Yoga has seen a rise in popularity recently, surpassing pilates as the chic workout regimen. Yoga is much more than a fad, it is an ancient spiritual practice that originated in India. If you have yet to give yoga a try, don't let its trendiness deter you any more. Yoga is seen as a central means to enlightenment in Hinduism and Buddhism, and its importance is even discussed in the Bhagavad Gita.

For some people, the goals of enlightenment and liberation are a bit lofty for a weekly workout routine. In the west, yoga is practiced more often as physical exercise than spiritual exercise. This type of yoga, often called Hatha yoga, is presented as a means of achieving physical health rather than enlightenment.

Hatha yoga focuses on postures and breath control. The degree of concentration and focus that yoga requires makes it an inherently more meditative form of exercise than going to the gym. This built in meditation is the basis of yoga's appeal to many people.

One type of yoga that has gained popularity recently is Bikram yoga, which is more generally called `hot yoga.' This form of yoga is practiced in a room that is heated between 95 and 105 degrees.

The traditional form of Bikram is a sequence of 26 poses, or asana, and two breathing exercises, or pranayama. The heat of the room encourages flexibility and perspiration.

Classes are usually 90 minutes long and the average person will release a great deal of sweat in that time. This excessive perspiration acts as a purifier for the body. In fact, at the end of the class, many people do not smell bad at all; they have sweated many toxins out and are sweating only water.

90 minutes in 100 degree heat may sound exhausting -- and it is. Junior Kate Heffernan frequently attends hot yoga at Midtown Yoga, located at 107 E. Preston St. in Mt. Vernon.

"It's so exhausting and so consuming that you can't really think about anything else while you're doing it, so it clears your mind," said Heffernan.

She mentioned an instructor at Midtown who said, "The only way that Americans can meditate is to become completely exhausted."

And there is probably a good amount of truth in that statement. Many find as Americans and students, we are constantly receiving so much stimulation from the world around us that it is virtually impossible to find a peaceful, quiet place in our minds under ordinary circumstances.

If meditation and the prospect of inner peace appeal to you but yoga does not, consider attending a Buddhist meditation session at the interfaith center. Another easy way to incorporate principles of meditation into your everyday life is to go to the bookstore. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and the author many books including, Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation, and Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life. These books are excellent aids for incorporating mindfulness into your life.

Thich Nhat Hanh's words are simple, straightforward and enlightening. Concering the importance of breathing, a central part of yoga practice, he has said, "Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Learn to practice breathing in order to regain composure of body and mind, to practice mindfulness and to develop concentration and understanding."

by by Samantha Engel
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