Yoga is one of the oldest forms of science oriented towards providing better health and improving quality of life. Believed to have originated in ancient India almost 5000 years ago, Yoga today is practice almost in all countries of the world. Newer studies are coming up all the time on the health benefits of yoga and one of the most researched areas is the impact of yoga on heart ailments.

The practice of Yoga involves two main aspects – one, physical postures known as ‘asanas’ and the other mental techniques which relax and empower the mind. It is the second type which includes techniques for meditation and breathing that are being closely studied by researchers to gauge their impact on heart ailments. Yoga was the key component in a heart disease program pioneered by Dean Ornish M.D which focused on the impact of diet and lifestyle rather than medicine to partially reverse heart ailments.

Studies have found that certain breathing techniques or ‘Pranayama’ practiced in yoga can have a significant impact on lowering the heart rate and bring down blood pressure. This is especially beneficial for people suffering from hypertension which has long been identified as one of the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. Among other benefits of yoga that have been recorded are decrease in cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as boosting the immune system.

Nestling in the foothills of the Himalayas in India is the ancient town of Rishikesh. It is here that the most famous river of the country, the Ganges comes down from the mountains and begins its journey across its vast northern plains. Rishikesh is well known as a center for Yoga, Ayurveda, Hindu philosophy and other ancient Indian disciplines.

Rishikesh has long been an important center of Ayurveda, a system of treatment that follows ancient Indian herbal remedies. Today tourists can choose from an array of spas and resorts that cater to international lifestyles and preferences. The Bharat Heritage Services is one of the better known centers offering treatment in Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Reiki, Acupressure and other types of alternative healing.

Rishikesh however is best known to international visitors as the location of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram which the Beatles visited at the height of their Indian spiritualism phase. Even now its many yogic centers continue to draw in visitors from around the world. Some of the prominent schools of yoga are the Tattvaa Yogashala and the Swargashram.

Visitors to Rishikesh can choose from a wide range of lodging options which extend from star-studded spas and resorts to student hostels. www.ooaha.com offers a remarkably exhaustive search and comparison of the best hotel deals in Rishikesh.

Yoga is aimed to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. Known as a science in practice for years, yoga helps you gain fitness, flexibility, energy and peace of mind. Often, yoga is described as the most beneficial physical and mental therapy for the body. The benefits of this simple exercise are innumerous. The aging process can as well be slowed down by the simple practice of yoga.

Let’s have a look at the benefits yoga exercises can have on your body.

Physiologically, it aims at nervous system equilibrium. Yoga helps in improving your body flexibility, dexterity skills improve, your reaction time improves, improves the posture of your body, there is a considerable increase in the strength and resilience, endurance levels enhances, energy is increased, keeps your mind and soul fresh throughout the day, immunity is enhanced and it keeps the blood pressure in check.

On the other hand, psychologically speaking, yoga helps in enhancing the memory. The attention time span is enhanced, learning efficiency improves, and a considerable improvement in concentration abilities is noticed. It keeps the mood light.

If practiced regularly, yoga can do wonders to your body!

Opening your eyes to a beautiful day and scrabbling about for an inhaler to counter a sudden attack is not a normal way to start yet another day of awe and amazement.Not only asthma patients but people who are suffering from abdominal disorders, arthritis, backache, bronchitis, cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, varicose vein will agree to the harsh fact that living in constant fear and always depended upon inhalers, medicines and substitutes affects the mental health first.

Yoga as the solution of the problem was given by Indian tradition centuries ago. The word yoga means “union” in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where it took birth. We can think it as the union occurring between the mind, body and spirit. What is commonly referred to as “yoga” can be more accurately described by the Sanskrit word asana, which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses.

But how does yoga help? Do bending your hands and legs to an inappropriate state helps fighting diseases as deadly and painful as abdominal disorders, arthritis, backache, bronchitis, cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, sinusitis, varicose vein.

Benefits from yoga not only help curing the disease up to a large extent at physical level but perpetuate an overall mental well being, balance in life style and rejoicing the soul from inside. Yoga through meditation works remarkably to achieve the harmony and helps the mind work in sync with the body. Increasing flexibility, increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons, massaging of all organs of the body, complete detoxification, excellent toning of the muscles are some of the key features of yoga and meditation - rather most effective than any other medicine in the whole world.

Yoga positions or asanas provides the complete fitness with the least metabolism or stress and meditation in turn provides the strength and will to perform these asanas effectively – a virtuous cycle of cause and effect. This mutually symbiotic relationship may help you as it has done to thousands in their path to healthy living.