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!

    我們對健康與健身的知識與日俱增，人們越來越感興趣的是不僅僅關心身體健康，還關心心理與精神的健康。因此，許多人轉而尋求更全面的途徑來增進健康，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，在印度已經發展了數千年。而今，瑜珈是一組強調身體控制與修身養性的運動和靜坐，是達到“天人合一”境界的一個有效途徑。

    人要經過八個不同階段的訓練才能達到瑜珈的完美境界。這包括了自制、信仰、體位、調息、節欲、內省、冥想和三摩地。對瑜珈修習者來說，這些階段是從身體到完美精神境界的進程。

    瑜珈有八大流派，每派強調的領域有異。西方國家傳授的瑜珈名為“哈他瑜珈“（又稱“運動瑜珈”） ，主要是運動與靜坐的結合。據說“哈他瑜珈”有許多良效，如減肥、強化肌肉與神經、凈化身體進而增進健康，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，流行歌手麥當娜與超級名模克里斯蒂·特靈頓只是其中兩位。

    目前，關于瑜珈及其作用有很多揣測與懷疑。然而，有件事是毋庸置疑的：在快節奏生活方式的現代社會中，花點時間靜坐和做些放松身體的運動，絕不是件壞事！