Yoga Combined With Meditation

The combination of yoga and meditation is one that has evolved over thousands of years, and remains a powerful combination in the modern world. Both yoga and mediation are practiced still in their traditional cultures, and in a rather watered down fashion, have now become well established in the West too, most especially in the UK and US.

I had my first experience of yoga back in the UK some 10 years ago, and it was the meditation or relaxation periods at the beginning and end of the sessions that made the most impact on me. In those particular yoga classes, all students, of whom I was by far the youngest at 47, had some sort of restriction to their movement making full yoga postures impossible. Nevertheless, we all found the yoga sessions very beneficial, and the meditation and relaxation techniques have been a part of my life ever since.

The beauty of meditation and yoga is the way they help you to achieve an inner peace, while at the same time fine tuning your mental and physical balance, and assisting you in achieving more mental control. Full yoga, for the physically able, and partial yoga for those with more limited ability in movement, combines movement to make the body more flexible and stronger, with the meditation helping to balance body and mind. It is, indeed, a very powerful combination, and one that requires little practice to achieve any benefit.

Meditation can be carried out in any position that is comfortable to you, so long as you can stay still. Sitting legs crossed on the floor may be the traditional image, but if you prefer a chair, then that is fine. The idea is to use as little energy as possible and let your mind do any work that is needed.

The best meditation results are achieved in a chair that is not too hard or too soft, and encourages you to sit with your head, neck, chest and waist in a straight line. Your diaphragm will be supporting your body with the correct posture.

Yoga comprises a series of movements that are designed to bring you flexibility to the body, while releasing mental energy that will allow you to feel more powerful and in control. That, of course, is an over simplification, but gives you the general idea. With good training, you may be able to reduce some back pains and other postural problems. Yoga has many variations in its traditional homelands, such as India, and can be treated as other an occasional relaxation technique or a daily way of life for those more highly trained and proficient in yoga and meditation.

An important aspect of mediation so far not mentioned is deep breathing, which has been a critical part of Hindu meditation for many centuries. If you are new to yoga and meditation, if you can improve your breathing then you have improved your life and health for the long term. Hindus strongly believe that correct deep breathing helps you to strengthen yourself, and is the force that maintains your soul, mind and body.