Perfect Truths about Yoga
Turbaned gurus,
sing-song mantras and bodily contortions . . . the promise of true
enlightenment and omphaloskepsis (contemplation of the naval) completes the
cliche. But don't knock yoga till you've tried it, and then only with respect.
Yoga means to bind
together -- variously joining sun and moon, left and right, male and female,
and any number of yins and yangs -- through ascetic techniques of meditation
and exercise. The goal is physical and mental balance.
Indian Hatha' yoga is
best known to Westerners. Double-jointedness isn't a prerequisite, but the
classic lotus position, cross-legged on the floor, soles-up on the inner thigh,
either comes naturally or doesn't.
Then there are more
magical/mystical varieties of yoga for which people quit jobs and polite
society and retreat to the Himalayas. But not
everyone follows a spiritual guide beyond the Beltway; they'd rather take up
the discipline at a local ashram or the Y.
Committed
practitioners claim yoga leads to intuitive awareness, spiritual harmony,
perfect concentration. Others use it to lose weight or quit smoking. Some just
like the lift they get from yoga asanas (positions) better than breaking into a
sweat with pushups. In any case, it can't hurt, if done in moderation and with
proper guidance.
