Yoga is an ancient art of staying fit, both physically and mentally. The yoga benefits are so enormous that they are still being discovered almost everyday. The benefits of this ancient art include physical, mental, emotional health, spiritual benefits and natural healing.

The art of Yoga has evolved over many centuries in ancient India. The earliest records of this form of art are found in the ancient Hindu texts and mythologies. Yoga keeps the mind and body of a person fit by slowing down the natural aging process. It reduces the amount of toxins absorbed by our body cell and thus slows down its deterioration.

The physical well being of a person is an obvious benefit of Yoga. There are specific yoga poses or asanas that are aimed at increasing height, losing weight from waist or hips, improving blood circulation, solving Gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems, normalizing blood pressure levels and in keeping it under control, improving our cardio-vascular efficiency, improving physical strength and stamina are to name only a few.

Beyond the more obvious physical benefits, there are many spiritual benefits of Yoga. At a basic level Yoga helps by improving our level of concentration and mental clarity. At an advanced level it improves thought control, mind control and is also known to help in developing psychic powers. On a higher level Yoga unites ones self with the environment and the people around us. It helps us realize and experience how we are One with nature. It is a sort of enlightenment that makes us feel at par with the universe. We become more aware of the lives of people around us and how they are intertwined with our own. This makes us feel at peace with ourselves. Purifying, healing and rejuvenating exercises can restore health, force of life, joy and also lengthen life span. Certain exercises, such as Laya Yoga practices serve liberation, salvation of the soul and reinvent our relationship with God. Yoga thus provides mental peace and spiritual harmony. The realization of ones spiritual self makes us a better person.

The three main components to the practice of Yoga are: breathing, concentration and posture also known as asanas. All three components work together for specific objectives.

One of the most commonly practiced asanas is the Sirsha asana or the Headstand Pose. To do this exercise firstly kneel down and place your arms flat on the floor. Interlock fingers of both hands. Place your head between your hands, flat on the floor. Raise your back from the kneeling position so that you are on the tip of your toes, with your head still on the floor. Slowly raise your legs off the floor so that it extends upwards, keeping the body aligned and balanced. Breathing techniques used during the exercise enhance the overall effect.

Breathing techniques, also known a pranayama, is aimed at bringing more oxygen into our blood stream thereby improving the efficiency of our system. Breathing techniques go hand in hand with the various asanas.

Yoga finds immense use in our present day lives. From relieving office work tension to keeping de-stressing ourselves on a long flight to making us a better person in today's outright competitive and religiously divided world. It brings out a harmony in our precariously unbalanced lifestyles and emotional stability to our personal lives. It is surprising that sparing only a few minutes a day to practice this art can bring us enormous benefits.