已十分盛行，瑜伽教练和练习者随处可见。最近一项由《瑜伽月刊》委托洛普民调机构所做的调查显示，有1,100万的美国人至少会偶尔做一次瑜伽，另有600万的美国人会经常做瑜伽。Today yoga is thriving ,and it has become easy to find teachers and practitioners throughout American . A recent Roper poll ,commissioned by Yoga Journal ,found that 11 million Americans do yoga at least occasionally and six million perform it regularly .瑜伽已被广泛应用于身体治疗和专业运动队的日常训练，做瑜伽的好处也被电影明星和《财富》杂志世界500强企业的总裁们争相吹捧。Yoga stretches are used by physical therapists and professional sports teams ,and the benefits of yoga are being touted by movie stars and fortune 500 executives .许多医学名校已经研究并提出能够有效缓解疾病和压力的瑜伽术了。包括加州大学洛杉矶分校在内的一些医学院甚至还为内科医学专业的学生开设了瑜伽课程。Many prestigious schools of medicine have studied and introduced yoga techniques as proven therapies for illness and stress . Some medical schools like UCLA,even offer yoga classes as part of their physician training program .
2美国有许多不同的哈他(传统)瑜伽学派，其中影响最大的是艾扬格派和阿斯汤加派。艾扬格瑜伽的创立者是波·可·斯·艾扬格，他是世界上目前仍健在的最伟大的瑜伽改革者之一。艾扬格瑜伽十分注重姿势的精准，它采用新的方式和顺序练习传统瑜伽。 There are several different schools of hatha yoga in America ;the two most prevalent ones are Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga . Iyengar yoga was founded by B.K.S. Iyengar who is widely considered as one of the great living innovators of yoga . Iyengar yoga puts strict emphasis on form and alignment ,and
25
uses traditional hatha yoga techniques in new manners and sequences .艾扬格瑜伽有助于身体治疗，因为它允许练习者使用瑜伽伸展带、瑜伽砖等辅助器材来减少做瑜伽动作的难度。阿斯汤加瑜伽有着更精准的要求，练习者要用舞蹈般流畅的动作来练习传统瑜伽，从而使身体发热，并通过出汗和深呼吸来净化自己的身体。 Iyengar yoga can be good for physical therapy because it allows the use of props like straps and blocks to make it easier for some people to get into the yoga posture . Ashtanga yoga can be a more vigorous routine ,using a flowing and dance-like sequence of hatha postures to generate body heat ,which purifies the body through sweating and deep breathing .
3做瑜伽没有场地的限制，一套瑜伽动作通常需要20分钟到两个小时或者更多的时间，而一个小时左右的时间则是一系列动作和冥想的最佳选择。Yoga routines can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two or more hours ,with one hour being a good time investment to perform a sequence of postures and a meditation .根据瑜伽师和学派的不同，一些瑜伽动作做起来辛苦异常，而另一些却只是在呼吸和心跳平稳的情况下调整和伸展肢体。 每天练习瑜伽会达到最好的效果，随着动作越来越熟练，你就可以加大强度和难度，这样瑜伽就能成为你相伴终生的日常锻炼方式了。Some yoga routines ,depending on the teacher and school ,can be as strenuous as the most difficult workout ,and some routines merely stretch and align the body while the breath and heart rate are kept slow and steady . Yoga achieve its best results when it is practiced as a daily discipline ,and yoga can be a life-long exercise routine ,offering deeper and more challenging positions as a practitioner becomes more adept . 练习基础的瑜伽动作即可收到增强力量，改善柔韧性并使
26
人感到舒适的效果，但要想达到完美和高深的境界还是需要日积月累的练习，这也是瑜伽吸引人的地方之一。The basic positions can increase a person’s strength ,flexibility and sense of well-being almost immediately ,but it can take years to perfect and deepen them ,which is an appealing and stimulating aspect of yoga for many .
4能向瑜伽教练或身体治疗师学习瑜伽是最好不过了，但因为瑜伽入门并不难，所以也可以从大量的介绍瑜伽的正规书籍中自学它的基本动作。Yoga is usually best learned from a yoga teacher or physical therapist ,but yoga is simple enough that one can learn the basic from good books on the subject ,which are plentiful .瑜伽课的学费一般不贵，平均一堂课10美元，学员们在几节课内就能学会基础的瑜伽动作。许多地方的基督教青年会、大学和社区健康协会都开办有瑜伽入门学习班，而且通常只象征性地收取一点儿费用。如果是作为身体治疗项目的一部分，瑜伽费用还能算在医疗保险的范围之内。Yoga classes are generally inexpensive ,averaging around 10 dollars per class and students can learn basic postures in just a few classes . Many YMCAs,colleges and community health organizations offer beginning yoga classes as well ,often for nominal fees . If yoga is part of a physical therapy program ,it can be reimbursed by insurance .
5瑜伽还能带来和精心设计的练习一样的效果，使人增强体质、焕发活力，并帮助人们舒缓压力和久坐带来的疲劳。瑜伽的另一个优点是，除了地心引力外，它不需承担额外的阻力，这使它成为身体治疗方法的不二之选；特定的瑜伽动作能安全有效地增强人的力量，提高身体的平衡度。Yoga can also provide the same benefits as any well-designed exercise program ,increasing general health and
27
stamina ,reducing stress ,and improving those conditions brought about by sedentary lifestyles .yoga has the added advantage of being a low-impact activity that uses only gravity as resistance ,which makes it an excellent physical therapy routine ;certain yoga postures can be safely used to strengthen and balance all parts of the body .
6研究表明，冥想能帮助人们缓解压力。哈佛心脏医学家赫伯特·班森在他划时代的著作《放松反应》里说道，冥想和呼吸技巧能使身体放松，达到与压力相反的效果，并使血压等一系列指标回落。从那以后，越来越多的研究都重申了冥想对减压和身体健康的积极影响。现在，美国医学协会已推荐把冥想疗法替代药物治疗用于治疗疑似高血压的第一步了。Meditation has been much studied and approved for its benefits in reducing stress-related conditions . The landmark book ,The Relaxation Response ,by Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson .showed that meditation and breathing techniques for relaxation could have the opposite effect of stress ,reducing blood pressure and other indicators . Since then ,much research has reiterated the benefits of meditation for stress reduction and general health . Currently ,the American Medical Association recommends meditation techniques as a first step before medication for borderline hypertension cases .
7现代心理学研究表明，即使细微的表情变化也会引起神经系统的自主改变；Modern psychology studies have shown that even slight facial expressions can cause changes in the involuntary nervous system ;
而瑜伽正是身体和心灵的绝妙结合——瑜伽练习的中心思想就是，身体的姿态将影响人的心情和自我意识，而人的精神又能塑造和治愈人的身体。Yoga utilizes the mind/body connection .that is yoga practice contains the central ideas
28