How does yoga differ from other forms of exercise?
• Yoga places much less emphasis on goal achievement. Instead, students are asked to carefully observe and finely tune the manner in which they move from moment to moment in conjunction with the breath. This focused concentration draws attention inward, integrating mind and body. • Conventional exercise tends to reinforce misalignment because we naturally stretch from our more flexible areas and rely on our more developed muscles for strength. Yoga counter-balances this tendency by requiring weak muscles to strengthen and stiff areas of the body to stretch. Each posture aligns the whole body. As practice continues, less muscular work is needed to execute the postures and the ability to relax is increased.
