Today many people find that regular practice of yoga postures and breathing techniques helps to relieve the pressures and distractions of everyday life, bringing a new sense of energy and well-being to body and mind. With this sense of energy and well being comes the ability to act more effectively and thoughtfully in different situations, as well as enabling the individual to develop a deeper appreciation of the world and his or her relationship to it.

 

Traditionally yoga is seen in these ways:

 

• As an art, for example the ability to concentrate or develop one pointedness or to learn to master complex postures and breathing patterns.

• As a form of personal enquiry and study, which leads the individual beyond the everyday self, moving towards a deeper understanding that allows a departure from habitual patterns of thought and behavior.

• As a preventative therapy to treat specific health problems.