an excellent physical therapy routine: certain yoga postures can be safely used to strengthen and balance all parts of the body. Meditation has been much studied and approved for its benefits in reducing stresses- related conditions. The landmark book, The Relaxation Re

18、sponse, by Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson, showed that meditation and breathing techniques for relaxation could have the opposite effect of stress, reducing blood pressure and other indicators, Since then, much research has reiterated the benefits of meditation for stress reduction and general

19、health. Currently, the American Medical Association recommends meditation techniques as a first step before medication for borderline hypertension cases. Modern psychological Studies have shown that even slight facial expressions can cause changes in the involuntary nervous system; yoga utilizes the

20、 mind/body connection, that is, yoga practice contains the central ideas that physical posture and alignment can influence a persons mood and self-esteem, and also that the mind can be used to shape and heal the body. Yoga practitioners claim that the strengthening of mind/body awareness can bring e

21、ventual improvements in all facets of a persons life. Yoga can be performed by those of any age and condition, although not all poses should be attempted by everyone. Yoga is also a very accessible form of exercise; all that is needed is a flat floor surface large enough to stretch out on, a mat or

22、towel, and enough overhead space to full raise the arms. It is a good activity for those who cant go to gyms, who don t like other forms of exercise, or have very busy schedules. Yoga should be done on an empty stomach, and teachers recommend waiting three or more hours after meals. Loose and comfor

23、table clothing should he worn. Beginners should exercise care and concentration when performing yoga postures, and not try to stretch too much too quickly, as injury could result. Some advanced yoga postures, like the headstand and full lotus position, can be difficult and require strength, flexibil

24、ity, and gradual preparation, so beginners should get the help of a teacher before attempting them. Yoga is not a competitive sport; it does not matter how a person does in comparison with others, but how aware and disciplined one becomes with ones own body and limitations. Proper form and alignment

25、 should always be maintained during a stretch or posture, and the stretch or posture should be stopped when there is pain, dizziness, or fatigue. The mental component of yoga is just as important as the physical postures. Concentration and awareness breath should not be neglected. Yoga should be don

26、e with an open, gentle, and non-critical mind: when one stretches into a position, it can be thought of as accepting and working on ones limits. Impatience, self-criticism and comparing oneself to others will not help in this process of self-knowledge. While performing the yoga of breathing (pranaya

27、ma) and meditation (dyana), it is best to have an experienced teacher, as these powerful techniques can cause dizziness and discomfort when done improperly. Although yoga originated in a culture very different from modern America, it has been accepted and its practice has spread relatively quickly.

28、Many yogis are amazed at how rapidly yogas popularity has spread in America, considering the legend that it was passed down secretly by handfuls of adherents for many centuries. There can still be found some resistance to yoga, for active and busy Americans sometimes find it hard to believe that an

29、exercise program that requires them to slow down, concentrate, and breathe deeply can be more effective than lifting weights or running, However, ongoing research in top medical schools is showing yogas effectiveness for overall health and for specific problems, making it an increasingly acceptable

30、health practice. “瑜伽”這個詞源于梵語，意思是“結合”或“聯合”，傳統上瑜伽是一種把個人和神，萬物之靈或無窮的意識聯合在一起的方法。為了幫助達到這個也被稱為“自我超越”或“啟蒙”的目的，設計了身體上和精神上的鍛煉方法。在身體上，設計了各種瑜伽姿勢來使人的身體結實、強壯，有協調性，練習這些體位能使脊柱變得柔軟健康，血液更通暢地到達各器官、腺或人體組織，從而使身體各系統更健康穹在精神上，瑜伽使用呼吸法和冥想使心境平和、澄凈，精神得到很好的修養。但是專家們很快指出瑜伽不是一種宗教，而是將健康與平和的心境結合在一起的一種生活方式。瑜伽在美國道格拉斯多普勒瑜伽起源于古印度，是世界上最古

31、老的哲學體系之一。一些學者估計，瑜伽至少有5,000年的歷史；印度曾出土過3,000年前的表現瑜伽姿勢的手工藝品。瑜伽師們認為，經過幾千年的考驗和完善，瑜伽已經發展成為一門養生的成熟科學。19世紀晚期，印度學者、瑜伽師斯瓦米維韋卡南達在芝加哥做了一場關于冥想的演講，從此瑜伽傳人了美國。慢慢地有人開始練習瑜伽，并在20世紀60年代東方哲學熱盛行的時候形成了學習瑜伽的高潮。從此，瑜伽知識在美國傳播開來，許多學徒專程前往印度學習，很多印度瑜伽師也來到美國教學，創辦了大量瑜伽學校。今天的美國，瑜伽已十分盛行，瑜伽教練和練習者隨處可見。最近一項由瑜伽月刊委托洛普民調機構所做的調查顯示，有1,100萬的美

32、國人至少會偶爾做一次瑜伽，另有600萬的美國人會經常做瑜伽。瑜伽已被廣泛應用于身體治療和專業運動隊的日常訓練，做瑜伽的好處也被電影明星和財富雜志世界500強企業的總裁們爭相吹捧。許多醫學名校已經研究并提出能夠有效緩解疾病和壓力的瑜伽術了。包括加州大學洛杉磯分校在內的一些醫學院甚至還為內科醫學專業的學生開設了瑜伽課程。美國有許多不同的哈他(傳統)瑜伽學派，其中影響最大的是艾揚格派和阿斯湯加派。艾揚格瑜伽的創立者是波可斯艾揚格，他是世界上目前仍健在的最偉大的瑜伽改革者之一。艾揚格瑜伽十分注重姿勢的精準，它采用新的方式和順序練習傳統瑜伽。艾揚格瑜伽有助于身體治療，因為它允許練習者使用瑜伽伸展帶、瑜伽

33、磚等輔助器材來減少做瑜伽動作的難度。阿斯湯加瑜伽有著更精準的要求，練習者要用舞蹈般流暢的動作來練習傳統瑜伽，從而使身體發熱，并通過出汗和深呼吸來凈化自己的身體。做瑜伽沒有場地的限制，一套瑜伽動作通常需要20分鐘到兩個小時或者更多的時間，而一個小時左右的時間則是一系列動作和冥想的最佳選擇。根據瑜伽師和學派的不同，一些瑜伽動作做起來辛苦異常，而另一些卻只是在呼吸和心跳平穩的情況下調整和伸展肢體。每天練習瑜伽會達到最好的效果，隨著動作越來越熟練，你就可以加大強度和難度，這樣瑜伽就能成為你相伴終生的日常鍛煉方式了。練習基礎的瑜伽動作即可收到增強力量，改善柔韌性并使人感到舒適的效果，但要想達到完美和高深的境界還是需要日積月累的練習，這也是瑜伽吸引人的地方之一。能向瑜伽教練或身體治療師學習瑜伽是最好不過了，但因為瑜伽入門并不難，所以也可以從大量的介紹瑜伽的正規書籍中自學它的基本動作。瑜伽課的學費一般不貴，平均一堂課10美元，學員們在幾節課內就能學會基礎的瑜伽動作。許多地方的基督教青年會、大學和社區健康協會都開辦有瑜伽入門學習班，而且通常只象征性地收取一點兒費用。如果是作為身體治療項目的一部分，瑜伽費用還能算在醫