Proper Relaxation
releases tension in the muscles and rests the whole system leaving you as refreshed as after a good night's sleep. It carries over into all your activities and teaches you to conserve your energy and let go of all worries or fears.
Proper Diet
is one that is nourishing and well-balanced, based on natural foods. It keeps the body light and supple and the mind calm, giving a high resistance to disease.
Proper Exercise
is given by the yoga postures or asanas, which work systematically on all parts of the body-
stretching and toning the muscles and ligaments, keeping the spine and joints flexible and improving the circulation.
Proper Breathing
means breathing fully and rhythmically, making use of all, not just part, of your lungs to increase your intake of oxygen. Yoga breathing exercises or pranayama teach you how to recharge your body and control your mental state by regulating the flow of prana-
the life force.
Positive Thinking and Meditation
help you to remove negative thoughts and still the mind, ultimately transcending all thoughts.
The Five Principles
where synthesized from the ancient wisdom of yoga and the needs of the people in the West by
Swami Vishnu-Devanada. He came to the United States in 1957 arriving in San Francisco and then traveling for several years throughout the US lecturing and demonstrating asanas (postures) before establishing an international network of Sivananda Yoga Centers (Swami Sivananda was the teacher of Vishnu-Devananda and had sent Swami Vishnu-Devananda to America in from India in 1957).
Source: "The Sivananda Companian to Yoga", by The Sivananda Yoga Center
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