Madhavi is quite upset. She has just come back from a regular checkup with her physician. She has been feeling quite normal but since she just celebrated her 40^th birthday, decided to have a routine medical examination. At the checkup she was found to have an elevated blood pressure.

Being a positive young lady, Madhavi has decided to be proactive about her raised blood pressure. Her physician has suggested that along with medication for high blood pressure, reducing her weight and exercising regularly will help. She also has been told that yoga and meditation can help reduce her blood pressure.

Madhavi is not alone. Thousands of women are learning that the ancient practices of yoga and meditation can provide real health benefits. Medical studies show that yoga and meditation may be helpful for those with a variety of conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, premenstrual stress (PMS), anxiety, and stress. By stretching the body and relaxing the mind, experts say that the benefits of yoga and meditation are enormous.

Yoga and meditation help people focus. Women get so caught up in the daily grind that they forget to take time to regenerate and rejuvenate. Yoga and meditation provide women a little oasis of calm in the middle of the pressure and stress of daily living.

What is yoga?

Yoga is a system built on three main structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation. When yoga is practiced regularly, these systems are designed to work in unison and produce a clear mind and a strong body. Yoga should not be considered a therapy in itself – it provides an emotional and mental discipline that helps you to lead a healthy life.

All forms of yoga should be thought of as a process rather than a type of exercise. Hatha yoga is the form of yoga which focuses on postures (asanas) and breathing (pranayama).  With yoga, the focus is on what you are doing and how you feel while you are doing them.