外国人最想和你聊的文化话题：瑜伽

     Yoga's origins lie in Hindu philosophy, which was developed thousands of years ago in India.
     瑜伽起源于印度哲学，在印度已经发展了数千年。
     Today, yoga is a system of movements and meditation that emphasizes physical control and discipline as a way to achieve a state of spiritual knowledge.
     而今，瑜伽是一组强调身体控制与修身养性的运动和静坐，是达到"天人合一"境界的一个有效途径。
     Yoga's ideal state of knowledge is reached after a person has gone through eight different stages.
     人要经过八个不同阶段的训练才能达到瑜伽的完美境界。
     These include aspects of self-control, religion, postures, regulation of breath, restraint of senses, steadying of the mind, meditation, and profound thought.
     这包括了自制、信仰、体位、调息、节欲、内省、冥想和三摩地。
     For a practitioner of yoga, or "yogi" the progression through these stages is a movement from the physical toward a perfect mental state.
     对瑜伽修习者来说，这些阶段是从身体到完美精神境界的进程。
     There are eight major schools of yoga, each varying in its area of emphasis.
     瑜伽有八大流派，每派强调的领域有异。
     The type of yoga thatis taught in the West is mainly a combination of exercise and meditation called Hatha Yoga.
     西方国家传授的瑜伽名为"哈他瑜伽"(又称"运动瑜伽") ，主要是运动与静坐的结合。
     Hatha Yoga is said to have a number of positive effects, such as reducing weight, strengthening muscles and nerves, cleaning out the body, and generally improving health and prolonging life.
     据说"哈他瑜伽"有许多良效，如减肥、强化肌肉与神经、净化身体进而增进健康，延年益寿。
     Recent decades have seen yoga gain widespread acceptance as a method of staying in shape, as well as a way of handling stress.
     几十年来，瑜伽已广为世人接受，成为一种既能保持身材又能舒缓压力的方法。
     The stretching and deep breathing of yoga, this practice is so calming with effective results.
     瑜伽术的肢体伸展和深呼吸这一练习可以使人平静下来，效果极佳。
     Concentrating on the physical intricacies of different poses forces you to filter out the "endless tape loops of chatter and fear," says Dr. Timothy McCall, medical editor of Yoga Journal, allowing you to be present in the moment. In so doing, you begin to clear the mind of future worries.
     《瑜伽杂志》医学编辑Timothy McCall博士说，集中注意力于不同姿态的身体的复杂之处可以迫使你过滤掉那些"如磁带卷一般无休止的战颤和恐惧"，从而使你回到现实中来。这样，你就开始从脑海中清除对未来的担心。
     Laughter yoga involves self-triggered laughter that is not necessarily initiated by humour.
     大笑瑜伽需要的是一种自发性的笑，不一定是被逗笑。
     The exercise routines combine yoga breathing techniques and laughter simulation with stretching, chanting and role playing.
     这种瑜伽将瑜伽呼吸技巧、大笑模仿与伸展、吟唱和角色扮演等活动结合在了一起。
     "That's the gist of laughter yoga. We will be laughing without any reason, no jokes. We will be laughing because we want to be healthy. We have to have a good mind, good mindset." laughter yoga professor Paolo Trinidad said.
     教授大笑瑜伽的保罗·特立尼达说："这就是大笑瑜伽的要义所在。我们要没有任何理由地去笑，而不是因为笑话而笑。我们笑是因为我们希望有一个健康的身体。我们想要有一个好的心态。"
     Snake yoga, is a new twist on the popular exercise class.
     与众不同的健康时尚--"蛇瑜伽"在流行的健身课程上是一种新的瑜伽形式。
     Officially called Kumara Serpent Healing, Snake yoga is an offshoot of Kundalini Yoga-a branch of the form which mixes adopting physical positions with a focus on breathing, meditating and chanting.
     蛇瑜伽的官方说法是库马拉蛇治疗，它是昆达利尼瑜伽的一个分支，它的形式是将采用物理位置和在呼吸、沉思以及交谈中的专注度结合来达到的。
     The floating yoga performance combines yoga postures with artistic dance in water, showing the art of oriental charms.
     漂浮瑜伽融合了瑜伽动作和水中舞蹈艺术，充满了东方艺术韵味。
     As our knowledge of health and fitness increases, people are becoming more and more interested in not only taking care of themselves physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.
     我们对健康与健身的知识与日俱增，人们越来越感兴趣的是不仅仅关心身体健康，还关心心理与精神的健康。
     As a result, many are turning to more complete approaches to health, including less mainstream fitness methods such as yoga.
     因此，许多人转而寻求更全面的途径来增进健康，包括一些还未成为主流的健身方式，如瑜伽。

     Clare: You are always keeping up with the changes in fashion. I hear now you are warming up to yoga. How is it?
     克莱尔：你总是紧随着潮流的变化。我听说你最近热衷于瑜伽。瑜伽怎么样？
     Carl: Marvelous! It's fun! And I especially enjoy the headstands and handstands.
     卡尔：棒极了，瑜伽练习很有趣，我尤其喜欢头支撑倒立和手支撑倒立。
     Clare: But to the best of my knowledge, most enthusiasts are women.
     克莱尔：但是据我所知，大部分的兴趣爱好者都是女人。
     Carl: Yes, that's true. At the beginning, women go in for it mainly. But as its popularity grows, men are becoming more receptive to the idea. As a man, I liked to stand on my head. When my wife started taking yoga four years ago, I thought I should try it.
     卡尔：是的，的确是这样。起初的时候，大部分去的人都是女性。但是随着瑜伽越来越流行，男性也变得更加接受瑜伽。作为一个男性，我喜欢头支撑倒立。我妻子四年前开始练习瑜伽的时候，我觉得我也可以尝试下。
     Clare: Why did you want to have a go?
     克莱尔：你为什么愿意试试？
     Carl: Because my back was so stiff I couldn't sleep on my stomach anymore.
     卡尔：因为我的背很僵硬，我不能再趴着睡了。
     Clare: It cannot be a thing to easy start, right?
     克莱尔：刚开始练习瑜伽肯定不容易吧？
     Carl: Sure, the first few classes were tough, but I stuck with it. The first major effect I noticed was that I'd feel very relaxed after a class. I become stronger, more flexible and my posture improved.
     卡尔：是的，刚刚开始的时候的确比较艰难，但是我坚持下来了。我发现最开始的效果是一节课下来后我感觉很轻松。我变得更强壮了，更加柔韧，我的姿势也越来越好。
     Clare: You must be used to it now.
     克莱尔：你现在肯定已经习惯瑜伽了。
     Carl: I still find the physical side of yoga challenging; I also like the contemplative side.
     卡尔：我还是觉得身体练习那部分很有挑战性。我也喜欢沉思的部分。
     Clare: It sounds beneficial. And it calls for a great perseverance.
     克莱尔：听上去获益不少。练习瑜伽要不少坚持。
     Carl: You are right. However hard it may be, a number of men are exercising "mind-fully", including many athletes-the Yankee's Orlando Hernandez, known as E1 Duque, practices yoga, and tiger woods does another holistic exercise method called Pilates. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in holistic fitness techniques like yoga, Pilates, and tai chi.
     卡尔：的确是这样。但是不管怎样困难，很多男性在练习"全心态运动"，包括很多运动员，像在洋基的奥兰多赫尔南德斯为E1杜克练习瑜伽众所周知的，然后老虎伍兹在进行一个叫做普拉提的全面练习。近年来越来越多人对瑜伽、普拉提和太极感兴趣。