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Yoga and Health
Dr. M. L. Gharote
Introduction
Yoga is a very ancient discipline. It has been considered as a spiritual discipline and recognised as such throughout the ages by all the systems of Indian philosophy. The aim of Yoga has always remained as the spiritual upliftment of man.
How is then Yoga related to health and fitness? How is health and fitness related to spiritual development ? To answer these questions we have to acquaint ourselves with the concepts and scope of health and fitness.
Understanding the Concepts
Health is a very wide term. Its extent can be known by the comprehensive definition given by World Health Organisation which runs as follows :
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, moral and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” This definition does not necessarily suggest that a healthy person always passes through the life harmoniously and without discord. But the healthy man has a wholeness or oneness of physical life while the unhealthy man is always distracted. And though the healthy man may be torn by temptations and puzzled by the unsolved problems of life, he has not often to fight a battle on two fronts, for health implies some degree of unity. The unbealthy man on the other hand, has always to face bodily discord as well as ethical and intellectual difficulties. He is not at peace with his own body.
Fitness
It implies perfect adaptation to one's particular environment, whatever that is. Fitness can be described in a varied manner. Very often it is considered in terms of physical aspects of living. For example, Karpovich defines physical fitness as "a fitness to perform some specified task requiring muscular effort." But truly fitness is the capacity of an individual to live and function effectively with his potential, purposefully and zestfully, here and
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