Nowadays, Yoga is referred to in connection with exercising to control weight. This is incorrect. Yoga is a complete life style, practiced in India for thousands of years. This includes eating healthy vegetarian food, practicing meditation, holding yoga postures for exercising your body, relaxation and breathing techniques. It has the power to bring peace of mind, happiness, make you relax, help you to concentrate on your work and maintaining a healthy body. It helps in the wholesome well-being of body and soul. Yoga as an exerciseYoga is practiced by many as another exercise like, aerobics and dancing. Doing yogasanas or yoga postures for short duration, without practicing its other aspects, doesn’t give a person the full benefits. But this is definitely better than doing nothing. To become a true yogi, following a yogic vegetarian diet is important. It is based on the effects of various foods on the mind and body of the person, who partakes it. The relaxation techniques of yoga facilitate your body to function at its best. The yogic breathing techniques oxygenate the body cells so that the organs and hence the body as a whole perform at an optimal level. The chanting practiced in yoga helps to clear away the tension from your mind and assists you to relax and concentrate better. Meditation is useful to reign in the mind and aids in concentration and clarity of thought. The yogic postures help to tone up and relax the body. All these can be achieved if it is done altogether and not as a piecemeal. It is true that yogic exercises can cause pain in the beginning. This is because our body is not used these forms of exercises. While doing other exercises, the muscles become tight. They offer high resistance to relax while holding some yoga postures. Believe in what you are doing and continue with the exercises and the end result will be a sound body and mind, without tension and pain. Yoga as a stress busterIt is unbelievable for a beginner to think that an exercise regime will unwind you. Initially, it may be difficult, with the pain caused by incorrect yoga postures. As you proceed further with conviction, you will find that you are calmer with a clear mind. Meditation is also very difficult to practice in the beginning. It is quite a task to keep your mind still. Sitting with your eyes closed without moving, may torment you. But once you get the key to meditation, it is smooth sailing afterwards. After studying all the aspects of yoga, once you have decided to take it up, find a qualified and experienced instructor to guide you. Unlike other exercise forms, yoga shapes your mind as well.