As our knowledge of health and fitness increases, people are becoming more and more interested in not only taking care of themselves physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. As a result, many are turning to more complete approaches to health, including less mainstream fitness methods such as yoga�！　�

    Yoga's origins lie in Hindu philosophy, which was developed thousands of years ago in India. Today, yoga is a system of movements and meditation that emphasizes physical control and discipline as a way to achieve a state of spiritual knowledge。　 

    Yoga’s ideal state of knowledge is reached after a person has gone through eight different stages. These include aspects of self-control, religion, postures, regulation of breath, restraint of senses, steadying of the mind, meditation, and profound thought. For a practitioner of yoga, or "yogi" the progression through these stages is a movement from the physical toward a perfect mental state�！�

    There are eight major schools of yoga, each varying in its area of emphasis. The type of yoga thatis taught in the West is mainly a combination of exercise and meditation called Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is said to have a number of positive effects, such as reducing weight, strengthening muscles and nerves, cleaning out the body, and generally improving health and prolonging life�！　�

    Recent decades have seen yoga gain widespread acceptance as a method of staying in shape, as well as a way of handling stress. Pop singer Madonna and supermodel Christy Turlington are just two of the many celebrities known to be strong advocates of yoga�！�

    At present, there is a lot of speculation and uncertainty about yoga and its effects. One thing, however, is certain: In our modern world of fast-paced lifestyles, taking time out to meditate and do some relaxing exercise cannot be a bad thing! 
      
    我們對(duì)健康與健身的知識(shí)與日俱增，人們?cè)絹碓礁信d趣的是不僅僅關(guān)心身體健康，還關(guān)心心理與精神的健康。因此，許多人轉(zhuǎn)而尋求更全面的途徑來增進(jìn)健康，包括一些還未成為主流的健身方式，如瑜珈。

    瑜珈起源于印度哲學(xué)，在印度已經(jīng)發(fā)展了數(shù)千年。而今，瑜珈是一組強(qiáng)調(diào)身體控制與修身養(yǎng)性的運(yùn)動(dòng)和靜坐，是達(dá)到“天人合一”境界的一個(gè)有效途徑。

    人要經(jīng)過八個(gè)不同階段的訓(xùn)練才能達(dá)到瑜珈的完美境界。這包括了自制、信仰、體位、調(diào)息、節(jié)欲、內(nèi)省、冥想和三摩地。對(duì)瑜珈修習(xí)者來說，這些階段是從身體到完美精神境界的進(jìn)程。

    瑜珈有八大流派，每派強(qiáng)調(diào)的領(lǐng)域有異。西方國(guó)家傳授的瑜珈名為“哈他瑜珈“(又稱“運(yùn)動(dòng)瑜珈”) ，主要是運(yùn)動(dòng)與靜坐的結(jié)合。據(jù)說“哈他瑜珈”有許多良效，如減肥、強(qiáng)化肌肉與神經(jīng)、凈化身體進(jìn)而增進(jìn)健康，延年益壽。

    幾十年來，瑜珈已廣為世人接受，成為一種既能保持身材又能舒緩壓力的方法。有許多知名人士亟力推薦瑜珈，流行歌手麥當(dāng)娜與超級(jí)名模克里斯蒂·特靈頓只是其中兩位。

    目前，關(guān)于瑜珈及其作用有很多揣測(cè)與懷疑。然而，有件事是毋庸置疑的：在快節(jié)奏生活方式的現(xiàn)代社會(huì)中，花點(diǎn)時(shí)間靜坐和做些放松身體的運(yùn)動(dòng)，絕不是件壞事！