The first thing to know is that there is a one-to-one correlation between the chakras and different parts of the physical body. This is unknown to most yoga enthusiasts, who focus on the well-established role of the glands in chakra functions. The correlation applies especially to the junctional points between the autonomic and voluntary functions of the body.

One can never reach the Supreme Reflective Entity – pratisam’vedii by following the path of analysis. That path causes one to believe that one’s mother, father, and even the limbs of one’s own body are all separate entities. The path of spirituality is the path of synthesis. It is the path which synthesizes the many into one, and helps one to discover the Supreme unity in the midst of diversity. The one who treads the path of synthesis ultimately discovers that what was once multiplicity has been transformed into the supreme singularity. — Shrii Shrii Anandamurti¹.

 

     Millions of people have turned to yoga practices to help them relax. What do we know about what yoga is and whether it really works to decrease stress and anxiety?  In order to answer this question, this paper will look at the nature of stress and its relationship to anxiety, the nature of relaxation, and how yoga postures help us to relax.