Saturday 27 June 2015

Yoga Asana

Neuromuscular Integration Programme

'Time spend on Yoga Asana is a Golden Time of Day' Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Maharishi Ayurveda Exercise works on three levels - the body, the breath, and the mind.  The exercises are practised daily in a progression from grosser to subtler; one begins with the body (asanas - neuromuscular integration), then goes to the breathing, (pranayama - neurorespiratory integration)and, finally, the mind (Transcendental Meditation).

These exercises are designed to chip away at blocks of stress (in physical terms, areas of dysfunction) which deposit over the years in the physiology as a result of physical or emotional injuries, worries, and traumas.

The stress is said to accumulate most in the spine (an the areas adjacent to it in neck, back, and shoulders) and in the 107 vital points of the body, the marmas.  The physical and breathing exercises loosen and soften the blocks of stress; the  mental techniques are designed to complete the process by dissolving them at their root, the mind-body junction.

In this way, these exercises increase physical and mental flexibility, lightness, vitality, and mental clarity.

The neuromuscular integration programme balances and enlivens the physiology.  The programme uses exercises known as asanas, a Sanskrit word that literally means 'seat', and that indicates great stability, something the exercises are intended to produce.

Each exercise is said to enliven a particular group of marmas and each marma is said to have a range of influence over over specific organs.  Also, asanas usually extend or flex muscles and muscle groups that in most people sit unused, or at least are rarely stretched.  Regular practice of asanas is said, therefore, to prevent the musculoskeletal rigidity that can come with age.

There are scores of different asanas.  Because they each have specific, subtle influences on the body,

Some benefits which have been verified by research include:
Reduced cholesterol levels
Lower blood sugar levels
Increased resistance to physical stress
Greater stability of cardiovascular and respiratory functions
Reduced neuroticism
Decreased mental fatigue
Improved mental and cognitive performance
Decreased anxiety and improved mood

Videos:
Maharishi on Yoga

Maharishi Interview from 1965 - Yoga & Transcendental Meditation

Maharishi Mahesh Yoghi on Patanjali Ashtanga Yoga

Text taken from 'Ayurvedic Healing' by Hari Sharma & Christopher Clark see more

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