Yoga and meditation are often perceived as exclusively internal individual practices. However, these practices can also be undertaken to promote positive social and personal developments that benefit the community at large. Concern for the social welfare of both the world and its people is essential to the practice of yoga, as well as to the ideals of CORE's mission of service and the education of the whole person for the sake of transformation and social justice.

Historically, yoga and meditation have been instrumental in facilitating social change. Gandhi's nonviolent resistance movement, rooted in yogic principles, later inspired civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Today, Yoga and meditation continue to be socially transformative practices.

We could not live without the ability to be in the present: it is what allows us to remember where we are going as we walk, even when during the journey we have lost ourselves in a thousand thoughts.

Without Mindfulness it would be impossible to observe and recognize one's own experience and live in this world. However, and although we believe that we have conscious control of our attention, what usually happens is that we are constantly attending to thoughts about the past or the future, or recognizing only a small portion of what is happening in the present: if what I am experiencing I like, I want it to continue or if what I am living does not please me, I want it to disappear.

Mindfulness allows you to recognize what is happening as it is happening, actively accepting the flow of experience as it is happening. This is how, even if we experience something unpleasant (certainly something unavoidable as long as we are alive), we can save ourselves the added suffering of having to make that unpleasant thing go away. Staying only with what we experience without adding suffering is what mindfulness practice allows.

Mindfulness meditation or introspection is one of them and is practiced in many forms. During the last 30 years, the practice of Mindfulness is being integrated into Western Medicine and Psychology.

• Effective way to reduce stress.
• Increase self-awareness.
• Reduce physical and psychological symptoms associated with stress.
• Improves general well-being.
• Treatment of physical and psychological problems, chronic pain and other symptoms associated with stress.
• It helps us to recover our internal balance, taking care of all aspects of the whole person: body, mind and spirit.
• We develop a greater capacity for discernment and compassion.
• The practice of this attention opens the door to new possibilities, brings us to the here and now, invites us to live a life in fullness and in the present.

Jon Kabat-Zinn defines Mindfulness as: "Intentionally paying attention to the present moment, without judgment".
This type of attention allows us to learn to relate directly to what is happening in our life, here and now, in the present moment.
It is a way to become aware of our reality, giving us the opportunity to consciously work with our stress, pain, illness, loss or life challenges.

On the other hand, a life in which we do not pay attention, in which we are more concerned about what happened, life becomes like a glass pouring water. When we want to achieve a goal and solve a problem, we must prioritize and attend to our present, focus on our goal to find the lost balance and feel better.

Hatha yoga is the branch of yoga that usually comes to mind when you think of yoga in general terms. The practice includes breath, body and mind, and classes are usually 45 to 90 minutes of breathing, yoga postures and meditation.

Traditionally, hatha yoga is a general term for any type of yoga that combines postures ("asanas") with breathing techniques ("pranayama").
Essentially, many of the styles of yoga that are popular in the U.S., such as ashtanga, restorative, vinyasa, Iyengar, etc., fall under the umbrella of hatha.

At the same time, the term "hatha" has also evolved in the U.S. to describe a particular type of yoga class that is usually slow-paced and focuses on proper alignment.

There is some research that focuses specifically on the benefits of hatha, although most of these studies define hatha using the general term (i.e., yoga that combines postures and breathing techniques) rather than specifying it as slower-paced, alignment-focused yoga. With that caveat in mind, these studies suggest that the broad category of hatha yoga may have a variety of benefits, including:

1. Less anxiety: results from a 2016 meta-analysis of 17 studies (501 patients) provide preliminary support for hatha as a treatment for anxiety.
2. Better balance: a small 2014 study involving 34 men found that those who completed a five-month hatha yoga program were able to improve their postural control. Based on these results, the authors conclude that hatha yoga training can improve body balance.
3. Fitness improvements: a 2015 study of Chinese adults found that a 12-week hatha yoga program had positive effects on several fitness components, including cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility.

And beyond these studies, there is plenty of research on the benefits of yoga in general, including data suggesting its ability to treat pain, reduce BMI and blood pressure, reduce menopausal symptoms, help manage chronic disease, improve mental health and more.

It can also affect your stamina. "Yoga makes you very mobile and very capable. You can be strong not just in one direction, but in everything you can imagine doing in all directions without getting tired.

The specific format of a Hatha Yoga session will vary from teacher to teacher and from class to class, but generally, classes begin with some type of "centering exercise". This may be in a seated or prone position and may involve a simple guided exercise. meditation, a breathing exercise or even a moment of silence.

From there, the teacher can guide you through a series of movements (think twisting, bending, folding) that build towards a "peak pose". Then, once you achieve that pose, you can do a series of moves to counteract some of the previous poses in the class, to make sure you leave feeling "balanced." Or the class might not be focused on a "peak pose" at all. and instead might incorporate a variety of poses such as standing poses, reclining poses, balancing poses, and twists.

Hatha also focuses on breath work synchronized with movements (generally at a slower pace than you might experience in vinyasa), and classes may include meditation.

Regardless of the format your hatha class follows, students know that they don't have to do all the postures and you don't have to hold the postures for as long as the instructor says. It's more than okay to break the postures early or even opt not to do them altogether and just sit or stand quietly. "You can take a break whenever you need to."

Hatha is ideal for beginners and more experienced yogis.