孤云独去闲Unit Five The term yoga comes from a Sanskrit word which means yoke or union. Traditionally, yoga is a method joining the individual self with the Divine, Universal Spirit, or Cosmic
Consciousness. Physical and mental exercises are designed to help achieve this goal, also called self-transcendence or enlightenment. On the physical level yoga postures, called asanas, are designed to tone, strengthen, ana align me body. These postures are performed to make the spine supple and healthy and to promote blood flow to all the organs, glands, and tissues, keeping all the bodily systems healthy. On the mental level, yoga uses breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dydna) to quiet, clarify, and discipline the mind. However, experts are quick to point out that yoga is not a religion, but away of living with health and peace of mind as its aims.
“瑜伽”这个词源于梵语，意思是“结合”或“联合”，传统上瑜伽是一种把个人和神，万物之灵或无穷的意识联合在一起的方法。为了帮助达到这个也被称为“自我超越”或“启蒙”的目的，设计了身体上和精神上的锻炼方法。在身体上，设计了各种瑜伽姿势来使人的身体结实、强壮，有协调性，练习这些体位能使脊柱变得柔软健康，血液更通畅地到达各器官、腺或人体组织，从而使身体各系统更健康穹在精神上，瑜伽使用呼吸法和冥想使心境平和、澄净，精神得到很好的修养。但是专家们很快指出瑜伽不是一种宗教，而是将健康与平和的心境结合在一起的一种生活方式。
YOGA IN AMERICA
Douglas Dupler
瑜伽在美国
道格拉斯·多普勒
1 Yoga originated in ancient India and is one of the longest surviving philosophical systems in the world. Some scholars have estimated that yoga is as old as 5,000 years; artifacts detailing yoga postures have been found in India from over 3,000 B.C. Yogis claim that it is a highly developed science of healthy living that has been tested and perfected for all these years. Yoga was first brought to America in the late 1800s when Swami Vivekananda. an Indian teacher and yogi, presented a lecture on .meditation in Chicago. Yoga slowly began gaining followers, and flourished during the 1960s when there was a surge of interest in Eastern philosophy. There has since been a vast exchange of yoga knowledge in America, with many students going to India to study and many Indian experts coming here to teach, resulting in the establishment of a wide variety of schools.
1瑜伽起源于古印度，是世界上最古老的哲学体系之一。一些学者估计，瑜伽至少有5,000年的历史；印度曾出土过3,000年前的表现瑜伽姿势的手工艺品。瑜伽师们认为，经过几千年的考验和完善，瑜伽已经发展成为一门养生的成熟科学。19世纪晚期，印度学者、瑜伽师斯瓦米·维韦卡南达在芝加哥做了一场关于冥想的演讲，从此瑜伽传人了美国。慢慢地有人开始练习瑜伽，并在20世纪60年代东方哲学热盛行的时候形成了学习瑜伽的高潮。从此，瑜伽知识在美国传播开来，许多学徒专程前往印度学习，很多印度瑜伽师也来到美国教学，创办了大量瑜伽学校。
