Hatha Yoga - The Path to Focus and Concentration

Some surveys claim that two thirds of the adult population, in North America, has never practiced any form of Yoga. Although Yoga is globally more popular than ever, it is still hard to get the vast majority of adults, to understand the many deeper benefits of steady practice.

Outside of India, the vast majority of public exposure to Yoga is in health clubs. Due to the exposure of Yoga as a "fitness system," the main emphasis becomes a low impact form of weight loss. It is true that the flowing forms of Yoga can be boiled down to a low impact workout, but what a shame to miss the many deeper benefits, which the longest existing holistic health maintenance system has to offer.

Many physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits, occur when practicing Yoga. To list a few of the subtle benefits - it does not take long for a Yoga practitioner to realize improvements in self-esteem, happiness, concentration, stress management, anger management, memory, learning ability, and well being.

The list could go on, but let's bring our attention to the benefits of focus and concentration. We live in a society of attention deficits. At every turn, something new is competing with something else, in the attempt to capture your attention.

Here is a paradox of our society: Competition breeds success. Competition does achieve goals, but competition also creates unreasonable deadlines, which lead to excessive stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart problems, and premature death.

Hence, the term "rat race" is quite fitting, when competition takes total control of our lives. One of the ironies of heavy competition is that, competitors fight with each other so much, that reality has changed and the main objective can be forgotten. This competitive mind-set can occur in organizations, where departments struggle with each other; and they often forget they are "on the same team."

However, focused thought, revealed in meditation and higher forms of Yoga, also achieves success. Meditation sessions are seen as useless by the overly competitive personality. Yet, time taken to meditate, causes us to mentally regroup and look at situations from a new vantage point.

The focused mind does not forget the main objective. Meditation allows the mind the time to rid itself of all distractions from reality. Within the higher forms of Yoga, any student who invests time in steady practice comes to a point where the power of concentration is harnessed.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html