Yoga is an ancient Indian practice which consists of physical and spiritual exercises meant to cause the practitioner's total improvement, implying health, inner peace, mental control, but also access to a superior level of consciousness, unity with the supreme and liberation from karma. The basis of yoga is actually represented by unity: the unity between mind, body and spirit. The term itself comes from a Sanskrit word (yuj) which has the exact meaning of unite.



When a person decides to start practicing these exercises, it is certainly because of the multiple benefits of yoga. There are extremely numerous types of yoga to choose from, each and every one of them involving different styles and offering distinct advantages. What they usually have in common is the combination between contemplation, breath control and physical exercise. The most common yoga types are: Hatha, Iyengar, Sahaja, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Mantra, Raja, Bikram etc. We are going to present a couple of them along with the entailed benefits of yoga.

For a beginner, for instance, Iyengar yoga would be most suitable. This one is a method using different props to compensate the lack of exercise. It involves meditation and focuses on the correct alignment of the body. It implies synthesis between pranayama (breath control) and asanas (body posture). The most important Iyengar benefits of yoga are attaining muscle flexibility by eliminating tension and calming pain by eliminating aches.

Another widely known technique is Hatha yoga, which is proven to be very useful due to the fact that its effects appear rapidly and are extremely beneficial. In Sanskrit, Ha means Sun, the masculine principle, while Tha means Moon, symbol of the feminine. As a result, Hatha designates two complementary forces, that is, the duality in nature. Focusing on breathing and meditation, practicing it accordingly and in an adequate manner brings along the most welcomed benefits of yoga, like health, vitality, inner strength and a complete acknowledgement of one's self.

One of the reasons why the practice of yoga experienced great success, becoming extremely popular, is that many celebrities have embraced it, stating that it changed their life in a wonderful way and defining it as a workout for the mind, not only for the body. The benefits of yoga became more obvious this way and attracted others as well. Some of those benefits are: reducing stress, fitness effects, self control, physical recovery and even preparation for childbirth.

A similar technique is represented by the Pilates method that is an original technique of fitness exercise which also implies the control of the mind over the muscles and breathing control. It was invented by Joseph Pilates and extended during the 20th century. In order to benefit from the Pilates method at its full potential, it is recommended to use the equipment specially designed by the inventor.

Pilates is a very complex technique with a proven efficiency in strengthening the body. Practiced properly, it brings about great mobility, muscles flexibility and other benefits: it increases lung capacity and bone quality, also improving the sanguine circulation. For all of these reasons, the Pilates method is being practiced even by dancers and athletes producing great results.

The Pilates method incorporates the benefits of aerobic and yoga meditation and it implies the use of the entire body for the proper execution of every single exercise, being considered as the latest innovation in fitness and body sculpting. Proper breathing has an important role, contributing to the efficiency of the exercises, along with focus on body posture. It is recommended to practice Pilates between ten and sixty minutes every day.