Why Practice Meditation and Asana?
Meditation is the act of sitting still and focusing on the breath. It can be practiced anywhere from the subway to the yoga studio or in the comfort of your own home. Generally, there are repetitive breathing techniques practiced at the onset of meditation. The techniques bring awareness to your breath. Eventually the mind begins to let go. This process initiates what Harvard M.D., Dr. Herbert Benson entitles the relaxation response. (www.Relaxation Response.org). Dr. Benson found that the relaxation response counteracts the fight or flight response. Our fight or flight response activates in response to daily stresses. A car alarm, a sharp noise, a fearful memory, the thought of a stressful activity or task are all capable of engaging the response. Internally, the fight or flight response sets off a series of nerve cell firings and releases adrenaline, noradrenalin and cortical into our bloodstream. As a result, our respiratory rate increases. Blood is redirected from our digestive tra
