Many university studies have shown that the practice of yoga increases overall body strength and leads to a lower body mass index. Yoga, and its healing sister science Ayurveda, has also been shown to reduce blood pressure and result in better overall mental health. So what does a person need to get the most out of this ancient practice? Often, venue makes all the difference.
The Basics on Yoga
By positioning the limbs in various postures, a yoga enthusiast does more than limber up. Meditation, and indeed an entire philosophy of life, are part of these practices. The Yoga Sutras recommend compassion as part of the road to spiritual purity and peace. So the postures for which Yoga are known are only the surface of what Yoga truly is. What matters most is the way these postures interact with the inner mind, spirit and soul of the practitioner.
Yoga does not require extensive training or a great deal of equipment. A simple mat, a board of wood and simple things you can find around the house would suffice. All a person needs to get started is a willingness to pursue stress relieving, ancient practices that do not require any special, personal characteristics.
How the Environment Affects Your Meditation
The environment, however, has a strong influence on how well or poorly a person will benefit from these meditations. A certain stillness and peace around a person is conducive to the stillness and peace the postures generate within. Meditating in a naturally tranquil environment may even be conducive for your inner peace rather than on the space of your own home.
A yoga retreat in Costa Rica, for instance, may be the perfect place to find this environment. Costa Rica is a small, peaceful country in Central America, with a warm, tropical climate and the words “Pura Vida”, or “Pure Life”, used as a common greeting. Here one will find a tranquil outer environment.
As the poses of yoga are undertaken, that tranquility is expressed in those postures. The combination brings the tranquility inward, where it can do the most to reduce the excessive stress that is all too great a part of modern life. Take some time off your everyday life and take a yoga retreat in Costa Rica facilities like Panacea de la Montana.
Sources:
Know Your Stress Type + How to Balance It, Yoga Journal
8 Positive Ways Yoga Transforms Your Body, Active Beat
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