Yang-Jing
Yoga/ www.yj-yoga.com.tw/p1.htm
79, JhongHua 3rd Rd,
CianJin District, 3F, Kaohsiung City (JhongHua Branch);
(07) 215-7277
(07) 395-6033
221, DaChang 1st Rd, SanMin District, 5F, Kaohsiung
City (DaChang Branch)
(07)550-6711
423, YuCheng Rd, ZuoYing District, 5F, Kaohsiung City
(YuCheng Branch)
(08) 735-3667
690, GuangDong Rd, 5F, Pingdong City (Pingdong Branch)
Power
Fitness Yoga
(07) 235-9783
2, Lane 180, LiouHe 1st Rd, 2F, Kaohsiung City
Website : http://www.pfyoga-central.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=zh-tw
Eyoga
Athletic Center
(07) 747-2020
FengShan Branch: 197, CingNian Rd, Sec 2, 2F, FengShan
City
(07) 765-6185
FengShan SinFu Branch: 375, SinFu Rd, 2F, FengShan City
07)768-8585
FengShan WuJia Branch: 493, WuJia 2nd St, 2F, FengShan
City
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Mastering
the Art of Yoga
By Lindsay Alderton Translated
by Sho Huang and Ann Lee
It is an irony that yoga, which originated
in India over 3,000 years ago, circumnavigated the globe
and became popular in the West before taking East Asia
by storm. Despite this wayward journey, the current
craze, which has swept through Hong Kong and Japan,
has now very much arrived in Taiwan. Yoga gyms and health
clubs are springing up all over the island and, with
possibly as many as over a million Taiwanese practitioners,
yoga is becoming one of the most popular ways to exercise
and still the mind.
Yoga's influence is everywhere now
in mainstream pop culture. While the practice was still
very much personified by the cheese-cloth and patchouli
brigade a decade ago, it is now more likely to be epitomized
by the legions of lithe young celebrities, who regularly
bend their bodies into pretzels in an effort to keep
up with Madonna. Advertisers are cashing in on the boom
and even McDonald's has offered a give-away yoga DVD
as part of its healthy make-over campaign. One has to
wonder if the true message behind this ancient tradition
is in danger of being lost.
Yoga is the Sanskrit word for "union",
and the ultimate aim is to strike a balance between
the physical and mental. Through a disciplined system
of exercises, the practitioner hopes to unify control
of the body and mind. Psychologically speaking, it is
not surprising that with the increased stresses of modern
living--in both Asia and beyond--many have turned to
yoga as a safe sanctuary from which to both reflect
and revive. For others, in these tumultuous times of
religious warfare, yoga has provided a peaceful philosophy
with which to fill the spiritual void. For the vast
majority, however, the attraction stems from something
far more simple--the desire to increase levels of physical
health and well-being--and, in the words of one young
yoga enthusiast, "ultimately, to have a beautiful
body."
The physical benefits of yoga are well
documented. With regular practice, yoga can help you
grow stronger, more toned, and more flexible. It improves
respiration, energy and vitality, and helps to maintain
a balanced metabolism, which regulates weight. Alongside
promoting cardiovascular health, it also helps you look
and feel younger.
Muscle Asia, one of the best, established gyms in Kaohsiung,
has had regular yoga classes for years. Their instructor,
Monica, says that yoga is a great activity for people
who want muscles that are stronger, not bigger. Her
courses run through the week and put everyone, from
beginners to advanced level students, together in the
same class. "Because yoga is about developing your
own flexibility and muscle stamina, you can join a class
and just go at your own pace."
The new Fitness Factory in TsouYing
is the latest gym in Kaohsiung to join the yoga craze.
Their massive facility, which is now the biggest gym
in Taiwan, has 12 classes a week, including beginners,
power yoga, a class that's a mix of tai chi and yoga,
and many more. They have new students joining every
week and it's become very popular among the female members
of the gym. Of course, men are always welcome to join
the class, too!
Pop singer Faith Yang described her
first yoga lesson as painful. She kept asking herself
why she put up with this. At the end of the lesson,
she was soaking wet yet felt unusually relaxed. To feel
that relaxation again and again, she dragged herself
back to the classroom despite her sore muscles. After
a year, she's pleased to see the results; tight and
firm thighs, belly and arms. "It's like winning
an award," she said. Another singer, Valen Hsu,
began her yoga lessons six years ago. Years of practice
brings nice color to her face and curving figure. "However,
the most important thing is that yoga allows my soul
to communicate with my body and enables me to experience
true happiness," notes Hsu.
South African Dean Leppan, 26 years
old, has been attending yoga lessons for more than a
year: "I had taken yoga lessons in India. It's
not a 'girly' exercise or something for effeminate men.
The qualified yoga therapy instructor showed me how
yoga can help me totally relax."
Another student, Xia Dong-Dong, said
that instead of using mirrors in the classroom to distract
her, the instructor at her school acted as a mirror
to correct her posture. "Every muscle in your body
feels the soothing effects. The practice also involves
a lot of stretching and deep breathing which keeps you
relaxed throughout", she said. "It takes a
lot of focus to hold some of the positions but, as a
result, I feel far more clear-headed and less restless,
and physically stronger and more balanced. All in all,
I feel great, both inside and out."
"Yoga has no limits, either for
age or body type," says Rob, a yoga instructor.
"And it is a wrong assumption that you have to
be super-flexible to begin with. This is not the case
at all. It's much more about the process than the final
product, about helping you to find your limitations
and not forcing the body into painful positions."
Alongside the burgeoning supply of yoga gyms and fitness
centers, there are also community classes taking place
in Taiwan's city parks, and several businesses now go
so far as to offer weekly yoga as an option for their
employees. Even some schools are now advocating yoga
as an extra-curricular activity for children, who naturally
have the tools for flexibility, but need a calming discipline
to help them better focus their concentration levels.
The future of yoga in Asia seems certain
to keep on expanding, so there has never been a better
time to let go of your stereotypes, open your mind,
and give it a try!
ChengYuan
Spa
(07) 331-5288
35, GuangHua 1st Rd, LingYa District, 5F, Kaohsiung
City
Alexander
Group/ www.alexander.com.tw
(07) 335-8000
217, SanDuo 3rd Rd, 16/17F, Kaohsiung City (Sogo Department
Store)
(06) 288-3338
117, ChongMing Rd, B1, Tainan City
Fitness
Factory
(07) 345-3838
100, BoAi 3rd Rd, TsouYing District, Kaohsiung City
Muscle
Asia
www.muscleasia.com.tw
(07) 555-5002
Kaohsiung branch: 315, MingHua Rd, B1, GuShan District
(06) 241-1124
Tainan branch: 166, JhongShan Rd (FOCUS Department Store
11F)
World
Gym
www.worldgymtaiwan.com
(07) 968-7888
165, LinSen 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City
(06) 600-6688
166, JhongShan Rd, Tainan City
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