Yoga at Home for Beginners: How Yoga Differs from Other "Stretching"

I love the following quotations on serenity (that I paraphrase) from the early 1900's spiritual classic, "As a Man Thinketh" (I also have the "As a Woman Thinketh" version!) by James Allen:  "Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom...The more tranquil a person becomes, the greater is his/her success, influence, and power for good. The strong, calm person is always loved and revered.  He/she is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm."

Herein, I believe, lies the key difference between yoga and mere "stretching" exercises. I am basing this on my personal experience.  Because yoga emphasizes synchronizing your breath with your movements and keeping your focus within, it cultivates serenity in your mind, body, and spirit - your essence. Sure, some yoga poses appear to differ little from other types of stretches such as forward bends and alternate leg pulls that professional athletes do to warm up before a game. But, in mainstream stretching the emphasis is on getting your muscles to warm up and to enhance performance. In contrast, according to the late yoga instructor/writer, Richard Hittleman, "yoga is concerned with the health and beauty of the organism as a unified whole."

The intention differs and so the yoga's results can far exceed just becoming more flexible and toned. You also become more serene and tranquil, better able to handle the "storms of life."  (Although my 15-year old son sure tests my ability to the max!) And you become more attuned in your body, mind, and spirit. Yoga practiced properly is holistic.  That's the difference!  

Yours for cultivating serenity along with flexibility through yoga,

Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the beginning yogi's at home yoga coach,

 

Comments

[Tina]

It is not just synchronization to the breath, or "breathing into the posture". Yoga done with awareness, alignment and playing at your edge—also attunes your body to the energy lines along the axes of the planes in space that your limbs and torso occupy in order to express the posture, with extreme forces in balanced opposition to one another.

This will also result in interplay between the hemispheres of the brain as well. Any movement done with limbs in opposition to one another, will optimize one's brain integration and "thinking ability" ...

Where athletic (Western) stretching will relax and elongate your muscles but provide no added strength, yoga (Eastern modality) will both elongate and strengthen (isometrically) opposing muscle groups. Strengthening that occurs would not bulk up your muscles as with conventional exercise or weight training, but would provide graceful, more elongated muscle ...