Why do humans feel the need to prostrate?

You can have a major impact on your youth by reducing the stress in your life with friendship, exercise, mediation, and group affiliation [check]. In fact, doing so will give back thirty of the thirty-two years that major life events can take away. Two of our favorite stress reducers are laughing and meditating. Laughing, which reduces anxiety, tension, and stress, can make you between 1.7 and 8 years younger.

With meditation, there’s a multiple payoff. Mediation helps maintain your brain cells and preserve memory-related functions, and the stress-reeducations component of mediation helps prevent such conditions as depression an anxiety disorder. To mediate, all you need is a quiet room [or a prayer mat?]. With your eyes partially closed, focus on your breathing and repeat the same word or phrase over and over again – like “um or” one.”

(You - The Owner's Manual by Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz M.D, page 93)

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Easy YogaA large international yoga organization, 3HO, has adopted the sujûd from Islamic prayer, calling it "Easy Yoga."

Islam and Yoga (Interesting paper)