Yoga in America英汉双语[完美版]

Unit5

The term yoga comes from a Sanskrit word which means yoke or union. Traditionally

yoga

is

a

method

joining

the

individual

self

with

the

Divine,

Universal

Spirit

or

Cosmic

Consciousness.

Physical

and

mental

exercises

are

designed

to

help

achieve

this goal, also called self-transcendence or enlightenment. On the physical level, yoga

postures , called asanas, are designed to tone, strengthen, and align the body. These

postures are performed to make the spine supple and healthy and to promote blood

flow to all the organs, glands, and tissues, keeping all the body systems healthy. On

the mental level, yoga uses breathing techniques(pranayama) and meditation (dyana)

to quiet, clarify, and discipline the mind. However experts are quick to point out the

yoga is not a religion, but a way of living with health and peace of mind as its aims.

Yoga in America

Douglas Dupler

1.

Yoga originated in ancient India and is one of the longest surviving philosophical

systems in the world. Some scholars have estimated that yoga is as old as 5,000

years; artifacts detailing yoga postures have been found in India from over 3,000

B.C. Yogis claim that it is a highly developed science of healthy living that has

been tested and perfected for all these years. Yoga was first brought to America in

the late 1800s when Swami Vivekananda. an Indian teacher and yogi, presented a

lecture

on .meditation

in

Chicago.

Yoga

slowly

began

gaining

followers,

and

flourished

during

the

1960s

when

there

was

a

surge

of

interest

in

Eastern

philosophy. There has since been a vast exchange of yoga knowledge in America,

with many students going to India to study and many Indian experts coming here

to teach, resulting in the establishment of a wide variety of schools. Today, yoga

is thriving, and it has become easy to find teachers and practitioners throughout

America.

A

recent

Roper

poll,

commissioned

by

Yoga

Journal,

found

that

11

million

Americans

do

yoga

at

least

occasionally

and

six

million

perform

it

regularly. Yoga stretches are used by physical therapists and professional sports

teams, and the benefits of yoga are being touted by movie stars and Fortune 500

executives.

Many

prestigious

schools

of

medicine

have

studied

and

introduced

yoga techniques as proven therapies for illness and stress. Some medical schools,

like UCLA, even offer yoga classes as part of their physician training program.

2.

There

are

several

different

schools

of

hatha

yoga

in

America;

the

two

most

prevalent

ones

are

Iyengar

and

Ashtanga

yoga.

Iyengar

yoga

was

founded

by

B.K.S. Iyengar, who is widely considered as one of the great living innovators of

yoga.

Iyengar

yoga

puts

strict

emphasis

on

form

and

alignment,

and

uses

traditional

hatha

yoga

techniques

in

new

manners

and

sequences.

Iyengar

yoga

can be good for physical therapy because it allows the use of props like straps and

blocks to make it easier for some people to get into the yoga postures. Ashtanga

yoga can be a more vigorous routine, using a flowing and dance-like sequence of

hatha postures to generate body heat, which purifies the body through sweating

and deep breathing.

3.

Yoga routines can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two or more hours, with one

hour

being

a

good

time

investment

to

perform

a

sequence

of

postures

and

a

meditation. Some yoga routines, depending on the teacher and school, can be as

strenuous

as

the

most

difficult

workout,

and

some

routines

merely

stretch

and

align

the

body

while

the

breath

and

heart

rate

are

kept

slow

and

steady.

Yoga

achieves its best results when it is practiced as a daily discipline, and yoga can be

a life-long exercise routine, offering deeper and more challenging positions as a

practitioner

becomes

more

adept.

The

basic

positions

can

increase

a

person's

strength, flexibility and sense of well being almost immediately, but it can take

years to perfect and deepen them, which is an appealing and stimulating aspect of

yoga for many.

4.

Yoga is usually best learned from a yoga teacher or physical therapist, but yoga is

simple

enough

that

one

can

learn

the

basics

from

good

books

on

the

subject,

which are plentiful. Yoga classes are generally inexpensive, averaging around 10

dollars per class, and students can learn basic postures in just a few classes. Many

YMCAs,

colleges,

and

community

health

organizations

offer

beginning

yoga

classes

as

well,

often

for

nominal

fees.

If

yoga

is

part

of

a

physical

therapy

program,' it can be .reimbursed by insurance.

5.

Yoga can also provide the same benefits as any well-designed exercise program,

increasing

general

health

and

stamina,

reducing

stress,

and

improving

those

conditions brought about by sedentary lifestyles. Yoga has the added advantage of

being a low- impact activity that uses only gravity as resistance, which makes it

an excellent physical therapy routine: certain yoga postures can be safely used to

strengthen and balance all parts of the body.

6.

Meditation

has

been

much

studied

and

approved

for

its

benefits

in

reducing

stresses-

related

conditions.

The

landmark

book,

The

Relaxation

Response,

by

Harvard

cardiologist

Herbert

Benson,

showed

that

meditation

and

breathing

techniques for relaxation could have the opposite effect of stress, reducing blood

pressure

and

other

indicators,

Since

then,

much

research

has

reiterated

the

benefits

of

meditation

for

stress

reduction

and

general

health.

Currently,

the

American Medical Association recommends meditation techniques as a first step

before medication for borderline hypertension cases.

7.

Modern psychological Studies have shown that even slight facial expressions can

cause

changes

in

the

involuntary

nervous

system;

yoga

utilizes

the

mind/body

connection, that is, yoga practice contains the central ideas that physical posture

and alignment can influence a person's mood

and self- esteem, and also that the

mind can be used to shape and heal the body. Yoga practitioners claim that the

strengthening

of

mind/body

awareness

can

bring

eventual

improvements

in

all

facets of a person's life.

8.

Yoga can be performed by those of any age and condition, although not all poses

should be attempted by everyone. Yoga is also a very accessible form of exercise;

all that is needed is a flat floor surface large enough to stretch out on, a mat or

towel, and enough overhead space to full raise the arms. It is a good activity for

those who can't go to gyms, who don' t like other forms of exercise, or have very

busy

schedules.

Yoga

should

be

done

on

an

empty

stomach,

and

teachers

recommend

waiting

three

or

more

hours

after

meals.

Loose

and

comfortable

clothing should he worn.

9.

Beginners should exercise care and concentration when performing yoga postures,

and not try to stretch too much too quickly, as injury could result. Some advanced

yoga

postures,

like

the

headstand

and

full

lotus

position,

can

be

difficult

and

require strength, flexibility, and gradual preparation, so beginners should get the

help of a teacher before attempting them.

10.

Yoga

is

not

a

competitive

sport;

it

does

not

matter

how

a

person

does

in

comparison with others, but how aware and disciplined one becomes with one's

own

body

and

limitations.

Proper

form

and

alignment

should

always

be

maintained

during

a

stretch

or

posture,

and

the

stretch

or

posture

should

be

stopped when there is pain, dizziness, or fatigue. The mental component of yoga

is just as important as the physical postures. Concentration and awareness breath

should

not

be

neglected.

Yoga

should

be

done

with

an

open,

gentle,

and

non- critical

mind:

when

one

stretches

into

a

position,

it

can

be

thought

of

as

accepting and working on one's limits. Impatience, self-criticism and comparing

oneself

to

others

will

not

help

in

this

process

of

self-knowledge.

While

performing the yoga of breathing (pranayama) and meditation (dyana), it is best

to have an experienced teacher, as these powerful techniques can cause dizziness

and discomfort when done improperly.

11.

Although yoga originated in a culture very different from modern America, it has

been

accepted

and

its

practice

has

spread

relatively

quickly.

Many

yogis

are

amazed at how rapidly yoga's popularity has spread in America, considering the

legend

that

it

was

passed

down

secretly

by

handfuls

of

adherents

for

many

centuries.

12.

There can still be found some resistance to yoga, for active and busy Americans

sometimes find it hard to believe that an exercise program that requires them to

slow

down,

concentrate,

and

breathe

deeply

can

be

more

effective

than

lifting

weights or running, However, ongoing research in top medical schools is showing

yoga's

effectiveness

for

overall

health

and

for

specific

problems,

making

it

an