Jennifer Aniston, Madonna and Halle Berry do it to lose weight. Professional athletes do it to improve their game. More than 20 million Americans do it to connect with themselves at a deeper level.

In South Africa, 'To Om or Not To Om?' has become a key question for increasing numbers of dangerously over-stressed business executives planning to get into the yoga habit.

With job burn-out now one of the fastest-growing causes of office absenteeism and loss of productivity, South Africans of all ages and both sexes have come to the same conclusion as Indian Buddhists did some 5000 years ago... that yoga — with its combination of stretching and meditation — is the perfect antidote to whatever ails contemporary society.

The new antidepressant, but without the side effects

For chronically-anxious and severely-depressed workers trying to escape the pressures of life in the fast lane, yoga is the new anti-depressant... but with completely the opposite side effects. By synchronizing the mind and body, it energises, revitalizes, stimulates and — far from impairing judgment and suppressing hunger — sharpens intelligence, provides mental clarity and fosters the awareness of healthy eating.

In fact, the only anxiety attached to it is finding the time to do it (ideally for 90 minutes a session, three times a week), booking the babysitter and choosing the right yoga style from the dozens of options available.

Iyengar, Ashtanga and Kundalini may sound Greek to you, but they are actually the various types of yoga. Yoga master Robert Lock, who practices at the Virgin Active Garden's zen studio, says it is important to try a few different classes before committing to the style that best suits your athletic and meditative capabilities.

Tune in, chill out and shape up — all at the same time

"Yoga lets you tune in, chill out and shape up, all at the same time," he continues. "By addressing the physical, mental and emotional components of which we are all an amalgam, it offers many styles of application, and a class can be as different as playing a gentle game of ping pong or a fast soccer match."

"Whether brutally intense, physically easy or just a meditative spiritual process, every active yoga style includes the physical body as a means to attain mental and spiritual freedom," says Lock, who also warns that yoga is no quick-fix instant cure all.

"It's important to ease into it gradually, working at your own pace, and slowly letting it seep into your daily habits. You are not going to banish 30 years of stress with just a few yoga classes. But just committing to them is a good start."

"Unless you are suffering from a dangerous medical condition, carrying more than double your ideal body weight or are so severely traumatised that nothing works, yoga will gradually improve your mental state and help you deal with tension and worry in a positive way," says Lock, who also urges a preliminary doctor's consultation for everyone.

Beyond toning and strenthening

"On a physical level," he says, "yoga goes beyond just toning and strengthening muscles. Its powerful combination of stretching postures and controlled deep breathing balances the digestive and hormonal systems while also lowering blood pressure and relaxing the nervous system."

"What better way to achieve well-being, and surely cheaper than a lifetime on pills or the psychiatrists' couch? "asks Lock, who recommends that physically-debilitated beginners start with gentle sessions of Hatha yoga, which is generally less demanding than, say, the more vigorous Ashtanga.

When choosing a class, he suggests finding a teacher who is sufficiently attuned to your needs to immediately spot when you need help or are likely to injure yourself. "Every teacher brings something new and a different set of disciplines, but are there to encourage you to develop your own practice through adjusting and correcting your poses," he says.

"The studio must be a place of refuge, rest and quiet," says Lock.


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