Contrary to how it has been widely promoted, Yoga is actually much deeper than merely the commercial fronts.Yoga is much more than a fitness activity, it is not a religion, it is not a fad, it is Science.

The ancient art of Yoga was developed by our ancestors as a means of finding one’s true spirit, or rather, as a means of achieving self actualization. Of course, this does not mean that anyone who practices Yoga will gain enlightenment, because there can be so many varying factors at play. However, as long as a person practices it to some extent, certain benefits are almost always achievable.

On the most basic level, we can look at physical health aspects. Just to name a few, Yoga has been widely proven to heal sports injuries, reduce muscle recovery times, improve cardiovascular stamina and general fitness levels. However, as you will see from the rest of the article, the physical health, beauty and youth benefits are simply “by-products” of something much more precious - in fact priceless.

On a emotional level, it has helped people with imbalanced emotions reach new levels of stability. Through practicing Yoga, they are able to manage feelings better and not feel overwhelmed easily. They become emotionally stronger.

In the spiritual sense, Yoga awakens the Universal Wisdom already present in the person. We possess Divinity in us - all of us do. It is just a matter of how much it has been buried, smudged or hidden beneath the worldly self. This worldly self is a challenge which we all must face in life.

To the extent which an individual accumulates toxins - on all 3 physical, emotional and mental levels, lies the degree of pollution, and correspondingly, the degree of burial. The heavier the pollution, the deeper out Universal Wisdom is embedded. Latent in this Universal Wisdom lies unconditional qualities of love, compassion, kindness, energy, guidance, and interestingly - the keys to happiness as well as success.

Initially when I started eating live foods, I was impressed by my own physical changes - drastic skin improvements, age reversal, higher energy etc. Although I chanced upon a raw lifestyle in search of lasting youth and beauty, it was amusing that these faded into the background when I subsequently discovered a new mental and spiritual awareness.

When eating simply live foods, the body first goes through physical cleansing, intensive ones! This later on leads to some emotional and mental detox too. But the process does not end here.

Most raw foodists report exponentially improved fitness and stamina, and they become sleepless if they don’t work out vigorously. I am one of them! I have so much energy from raw foods alone. Most of us manage fine by working double or running every other day.

Ever heard of some raw foodiests becoming disillusioned, confused, fearful? Some of them whose fear of “losing essential nutrients” eventually took over and it becomes easy to go back to the former lifestyle.

And there is a handful who report that they cannot stand the extreme mental clarity. That could be because the body is cleansed on the physical level; but emotional and mental?

It is possible that the cleaning of the next 2 levels are not happening on time to match that of the physical level. We are, after all, still living in the physical world, even though we are all spiritual beings on a learning journey.

Yoga can produce just physical benefits like weight loss and youth skin. But Yoga sequence drawn intelligently can give profoundly deep and astounding benefits on all 3 levels - physical, emotional and mental. When postures are written to flow with a clear intention of achieving a purpose, the effects are obvious, lasting and deep.

Intrigued to find out more? Try our Transformational Yoga Classes today!

Light, Love and Laughter
(C) Copyright 2010, Linda Loo

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