One of the most difficult aspects of today's society is the sheer mass of stress which most of us experience. It seems almost that everything conspires against good quality relaxation.

In fact, the pace and demands of modern life seems to be an obstacle to many possibly good things. Our health would be better if we could exercise more. We would not have to worry so much about weight loss, aging, disease, ill health, and stress if we could only find a little more time. In time, which we don't have much of anyway, we even begin to become stressed about all the stress we are under and our apparent lack of ability to do much about it!

When we think about things like exercise, meditation, yoga, and the like; things which could help us relax, reduce stress, lose weight, and be healthier, we become even more stressed. It's too complicated! It takes too much time!

And the biggie: Does this stuff really work anyway?

Well, it has long been known that simply learning certain deep breathing techniques can create a relaxed state in only a few minutes. By few, I mean as short a time as two or three minutes. While two or three minutes of deep breathing are not much protection against the "slings and arrows" of today's world, it's a start, and two or three minutes here and there throughout the day can add up.

Think about it. How many people have their evening ruined just because some jerk cut in front of them on the way home? It's not that it's an earth shattering event, but it is just one more stressful event in a day that has been full of them. What if you could take just a couple of minutes and erase the stress of that event and arrive home in a calmer, more relaxed state?

Stay with me, and we will get to yoga and relaxation in a moment.

Then there's exercise. Regular, moderate exercise has been demonstrated to reduce accumulated stress and has a long list of other health benefits as well. It can improve our mental outlook and capacity, help us resist many diseases and conditions, including many associated with aging, while enhancing our ability to enjoy life to the fullest, physically and emotionally. While doing all this, it can help us experience a more relaxed state in our daily lives.

Really! I haven't forgotten about my original topic of yoga and relaxation. Just...well, relax...and stick with me.

Okay, you're starting to get tense because I haven't gotten there yet, so just let me say that meditation is easy to learn as a formal practice and does reduce stress and induce relaxation. Better yet, a meditative state which produces these effects can be achieved without learning HOW to meditate. Deeply religious people at prayer, and people who take long walks experience many of the same benefits offered by a meditation session.

Okay, let's talk about yoga and relaxation.

Yoga is exercise with all the benefits normally associated physical activity.

Yoga induces the meditative state just as if you were to assume the lotus position and empty your mind.

Yoga breathing, an easy thing to learn, is exactly the type of deep breathing technique which encourages relaxation. This breathing technique, together with various movements, and positions (asana) can be done as one distinct yoga session, or can be tucked into available moments throughout the day to improve health and reduce stress.

Best of all, yoga is easy to learn, does not have to be done perfectly nor professionally to get results, and requires no special "yoga equipment" or clothing to get started enjoying the benefits of yoga.

Trust me, once you have experienced yoga relaxation, you will find yourself making the time necessary to do full length yoga sessions.

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer residing in Fort Worth, Texas, and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, weight lifting, yoga, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, and life. Learn more about yoga at http://nodiet4me.com/yoga.