An extract from a work done :
The word Yoga is Sanskrit, an ancient and sacred language of the Hindus and means union as in union of body, mind and soul. One of the vast array of subjects the concept covers is the regimen of physical exercises , known as asanas or postures. The asanas are said to help you achieve the perfect unity of your body, your mind and your soul, atman in Sanskrit, which Hindus believe to survive death. Non-believers can take atman to mean the yearning we all have for some everlasting thing that can give meaning and beauty to the most wretched of lives.
Does Yoga really help you achieve this unique unity? I, an irregular practitioner, say it does, even if only for the time your body is engaged in the asanas. Each asana engages specific limbs and organs of the body in the pure discipline of a series of movements. As the movements strain and revitalize the limbs and organs, only the intricate arithmetic of the movements occupies the mind, crowding out all else. Serenity—or, say, peace-- gradually descends on you.
Does Yoga really help you achieve good health? No, it does not prevent cancer or body odor nor can it replace medicine for a disease. It will not make you pretty though it can make your skin shine and bring a spring to your steps. But consider for a moment what is happening to your body all the time: it is on a long degenerating orgy that will end in death. Yoga contains the degeneration by keeping you physically supple as long as you live and, during the time you are at the asanas, providing the balm of calm to your mind. The memory of the calm is, in my case, a resource through the day’s many hassles and harassments.
Do you require a Guru, teacher to start on regimen of Yoga? Yes, to get the movements correct. Luckily there are now teachers running yoga tutorials on television as well as on compact discs. Are they all good? No, they are not. But if you ignore the chatter and concentrate on the movements, you cannot go very wrong. Even if you do, no harm will come to you excepting not receiving the full benefit of your labors.
Practice the asanas on the floor, on a carpet or mat spread on it. Open windows to let in sun and wind. Some music at a low volume may help though it is likely that after sometime you may not be listening to it. For there will be the silent music of the harmony of body and mind and the yearning for something beyond them both.