What Is Yoga And How It Works?

What Is Yoga And How It Works?
Yoga is an ancient word. It comes from Sanskrit, the most ancient languag of India, the origin of most of lthe Indian languages and related to Indo European languages such as Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Latin, Greek, German, Russiabn etc. The word yoga has two menaings in Sanskrit; the first comes from the root 'YUJIR' or 'Union', the second is derived from a different root 'yuja' which means 'samadhi' - the highest state of mind, the absolute knowledge and the final realization. These two are the most important meanings of the word yoga according to PANINI, the most well known Sanskrit grammarian.
Yoga is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, focusing on meditation as a path to self-knowledge and liberation. In India, Yoga is seen as a means to both physiological and spiritual mastery. Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga.Yoga used as a form of alternative medicine is a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation, practiced for over 5,000 years and is the form of Yoga most widely known in the West.A committed practitioner of yoga is referred to as a yogi, yogin (masculine), or yogini (feminine). Yoga as a means of spiritual attainment is central to the dharmic religions family and has influenced other religious and spiritual practices throughout the world.

What Can You Achieve With Yoga Exercises?
Increasing Flexibility -

yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the radar screen let alone exercised.
Increasing lubrication

of the joints, ligaments and tendons - likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.
Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated non strenuous yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.
Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body -

yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
Complete Detoxification - by gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.
Excellent toning of the muscles - Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or sloth are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.